With the Big 12's announcement of a ten team, nine conference game schedule for 2012, here's a few notes on the new look conference's upcoming season:
- The talk over lost rivalries has centered primarily around Texas and Texas A&M disbanding, as well as Missouri and Kansas, but newcomer West Virginia will temporarily end its long standing "Backyard Brawl" with Pittsburgh, normally played on or near Thanksgiving. Instead of the Panthers, WVU will be at Iowa State November 24, and hosting Kansas December 1.
- The most ubiquitous game in the conference - October's Red River Showdown in the Cotton Bowl - is untouched. As always, Oklahoma and Texas will meet in Dallas October 13.
- Bedlam - the annual battle between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State - is still intact, but moving back a week. This year the game will be played November 24 instead of the last week of the regular season, December 1.
- There's little in the way of rivalries the final week of the regular season - Kansas will play at WVU, Texas Tech is off, Texas will host Kansas State and TCU will host Oklahoma, among other seemingly random match-ups.
- Each team will play only one conference opponent in the month of September, front-loading non-conference opponents for most schools.
- The most grueling schedule might have to go to Texas Tech and Iowa State in a tie. The Cyclones and Red Raiders meet in Ames September 29 to start nine consecutive weeks - their entire season's slate - of conference play. That means no byes, no FCS cupcakes and no non-BCS teams for Homecoming dates.
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