Welcoming new Big 12 members

September 10, 2021

Dear Baylor Family:

Today is a big day for Baylor University as we officially welcome Brigham Young University, the University of Central Florida, the University of Cincinnati, and the University of Houston into the Big 12 Conference. We are excited about the new Big 12 both now and into the future once member transitions are complete in 2025.

The Big 12 will soon stretch from the peaks of the Rocky Mountains to the sunny shores of Florida and from the Midwest to Texas’s Gulf Coast. The addition of these four comprehensive universities will transform the Big 12 from having a regional presence into a true national conference, creating greater visibility for and interest in our universities and athletics programs.

And judging from both the historic and recent successes of these four schools, the Big 12’s continued status of competing at the highest levels of intercollegiate athletics – as a Power 5 conference – remains unchanged.

Baylor is proud to be a founding member of the Big 12 and an integral part of its future. Athletics is indelibly woven into the fabric of the overall Baylor experience. Students come to our University because of the unique combination of our Christian mission, academic excellence, a mid-sized campus AND championship-level athletics. Our light will continue to shine bright in the new Big 12.

We are looking forward to new roadtrips and experiences for our student-athletes, coaches and staffs, alumni and fans in Provo, Orlando, Cincinnati and a few hours away in Houston. The two Cougars, Knights and Bearcats will join the Big 12 no later than 2024. The conference will compete with 14 members until the departure of Texas and Oklahoma in 2025, before formalizing as a 12-member league for the future.

We thank you for your prayers, support and patience as we navigated the uncertain times of the past couple of months. In every conversation, the strength of the Baylor brand – and the respect others have for our Christian mission – was reinforced time and time again. Our future is indeed bright.

Sic ’em,

Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D.
President

Mack B. Rhoades, IV
Vice President, Director for Intercollegiate Athletics