Big 12's 2023 conference slate released
Jan. 31—The Big 12 today released its 2023 football schedule, its first-ever as a 14-team Conference.
The 28th season of Big 12 football begins on September 16th with incoming member Houston hosting TCU. Defending Big 12 champion Kansas State opens conference play against UCF on September 23rd. A full slate of seven games closes out the conference season over Thanksgiving weekend.
With the additions of BYU, UCF, Cincinnati and Houston, Big 12 programs will continue to play nine league games without divisions with the two top finishers meeting for the Big 12 championship.
Oklahoma will play all but Houston among the new members, with Central Florida at home and road games at BYU and Cincinnati. The Sooners could be playing their final season as a Big 12 member along with Texas — a factor which held up the release of the schedule. OU will not play Kansas State, Texas Tech or Baylor and its only trip into Texas will be the Red River Rivalry.
Oklahoma State will face all four newcomers — Cincinnati at home, UCF and Houston on the road and BYU to close the season. The Cowboys won't play Texas, Texas Tech, TCU or Baylor in 2023. The Sooners will play TCU on the Friday after Thanksgiving, a game that was revealed late Monday when TCU accidentally released its schedule.
"I would like to thank our fans for their patience awaiting this historic schedule," said Commissioner Brett Yormark. "Given its importance, the complexities of weaving in four new schools, adding a third time zone and ensuring alignment with key stakeholders we were very deliberate with its development. I look forward to another highly competitive season of Big 12 football, and to welcoming our new members and their fans into the league."
Television selections for the first three weeks of the season are due to the Conference by June 1.
OU breakdown:
After opening at home with non-conference foes Arkansas State on September 2 and SMU on September 9, the Sooners will travel to Tulsa on September 16. Big 12 play begins the following week with one of the Big 12 newcomers in Cincinnati on Sept. 23. OU has a 2-0 edge against the Bearcats, winning 52-26 in Norman in 2008 and 31-29 in Cincinnati in 2010.
OU will return home for Iowa State on September 30 before the only trip south of the Red River to Dallas on Oct. 7 and a chance to atone for the 49-0 shellacking in 2022.
After an open week, OU will host UCF, previous home to quarterback Dillon Gabriel and offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby, on October 21. The two teams have never met.
It's then back to the road for Kansas on October 28 and in what could be the final Bedlam meeting, at Oklahoma State on November 4. It's the earliest Bedlam matchup since 2017.
West Virginia comes to Norman on November 11 before the Sooners head to BYU on November 18 seeking its first win in the three meetings between the schools. OU lost 31-6 in the 1994 Copper Bowl and then in the first college football game in JerryWorld in Arlington, Texas, lost 14-13. The Sooners then close at home against TCU amid Black Friday.
OSU breakdown:
OSU opens the season with a trio of non-conference games, hosting Central Arkansas on September 2, visiting Arizona State on September 9 and hosting South Alabama on September 16. The new-look Big 12 slate begins with a September 23 road game at Iowa State, marking OSU's earliest road trip to Ames since the 1997 season opener. An open date follows.
Oklahoma State returns home Friday, October 6, when it hosts Kansas State. That game will be first Friday home game for OSU since Kansas on October 26, 1956, with the most recent being the 2019 season opener at Oregon State. After another home matchup with Kansas on October 14, OSU heads to West Virginia on October 21.
The Cowboys then return to Stillwater on October 28, hosting Cincinnati in Stillwater for the first time since 1959. It will be the fourth overall meeting between the programs and the first time since 1983 that the Cowboys have played the Bearcats. Oklahoma State hosts Oklahoma the following Saturday.
OSU will face UCF for the first time ever at Orlando on November 11, then go to Houston on November 18. The Houston matchup will be the 21st overall meeting between the former Missouri Valley Conference foes, but it will be the first game played in the series since 2009 and the Cowboys' first trip to Houston since 2006.
The regular season comes to a close at home against BYU on November 25 in the first regular season meeting between the schools, with Cowboys winning the only two prior matchups in the 1974 Fiesta Bowl and 1976 Tangerine Bowl.
