Big 12 Conference Planning Homecoming Tour To Welcome New Universities
Monday, July 10, 2023 at 04:41PM By Barry Janoff
July 10, 2023: With major changes coming to the conference over the next two seasons, the Big 12 today unveiled the "Big 12 Homecoming,” a tour that will debut this fall with stops at the incoming universities, followed by visits to the eight other continuing members over ensuing years.
The Big 12 officially welcomed four new members earlier this month, with BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF joining its lineup.
Their first year of membership in the Big 12 will be the last for Oklahoma and Texas, which depart for the SEC in Summer 2024.
The current Big 12 membership also currently includes Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Texas Christian University, Texas Tech, Kansas and West Virginia.
"We are thrilled to launch Big 12 Homecoming and debut this celebration of our Conference on the campuses of our four newest members," Big 12 CMO Tyrel Kirkham said via the Conference.
"Each of these four programs have waited years for this moment, and as a Conference, we want to ensure their arrival is memorialized and celebrated. These events will bring a new level of entertainment and excitement to Big 12 campuses."
Big 12 Homecoming is being planned as three-day visits to four campuses per fall, each during a home football game weekend.
Thursdays will feature a women’s empowerment event including panels and discussions alongside female student-athletes and female leaders impacting change across campus.
On Fridays, Big 12 student-athletes and coaches will visit one elementary school to unveil a $50,000 makeover for a new library / media center as a part of the College Football Playoff Foundation’s signature program, Extra Yard Makeover Project.
Saturdays of Big 12 Homecoming will see the Big 12 enhance each school’s pre-game tailgating experience including live DJ performances, limited-edition merchandise giveaways, and an armed forces pre-game flyover.
The initial Big 12 Homecoming schedule (subject to change) includes:
• Houston: Sept. 14-16 (vs. TCU)
• Cincinnati: Sept. 21-23 (vs. Oklahoma)
• UCF: Sept. 28-30 (vs. Baylor)
• BYU: Oct. 19-21 (vs. Texas Tech)
Stops for othe
r schools in future seasons will be released at a later date.
The Big 12's four new schools will experience their first Big 12 activation this week (July 12-13) when Conference representatives meet in Arlington, Texas, for the annual Big 12 Media Days.
The Big 12 has been actively redesigning its landscape since June 2022, when Brett Yorkmark was named as its fifth commissioner.
This past October, the Big 12 signed a six-year media rights extension with ESPN and Fox valued at $2.3 billion by industry analysts.
Last month, calling it a “natural extension to the Big 12 footprint,” the Big 12 Conference unveiled plans for the Big 12 Mexico, the Conference’s first international extension.
It will initially will see Big 12 men’s and women’s basketball, women’s soccer and baseball games held in Mexico, with future plans for a college football bowl game.
"Mexico is a natural extension to the Big 12 footprint, and I'm thrilled to introduce Big 12 Mexico as the Conference's first-ever international presence," Yormark said at the time via the Conference.
Big 12 Has Big Plans In Mexico
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