2023 Big 12 Conference football season

The 2023 Big 12 Conference football season was the 28th season of the Big 12 Conference football taking place during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season.

The 2023 season was the first season for the Big 12 to have 14 members, with BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF joining the conference. It was also the last season for founding conference members Oklahoma and Texas, who left for the Southeastern Conference prior to the start of the 2024 season.

The 2023 Big 12 Championship Game was played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on December 2, 2023, between Texas and Oklahoma State. Texas won 49–21, winning their fourth Big 12 championship in team history.

Background

Previous season

The Kansas State Wildcats defeated the TCU Horned Frogs in overtime 31–28 in the Big 12 title game.

Eight teams participated in bowl games, finishing with a record of 2–7. Baylor lost to Air Force 30–15 in the Armed Forces Bowl. Oklahoma State lost to Wisconsin 24–17 in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. Kansas lost to Arkansas 55–53 in the Liberty Bowl. Texas Tech defeated Ole Miss 42–25 in the Texas Bowl. Oklahoma lost to No. 13 Florida State 35–32 in the Cheez-It Bowl. No. 21 Texas lost to No. 12 Washington 27–20 in the Alamo Bowl. No. 9 Kansas State lost to No. 5 Alabama 45–20 in the Sugar Bowl. No. 3 TCU made the 2023 College Football Playoffs; they defeated No. 2 Michigan in the Semi-final game in the Fiesta Bowl, 51–45. They would go on lose to No. 1 Georgia in the College Football National Championship game 65–7, the worst defeat in the College Football Playoff Era.

Preseason

Recruiting classes

Big 12 media days

The 2023 Big 12 media days were held in July 2023 in Frisco, Texas. The teams and representatives in respective order were as follows:

Big 12 Commissioner – Brett Yormark
Baylor – Dave Aranda (HC), Blake Shapen (QB), Drake Dabney (TE), Josh Cameron (WR), T.J. Franklin (DL), Mike Smith Jr. (LB)
BYU – Kalani Sitake (HC), Kedon Slovis (QB), Kody Epps (WR), Ben Bywater (LB), Tyler Batty (DE), Ryan Rehkow (P)
Cincinnati – Scott Satterfield (HC), Emory Jones (QB), Deshawn Pace (DE), Jowon Briggs (DL), Dontay Corleone (DL)
Houston – Dana Holgorsen (HC), Nelson Ceaser (DL), Jack Freeman (OL), Hasaan Hypolite (LB), Patrick Paul (OL)
Iowa State – Matt Campbell (HC), Jaylin Noel (WR), Beau Freyler (DB), T. J. Tampa (DB), Gerry Vaughn (LB)
Kansas – Lance Leipold (HC), Jalon Daniels (QB), Devin Neal (RB), Rich Miller (LB), Kenny Logan Jr. (S)
Kansas State – Chris Klieman (HC), Will Howard (QB), Cooper Beebe (OL), Daniel Green (LB), Kobe Savage (S)
Oklahoma – Brent Venables (HC) Dillon Gabriel (QB), Drake Stoops (WR), Jonah Laulu (DL), Danny Stutsman (LB)
Oklahoma State – Mike Gundy (HC), Collin Oliver (LB), Korie Black (CB), Brennan Presley (WR), Preston Wilson (OL)
TCU – Sonny Dykes (HC), Bud Clark (S), Brandon Coleman (OL), Jamoi Hodge (LB), Josh Newton (CB), Jared Wiley (TE)
Texas – Steve Sarkisian (HC), Quinn Ewers (QB), Jordan Whittington (WR), Xavier Worthy (WR), Jaylan Ford (LB), Jahdae Barron (DB)
Texas Tech – Joey McGuire (HC), Tyler Shough (QB), Jerand Bradley (WR), Tahj Brooks (RB), Tony Bradford Jr. (DL), Jaylon Hutchings (DL)
UCF – Gus Malzahn (HC), Javon Baker (WR), Ricky Barber (DT), John Rhys Plumlee (QB), Josh Celiscar (DE), Lokahi Pauole (OL)
West Virginia – Neal Brown (HC), Zach Frazier (OL), Doug Nester (OL), Sean Martin (DL), Lee Kpogba (LB), Aubrey Burks (DB)

Preseason poll

The preseason poll was released on July 6, 2023.

First place votes in ()

Preseason awards

All−American Teams

Sources:

Individual awards

Preseason All-Big 12 teams

2023 Preseason All-Big 12

Source:

Offensive Player of the Year: Jalon Daniels, QB, Kansas, Jr.
Defensive Player of the Year: Jaylan Ford, LB, Texas, Sr.
Newcomer of the Year: Treshaun Ward, RB, Kansas State, Sr.

Head coaches

Schedule

All times Central time.

† denotes Homecoming game

Rankings reflect those of the AP poll for weeks 1 through 9. Rankings from Week 10 until the end of the Season reflect those of the College Football Playoff Rankings.

Regular season

Week One

Week Two

Week Three

Week Four

Week Five

Week Six

Week Seven

Week Eight

Week Nine

Week Ten

Week Eleven

Week Twelve

Week Thirteen

Championship Game

Postseason

Bowl games

For the 2020–2025 bowl cycle, The Big 12 will have annual appearances in the following bowls: Sugar Bowl (unless the Sugar Bowl is a CFP game), First Responder Bowl, Liberty Bowl, Alamo Bowl, Guaranteed Rate Bowl, Pop-Tarts Bowl, and Texas Bowl. Big 12 teams will play in a New Year's Six bowl if they are ranked high enough for an at-large bid in the final CFP rankings. The Big 12 champions are also eligible for the College Football Playoff if they're among the top four teams in the final CFP ranking.

Rankings are from CFP rankings. All times Central Time Zone. Big-12 teams shown in bold.

Head to head matchups

* Do not play during regular season

Updated with the results of November 25, 2023.

Big 12 vs Power 5 matchups

This is a list of the Power Five conferences teams (ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12, Notre Dame and SEC).

Big 12 vs Group of Five matchups

The following games include Big 12 teams competing against teams from The American, C-USA, MAC, Mountain West or Sun Belt.

Big 12 vs FCS matchups

The Football Championship Subdivision comprises 13 conferences and two independent programs.

Big 12 vs other conferences

Television Selections

The Big 12 Conference has television contracts with ESPN and FOX, which allow games to be broadcast across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, FOX, FS1 and FS2. Streaming broadcasts for games under Big 12 control are streamed on ESPN . Texas operates its own network, Longhorn Network, in conjunction with ESPN. Games under the control of other conferences fall under the contracts of the opposing conference.

Awards and honors

Players of the week

Totals per school

Big 12 Individual Awards

The following individuals received postseason honors as voted by the Big 12 Conference coaches at the end of the season.

All-Americans

Currently, the NCAA compiles consensus all-America teams in the sports of Division I-FBS football and Division I men's basketball using a point system computed from All-America teams named by coaches associations or media sources. The system consists of three points for a first-team honor, two points for second-team honor, and one point for third-team honor. Honorable mention and fourth team or lower recognitions are not accorded any points. College Football All-American consensus teams are compiled by position and the player accumulating the most points at each position is named first team consensus all-American. Currently, the NCAA recognizes All-Americans selected by the AP, AFCA, FWAA, TSN, and the WCFF to determine Consensus and Unanimous All-Americans. Any player named to the First Team by all five of the NCAA-recognized selectors is deemed a Unanimous All-American.

List of All American Teams

American Football Coaches Association All-America Team
Associated Press All-America Team
CBS Sports All-America Team
ESPN All-America Team
Football Writers Association of America All-America Team
Fox Sports All-America Team
The Athletic All-America Team
Sporting News 2022 College Football All-America Team
Sports Illustrated
USA Today All-America Team
Walter Camp Football Foundation All-America Team
The Sporting News College Football All-America Team

All-conference teams

The following players earned All-Big 12 honors. Any teams showing (_) following their name are indicating the number of All-Big 12 Conference Honors awarded to that university for 1st team and 2nd team respectively.

Source:

Notes:

RS = Return Specialist
AP/ST = All-Purpose/Special Teams Player (not a kicker or returner)
† Two-time first team selection;
‡ Three-time first team selection

Honorable mentions

Baylor: Monaray Baldwin (WR), Drake Dabney (TE), TJ Franklin (DL), Gabe Hall (DL), Caden Jenkins (DB, DFoY), Matt Jones (LB), Dawson Pendergrass (OFoY)
BYU: Tyler Batty (DPoY, DLoY), Kamden Garrett (DB), Eddie Heckard (DB, DNoY), Darius Lassiter (ONoY), Paul Maile (OL), Ryan Rehkow (STPoY), Isaac Rex (TE), Jakob Robinson (DB), Max Tooley (LB)
Cincinnati: Jowon Briggs (DL), Dontay Corleone (DLoY), Mason Fletcher (P, STPoY), Gavin Gerhardt (OL), Xzavier Henderson (WR), Luke Kandra (OLoY), Deshawn Pace (DB)
Houston: Samuel Brown (WR), Nelson Ceaser (DPoY, DLoY), Matthew Golden (STPoY), Isaiah Hamilton (DB), Parker Jenkins (ONoY), A. J. Haulcy (DB, DNoY), Patrick Paul (OLoY)
Iowa State: Benjamin Brahmer (TE), Chase Contreraz (PK, STPoY), Beau Freyler (DB), Jayden Higgins (WR, ONoY), Jarrod Hufford (OL, OLoY), Jaylin Noel (KR/PR, OPoY), Tyler Onyedim (DL), Domonique Orange (DL), Tyler Perkins (P), Jack Sadowsky (DFoY), T. J. Tampa (DPoY), Gerry Vaughn (LB), Malik Verdon (DB)
Kansas: Lawrence Arnold (WR), Jason Bean (QB), Austin Booker (DLoY), Mello Dotson (DB), Mason Fairchild (TE), Devin Neal (OPoY), Mike Novitsky (OL), Dominick Puni (OLoY), Jereme Robinson (DL)
Kansas State: Jack Blumer (P), Phillp Brooks (WR, KR/PR), Khalid Duke (DLoY), DJ Giddens (RB), Hayden Gillum (OL), Will Howard (OPoY), Avery Johnson (OFoY), Will Lee III (DB), KT Leveston (OL), Austin Moore (DPoY), Brendan Mott (DL), Jacob Parrish (DB), Seth Porter (STPoY), Desmond Purnell (LB), Austin Romaine (DFoY), Uso Seumalo (DL), Marques Sigle (DNoY, DB), Chris Tennant (PK), Treshaun Ward (ONoY, RB), Carver Willis (OL)
Oklahoma: Nic Anderson (OFoY, WR), Rondell Bothroyd (DL), Billy Bowman (DPoY), Isaiah Coe (DL), Kendel Dolby (DB), Ethan Downs (DLoY), Jalil Farooq (WR, KR/PR), Gavin Freeman (KR/PR), Dillon Gabriel (OPoY), Tyler Guyton (OL), Kip Lewis (DFoY, LB), McKade Mettauer (OL), Andrew Raym (OLoY), Walter Rouse (OL), Gavin Sawchuk (RB), Tawee Walker (RB), Woodi Washington (DB), Gentry Williams (DB)
Oklahoma State: Korie Black (DB), Alan Bowman (QB), Braden Cassity (FB), Dalton Cooper (OL), Kendal Daniels (DB), Cameron Epps (DFoY, DB), Anthony Goodlow (DNoY, DLoY, DL), Alex Hale (STPoY), Josiah Johnson (ONoY, TE), Nickolas Martin (DPoY), Joe Michalski (OLoY, OL), Rashod Owens (WR), Brennan Presley (KR/PR), Jake Springfield (OL)
TCU: Emani Bailey (RB), Shad Banks Jr. (LB), Millard Bradford (DB), Andrew Coker (OL), Brandon Coleman (OLoY), Caleb Fox (DL), Jamoi Hodge (LB), Josh Hoover (OFoY), Griffin Kell (K), Namdi Obiazor (DPoY, LB), Willis Patrick (OL), Mark Perry (DB), JP Richardson (WR), Jaylon Robinson (WR), Jordy Sandy (P), Jared Wiley (OPoY), Damonic Williams (DLoY, DL), Savion Williams (WR)
Texas: Kelvin Banks Jr. (OLoY), CJ Baxter (OFoY, RB), Jonathon Brooks (OPoY), Terrance Brooks (DB), Ethan Burke (DL), Trill Carter (DNoY), Kitan Crawford (STPoY), Alfred Collins (DL), Quinn Ewers (QB), Gunnar Helm (TE), Anthony Hill (LB), Christian Jones (OL), Jake Majors (OL), Ryan Sanborn (P), Barryn Sorrell (DL), Michael Taaffe (DB), Jerrin Thompson (DB), Jordan Whittington (WR)
Texas Tech: C.J. Baskerville (DNoY, DB), Tony Bradford Jr. (DL), Tahj Brooks (OPoY), Myles Cole (DL), Baylor Cupp (TE), Malik Dunlap (DB), Gino Garcia (PK), Jaylon Hutchings (DLoY, DL), Bralyn Lux (DB), Drae McCray (ONoY, KR/PR), Monroe Mills (OL), Behren Morton (QB), Jesiah Pierre (LB), Myles Price (WR), Ben Roberts (LB), Caleb Rodgers (OL), Rusty Staats (OL), Dadrion Taylor-Demerson (DPoY), Xavier White (WR), Dennis Wilburn (OL)
UCF: Colton Boomer (PK), Tylan Grable (OL), RJ Harvey (RB), Demari Henderson (DB), Kobe Hudson (WR), Lee Hunter (DL), Malachi Lawrence (DL), Tre’mon Morris-Brash (DLoY), Lokahi Pauole (OL), Randy Pittman Jr. (OFoY), John Rhys Plumlee (QB), Corey Thornton (DB), Xavier Townsend (KR/PR), John Walker (DFoY)
West Virginia: Beanie Bishop Jr. (DNoY), Aubrey Burks (DB), Ben Cutter (DFoY), CJ Donaldson (RB), Preston Fox (KR/PR), Zach Frazier (OLoY), Garrett Greene (QB), Lee Kpogba (DL), Mike Lockhart (DL), Michael Hayes (STPoY, PK), Sean Martin (DLoY, DL), Doug Nester (OL), Tomas Rimac (OL), Oliver Straw (P), Kole Taylor (ONoY), Edward Vesterinen (DL), Jahiem White (OFoY), Brandon Yates (OL)