The 2021 Big 12 Conference football season was the 26th season of the

Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...

football and took place during the

2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season The 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the 152nd season of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at its highest level of competition, the Football Bowl Subdivision. The r ...

. The season began on September 4 with non-conference play. Conference play began on September 18, 2021. The entire schedule was released on February 11, 2021. The 2021 season was the tenth season for the Big 12 since the early 2010s conference realignment brought the Big 12 membership to its current form. The 2021 Big 12 Championship Game was played at

AT&T Stadium AT&T Stadium, formerly Cowboys Stadium, is a retractable roof, retractable-roof stadium in Arlington, Texas, United States. It serves as the home of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL), and was completed on May 27, 2009. I ...

Arlington, Texas Arlington is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Tarrant County. It forms part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal city of the metropolis and region. ...

, on December 4, 2021.

Background

Previous season

In the 2020 season,

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

defeated Iowa State 27–21 in the conference championship. Six teams were invited to bowl games in the 2020 season, and the conference went 5–0 in those games, with the

Texas Bowl The Texas Bowl is an annual postseason NCAA-sanctioned Division I FBS college football bowl game first held in 2006 in Houston, Texas. Each edition of the bowl has been played at NRG Stadium, previously known as Reliant Stadium. The bowl replaced ...

between TCU and

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

being cancelled due to COVID-19 issues.

Preseason

Big 12 media days

The 2021 Big 12 media days were held on July 14–15 in

Frisco, Texas Frisco is a city in Collin and Denton counties in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex and about from both Dallas Love Field and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Its population was 200,509 at the 2 ...

. The teams and representatives in respective order were as follows: * Big 12 Commissioner –

Bob Bowlsby Robert Addison Bowlsby (born January 10, 1952) is an American college athletic administrator. Bowlsby most recently was the fourth commissioner of the Big 12 Conference a position he held from 2012 to 2022. Prior to that position, he served as th ...

* Baylor – Dave Aranda (HC), Connor Galvin (OL) &

Terrel Bernard Terrel Bernard (born May 7, 1999) is an American football linebacker for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Baylor. Early life and high school Bernard grew up in La Porte, Texas and attended ...

(LB) * Iowa State – Matt Campbell (HC),

Breece Hall Breece Hall (born May 31, 2001) is an American football running back for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Iowa State, where he was a two-time All-American and Big 12 Offensive Player of the ...

(RB) & Greg Eisworth II (DB) * Kansas –

Lance Leipold Lance Leipold ( ; born May 6, 1964) is an American college football coach who has been the head football coach at the University of Kansas since 2021. Leipold served as the head football coach at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater (UWW) fr ...

(HC), Kwamie Lassiter II (WR) & Kenny Logan Jr. (S) * Kansas State –

Chris Klieman Christopher Paul Klieman ( ; born September 27, 1967) is an American football coach and former player, and is currently the head coach for Kansas State University in the Big 12 Conference. He took over from the retiring Bill Snyder after leading ...

(HC),

Skylar Thompson Skylar John Thompson (born June 4, 1997) is an American football quarterback for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Kansas State and was drafted by the Dolphins in the seventh round of the 2 ...

(QB) & Jahron McPherson (DB) * Oklahoma –

Lincoln Riley Lincoln Michael Riley (born September 5, 1983) is an American college football coach and former player who is the head coach of the USC Trojans football program at the University of Southern California. He previously served as the head coach a ...

(HC),

Jeremiah Hall Jeremiah Hall is an American football fullback who is a free agent. He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners. Early life and high school Hall grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina and attended Zebulon B. Vance High School. He was nam ...

(FB) &

Nik Bonitto Nikolas Bonitto (born September 26, 1999) is an American football outside linebacker for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oklahoma. Early life and high school career Bonitto grew up in Fo ...

(LB) * Oklahoma State –

Mike Gundy Michael Ray Gundy (born August 12, 1967) is an American football coach and former player. He is the head football coach at Oklahoma State University. Gundy played college football at Oklahoma State, where he played quarterback from 1986 to 1989. ...

(HC),

Spencer Sanders Spencer Sanders (born December 15, 1999) is an American football quarterback who plays college football for Ole Miss Rebels football, Ole Miss. He previously played for the Oklahoma State Cowboys football, Oklahoma State Cowboys before transferrin ...

(QB) &

Malcolm Rodriguez Malcolm Luciano Rodriguez (born March 29, 1999) is an American football linebacker for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oklahoma State University, Oklahoma State. Early years Rodriguez atten ...

(DE) * TCU –

Gary Patterson Gary Allen Patterson (born February 13, 1960) is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the special assistant to the head coach at the University of Texas. He is the former head football coach at Texas Christian University ...

(HC), Max Duggan (QB) &

Ochaun Mathis Ochaun Mathis (born January 8, 1999) is an American football linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at TCU and Nebraska. Early life and high school career Mathis grew up in Manor, T ...

(DE) * Texas –

Steve Sarkisian Stephen Sarkisian (born March 8, 1974)Stephens, Ken. – "QB GENEALOGY – Steve Sarkisian is latest in long line of talented BYU quarterbacks". – FUN FACT, Sarkisian’s father is actually Texas Tech Head Coach, Joey McGuire. ''Dallas Mo ...

(HC),

Bijan Robinson Bijan Robinson (born January 30, 2002) is an American football running back for the Texas Longhorns. He won the Doak Walker Award in 2022. Early years Robinson attended Salpointe Catholic High School in Tucson, Arizona. During his career he had ...

(RB) & Keondre Coburn (DT) * Texas Tech – Matt Wells (HC), Dawson Deaton (OL) & Riko Jeffers (LB) * West Virginia –

Neal Brown Neal Brown (born March 11, 1980) is an American college football coach and former player. He is the head football coach at West Virginia University. Brown was previously the head coach at Troy University from 2015 to 2018. Brown also previously ...

(HC), Leddie Brown (RB) & Dante Stills (DL)

Preseason poll

The preseason poll was released on July 8, 2021. *First place votes in ()

Preseason Watch Lists

Preseason All-Conference teams

2021 Preseason All-Big 12 *Offensive Player of the Year:

Spencer Rattler Spencer Michael Rattler (born September 28, 2000) is an American football quarterback who plays college football for South Carolina. Rattler began his college career with Oklahoma before transferring to South Carolina in 2021. High school car ...

, QB, Oklahoma *Defensive Player of the Year: Mike Rose, LB, Iowa State *Newcomer of the Year: Eric Gray, RB, Oklahoma

Head coaches

There were two head coaching changes in the conference following the conclusion of the 2019 season. On January 2, 2021, Texas announced that head coach

Tom Herman Thomas Herman III (born June 2, 1975) is an American football coach and head coach of the Florida Atlantic Owls. He was the head football coach for the Texas Longhorns at the University of Texas at Austin from 2017 to 2020. Prior to that, he se ...

would be departing the team, and that he would be replaced by

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

offensive coordinator

. In addition, on March 8, 2021, Kansas announced they had fired

Les Miles Leslie Edwin Miles (born November 10, 1953) is a former American football coach. He most recently served as the head coach at Kansas. His head coaching career began with the Oklahoma State Cowboys, where he coached from 2001 to 2004. Following t ...

. On March 11, Emmett Jones was named interim head coach. On April 30, Kansas announced that

, formerly head coach of the Buffalo Bulls, would take over the position.

Schedule

All times Central time. † denotes Homecoming game

Regular season schedule

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8

Week 9

Week 10

Week 11

Week 12

Week 13

Championship Game

Head to head matchups

''Updated with the results of all regular season conference games.''

Postseason

Bowl games

For the 2020–2025 bowl cycle, The Big-12 will have annually eight appearances in the following bowls:

Sugar Bowl The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed onl ...

(unless they are selected for playoffs filled by a Big-12 team if champion is in the playoffs),

First Responder Bowl The First Responder Bowl is an NCAA post-season college football bowl game played annually in the Dallas, Texas, area. The bowl was first held on January 1, 2011, and since 2014 has been contested in late December. The bowl was held at the Cot ...

Liberty Bowl The Liberty Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in late December or early January since 1959. For its first five years, it was played at Philadelphia Municipal Stadium in Philadelphia before being held at Atlantic City ...

Alamo Bowl The Alamo Bowl is an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game played annually since 1993 in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Since 2010 it matches the second choice team from the Pac-12 Conference and the secon ...

Guaranteed Rate Bowl The Guaranteed Rate Bowl is an annual college football bowl game that has been played in the state of Arizona since 1989. Played as the Copper Bowl from inception through 1996, it was known as the Insight.com Bowl from 1997 through 2001, then ...

, Cheez-It Bowl and

. The Big-12 teams will go to a New Year's Six bowl if a team finishes higher than the champions of

Power Five conferences The Power Five conferences are the five most prominent and highest-earning athletic conferences in college football in the United States. They are part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of NCAA D ...

in the final College Football Playoff rankings. The Big-12 champion are also eligible for the

College Football Playoff The College Football Playoff (CFP) is an annual postseason knockout invitational tournament to determine a national champion for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the highest level ...

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.

Big 12 vs other conferences

Records against other conferences

Regular Season Post Season

Big 12 vs Power 5 matchups

This is a list of the

teams (

ACC ACC most often refers to: * Atlantic Coast Conference, an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference located in the US *American College of Cardiology, A US-based nonprofit medical association that bestows credentials upon cardiovascular spec ...

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

Pac-12 The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its College football, football teams compete in the NCAA D ...

, Notre Dame,

BYU Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day S ...

and SEC).

Big 12 vs Group of Five matchups

The following games include Big 12 teams competing against teams from The American,

C-USA Conference USA (C-USA or CUSA) is an intercollegiate athletic conference whose current member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. C-USA's offices are ...

, MAC,

Mountain West The Mountain West Conference (MW) is one of the collegiate athletic conferences affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) (formerly I-A). The MW officially began operations o ...

Sun Belt The Sun Belt is a region of the United States generally considered to stretch across the Southeast and Southwest. Another rough definition of the region is the area south of the 36th parallel. Several climates can be found in the region — des ...

Big 12 vs FBS independents matchups

The following games include Big 12 teams competing against FBS Independents which include

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

New Mexico State New Mexico State University (NMSU or NM State) is a public land-grant research university based primarily in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest public institution of higher education in New Mexico and one of the state's tw ...

UConn The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Ha ...

and UMass.

Big 12 vs FCS matchups

The

Football Championship Subdivision The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the Football Bowl Subdivision. Sponsored by the National Collegiate Athleti ...

comprises 13 conferences and two independent programs.

Rankings

Awards and honors

Player of the week honors

Big 12 Individual Awards

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

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. First Team Second Team (U) - Unanimous Selection Honorable mentions *BAYLOR:

Gerry Bohanon Gerry Bohanon (born November 26, 1999) is an American football quarterback for the South Florida Bulls. He previously played for the Baylor Bears. High school career Bohanon attended Earle High School in Earle, Arkansas. As a senior in 2017, he ...

(QB), Dillon Doyle (LB), TJ Franklin (DL), Jacob Gall (OL, ONoY), Siaki Ika (DLoY), Cole Maxwell (DL), Christian Morgan (DB), Xavier Newman-Johnson (OL), Ben Sims (TE), Abram Smith (OPoY), R.J. Sneed (WR),

JT Woods Jalen Terrell Woods (born June 10, 2000) is an American football safety for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Baylor and was drafted in the third round with the 79th overall pick of th ...

(DB) *IOWA STATE: Trevor Downing (OLoY), Greg Eisworth II (DB), Beau Freyler (DFoY), Jake Hummel (LB), Anthony Johnson (DB),

Will McDonald IV Wilbert McDonald IV (born June 4, 1999) is an American football defensive end for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Iowa State and was selected by the Jets as the 15th pick in the first ro ...

(DPoY), Andrew Mevis (PK, STPoY), Zach Petersen (DL), Darrell Simmons (OL) *KANSAS: Earl Bostick Jr. (OL), Kwamie Lassiter II (WR), Kenny Logan Jr. (DPoY), Devin Neal (RB, OFoY), Mike Novitsky (OL, OLoY, ONoY), Rich Miller (DNoY) *KANSAS STATE: Felix Anudike-Uzomah (DPoY), Cooper Beebe (OLoY), Julius Brents (DB), Cody Fletcher (LB), Daniel Green (LB), Eli Huggins (DL), Noah Johnson (OL), Malik Knowles (WR, STPoY), Nate Matlack (DFoY), Jahron McPherson (DB), Josh Rivas (OL), Reggie Stubblefield (DB),

Deuce Vaughn Christopher "Deuce" Vaughn II (born November 2, 2001) is an American football running back for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Kansas State Wildcats. Early years Vaughn moved frequen ...

(OPoY),

Russ Yeast Craig Russell "Russ" Yeast II (born May 8, 1999) is an American football safety for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Louisville and Kansas State. Professional career Yeast was drafted i ...

(DNoY), Ty Zentner (P) *OKLAHOMA: Gabe Brkic (STPoY), Pat Fields (DB), Key Lawrence (DB, DNoY),

Marvin Mims Marvin Mims Jr. (born March 19, 2002) is an American football wide receiver for the Oklahoma Sooners. Early life and high school Mims grew up in Frisco, Texas and attended Lone Star High School. He was named the District 5-5A-I Offensive MVP i ...

(WR), Chris Murray (OL), Tyrese Robinson (OL, OLoY), Drake Stoops (WR), Danny Stutsman (DFoY),

Caleb Williams Caleb Williams (born November 18, 2001) is an American football quarterback for the USC Trojans. Williams played for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2021 before transferring to USC as a sophomore in 2022, where he won several player of the year awards, i ...

(QB, OFoY, OPoY),

Michael Woods II Michael Woods II (born March 19, 2000) is an American football wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Arkansas and Oklahoma. Early life and high school Woods grew up in Mag ...

(ONoY) *OKLAHOMA STATE: Tanner Brown (PK), Logan Carter (FB), Braden Cassity (TE), Danny Godlevske (OL), Blaine Green (OFoY), Devin Harper (LB), Tom Hutton (P, STPoY), Tyler Lacy (DL), Brock Martin (DLoY),

(DPoY),

Josh Sills Joshua Matthew Sills (born January 26, 1998) is an American football offensive guard for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at West Virginia and Oklahoma State. Early life and education Sill ...

(OLoY), Jason Taylor II (DB), Jaylen Warren (RB, OPoY), Hunter Woodard (OL) *TCU: Taye Barber (WR), Derius Davis (STPoY), Obinna Eze (ONoY), TreVius Hodges-Tomlinson (DPoY), Dylan Horton (DL),

Quentin Johnston Quentin Johnston (born September 6, 2001) is an American football wide receiver for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at TCU and was selected by the Chargers in the first round of the 202 ...

(OPoY) *TEXAS: Cade Brewer (TE), Luke Brockermeyer (LB), Keondre Coburn (DL), Anthony Cook (DB),

Cameron Dicker Cameron Dicker (born May 6, 2000), nicknamed "Dicker the Kicker," is an American football placekicker for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League. He played college football at Texas Longhorns football, Texas. He is the first NFL ...

(PK, STPoY), B.J. Foster (DB), Byron Murphy II (DFoY), Ovie Oghoufo (DNoY),

Moro Ojomo Morotoluwa Ojomo (born 15 August 2001) is a Nigerian-born American football defensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). A native of Lagos, he moved to the United States in 2009 and played college football ...

(DL),

DeMarvion Overshown DeMarvion Germanic Lee Overshown (born August 13, 2000) is an American football linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas. Early years Overshown attended Arp High School in Arp ...

(LB),

(OPoY), Keilan Robinson (ONoY) *TEXAS TECH: Josh Burger (OL), Dawson Deaton (OLoY), Jonathan Garibay (STPoY),

Kaylon Geiger Kaylon Trevell Geiger Sr. (born November 1, 1997) is an American football wide receiver. He played college football at Navarro, Troy, and Texas Tech and was signed by the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in . Early life and education Geiger ...

(ONoY), Jaylon Hutchings (DL), Riko Jeffers (LB), Travis Koontz (TE), Reggie Pearson Jr. (DB), T.J. Storment (OL), Dadrion Taylor-Demerson (DB), Rayshad Williams (DB, DNoY),

Tyree Wilson Tyree Jae Wilson (born May 20, 2000) is an American football defensive end for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas A&M and Texas Tech and was selected by the Raiders seventh overall i ...

(DL) *WEST VIRGINIA: Alonzo Addae (DB), Leddie Brown (RB), Josh Chandler-Semedo (LB), Zach Frazier (OLoY), Bryce Ford-Wheaton (WR), James Gmiter (OL), Casey Legg (PK, STPoY), Sean Mahone (DB), Akheem Mesidor (DL), Wyatt Milum (OL, OFoY),

Dante Stills Dante Stills (born December 14, 1999) is an American football defensive end for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at West Virginia. College career 2018 In 2018 Stills had his debut as a true ...

(DLoY), Tyler Sumpter (P), Winston Wright Jr. (KR/PR, WR)

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 The College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best college football players in the United States at their respective positions. The original use of the term ''All-America'' seems to have been to the 1889 College Football ...

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.2018 Consensus All-America Team
/ref> AFCA All-America Team (AFCA)
/small>
Walter Camp All-America Team
/small>
AP All-America teams
/small>
Sporting News All-America Team
/small>

/small>
Sports Illustrated All-America Team
/small>
Report All-America Team (BR)
/small>
College Football News All-America Team (CFN)
/small>
ESPN All-America Team
/small>
CBS Sports All-America Team
/small>
Athlon Sports All-America Team (Athlon)
/small>
The Athletic All-America Team
/small>
USA Today All-America Team
/small>

All-Academic

First team Second team Honorable mentions *BAYLOR: *IOWA STATE: *KANSAS: *KANSAS STATE: *OKLAHOMA: *OKLAHOMA STATE: *TCU: *TEXAS: *TEXAS TECH: *WEST VIRGINIA:

National award winners

''2021 College Football Award Winners''-->

Home game attendance

Bold – exceeded capacity
† Season high
‡ Record stadium Attendance

NFL Draft

The following list includes all Big 12 Players who were drafted in the

2022 NFL Draft The 2022 NFL Draft was the 87th edition of the National Football League's annual draft and was held from April 28–30, 2022, at the Caesars Forum on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The first round was held on Thursday, April 28, and w ...

References

{{2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season navbox 2021 Big 12 Conference football season