The Big 12 presidents and chancellors approved a scheduling model for the upcoming college football season that will include nine conference games and one nonconference game, the league confirmed Monday evening.
The start of conference play will be solidified in the coming weeks, with an anticipated start sometime in mid-to-late September. The league still expects to play its nonconference games before the start of league play, according to a release.
The model gives the Big 12 the flexibility to move back the Big 12 Dr Pepper Championship game to Dec. 12 or 19.
"I would like to salute the work of our university presidents and chancellors, athletics directors, coaches, medical advisors and administrators who have worked tirelessly and collaboratively during these extraordinary times," Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said in a statement. "We believe this change provides the best opportunity going forward. However, we will undoubtedly need to be flexible as we progress through the season in order to combat the challenges that lie ahead."
Every Power 5 conference has determined its scheduling model for a season that has already been significantly altered by the coronavirus pandemic, and the Big 12 joined the ACC as the only leagues that kept one nonconference game.
The Big 12 did not publish its schedule on Tuesday, but with the sweeping changes across all conferences, marquee matchups such as West Virginia-Florida State, Baylor-Ole Miss, Oklahoma-Tennessee and Texas-LSU have been lost for the season.
Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione told ESPN that the Sooners still plan to play their rivalry game against Texas at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
"We expect to play that game in the month of October," Castiglione said. "The only reason we'd have to look at another venue is if something developed that the Cotton Bowl was unavailable for whatever reason."
Last week started a snowball of scheduling news that began with the ACC's announcement Wednesday that it adopted an 11-game schedule. That schedule includes 10 conference games and one nonconference game, and it includes Notre Dame in the conference lineup, with a chance for the Irish to play for the ACC title.
The SEC followed Thursday, announcing a 10-game, conference-only schedule that eliminates traditional rivalry games, including Florida-Florida State, Georgia-Georgia Tech, Louisville-Kentucky, and Clemson-South Carolina.
On Friday, the Pac-12 released details of its conference-only schedule, but the Big Ten has yet to announce its plans for a conference-only season.