How the new ‘four corner’ schools make Big 12 the deepest conference in the nation

LAS VEGAS — The new-look Big 12 is centering its football brand on one thing this season: parity.

Brett Yormark has added eight new teams in his first two years as commissioner. Last season, BYU, Cincinnati, UCF, and Houston debuted in the Big 12’s transition year. Only UCF made a bowl game of the new additions, while the other three teams finished in the bottom four of the Big 12. The new ‘four corner’ schools — Utah, Arizona, Arizona State and Colorado — will bring much more excitement in their debut seasons for the Big 12 this year. 

“Since our last Football Media Day, we added the ‘four corners’ and solidified ourselves as one of the top three conferences in America,” said Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark.

With the addition of the “four corner” schools, the new 16-team Big 12 boasts one of the country’s deepest and most entertaining football conferences. 

Utah and Arizona join the Big 12 with immediate Big 12 championship and College Football Playoff aspirations. Colorado brings the Deion Sanders Hype train and the biggest star in the Big 12 (and possibly the entire country), Shedeur Sanders. Arizona State is in the midst of rebuilding its program with a young and fiery head coach, Kenny Dillingham, at the helm.

“On the football front, we will be the deepest conference in America. Every week will matter,” said Yormark.

“Every team in the league is capable of beating any other team on any given Saturday. I don’t know that that’s the case in some of the other leagues,” said TCU coach Sonny Dykes.

Dykes is uniquely familiar with the new Big 12, having coached against every team in the conference during his tenures at California, SMU, and TCU in the last 11 years.

The preseason favorites

Over the last three seasons, the Big 12 has featured six different teams in its conference championship game. Utah and Arizona hope to add their names to that list this season.

Utah comes into the Big 12 with the highest expectations after being picked to finish first in the conference. Utah returns two impactful star players who missed last season due to injuries.

“Got a good football team coming back, got a lot going for us. Starts with our quarterback, Cam Rising. We missed him last year, obviously, but he’s back and ready to go, barring any unforeseen setbacks,” said Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham. “Getting (tight end) Brant Kuithe back, who we were missing last year as well, will be a big plus for us.” 

Along with the expectations, there is optimism for the Utes joining the Big 12 conference and the new College Football Playoff format.

“Bottom line, we’re ecstatic to be in the Big 12 and can’t wait to get going,” said Whittingham. “We’re definitely excited about the new playoff format and the opportunity to make the playoffs on your own merit and not to be voted by a committee to get into that exclusive club.”

Utah has finished just shy of making the College Football Playoff in recent seasons despite winning the Pac-12 in back-to-back seasons. Utah hopes to break through this season and make the playoffs for the first time in program history.

Making the tough transition to the Big 12

While Arizona State was picked to finish last in the conference, Dillingham is still excited about the schematic challenge of coaching in the Big 12 in year two of his tenure at ASU. 

“It’s exciting because this league probably has more diversity in terms of defensive scheme than any league I’ve ever been in,” said Dillingham. “This league, you see four down, you see four down simulated pressures, you see odd fronts, you see odd fives, you see four down fronts with 4-2-5 schemes and you see four down with three high safety schemes.”

The Big 12 is a nationwide conference with teams playing in all four time zones from all different parts of the country. Along with that comes different styles of football because the local recruiting pools are different for every team. Stylistically, the Big 12 will be as diverse as any conference in the country, and the clash of those styles will be must-watch television for college football fans.

Primetime and Colorado return to the Big 12

Unlike the other four corner schools, Colorado has experience being a member of the Big 12. Fourteen years of experience, in fact, from 1996-2010, Colorado was one of the original 12 conference members before leaving for the Pac 12 in 2010. For the Buffaloes, Big 12 Media Days was a homecoming.

“I’m a Texan and grew up in the old Southwest Conference and the old Big 12, so it’s great to see Colorado back in the right conference,” said Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire.

Last season, Colorado was the story in college football for the first month of the season. After a 3-0 start, the Buffaloes finished the season 1-8 and last in the Pac-12. Sanders and his staff flipped the Buffaloes roster through the transfer portal again, and they are looking to make another splash in the Big 12 this year.

“I see the want and the fire and desire from our young men, and I can’t wait until you get the opportunity to see it as well. I’m very optimistic on what we have on our plate this year,” said Sanders.

In its return to the Big 12, Colorado will have another shot for their on-field play to match their star coach and quarterbacks’ bravado in 2024.

New coach, new conference, big expectations

The 2023 football season was full of surprises, but none were more surprising than Arizona football’s return to the college football limelight. The Wildcats capped off a magical season by defeating Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl. Shortly after, coach Jedd Fisch left Arizona to coach at the University of Washington, and Brent Brennan assumed the head coaching position. With a talented roster from the year before, Brennan got to work immediately recruiting star players Noah Fifita, Tetairoa McMillan, Jonah Savaiinaea, Jacob Manu and Tacario Davis back to Tuscon.

“These players … were incredibly committed and connected and that’s what contributed to them wanting to stay,” said Brennan.

With all the returning talent and perhaps the best quarterback-wide-receiver duo in the country, success at Arizona will not surprise anyone in 2024. The Wildcats are a dangerous Big 12 team poised to make a run at the championship.

2024 season

This season will be the first of many exciting seasons in the new-look Big 12 football conference and in college football in general. The Big 12 can solidify itself as a top-three conference in college football, as Yormark claims. Whether it is or not, this conference won’t lack intrigue and excitement because of the addition of the “four corner” schools.