The Big 12 Conference is undergoing massive changes in 2024. The conference is welcoming four new football programs including Deion Sanders' Colorado squad after the departure of Texas and Oklahoma. Moreover, the conference could be in line for a major multi-million dollar deal that could alter the league's name.

In a presentation to league leaders in May, Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark proposed selling the rights to the conference in a deal that could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars, per Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellinger. The name-rights proposal would incorporate a sponsor that would alter the “Big 12” name. It would mimic the trend of college football bowl names such as the “Outback Bowl.”

The conference has had conversations gravitating toward keeping the “12” in the name and removing “Big.” Nothing has been finalized yet, but the discourse is a major development. Brett Yormark believes the conversations are making way for a step in the right direction for the conference.

“I look at this as a bit of a reset for the industry,” Yormark previously said about schools' private equity/capital plan explorations. “We've been discussing that reset for quite some time. We are well prepared for it. We as a conference continue to need to be bold and creative given the next chapter of college athletics.”

It would be different to see the Big 12 change its name, but it sounds like a new partnership would help move the conference forward. The dialogue is a positive sign considering the league lost one of its best college football competitors in Texas. The Longhorns made the 2023-24 College Football Playoff but are migrating to the SEC. Nevertheless, the Big 12 retains elite competition.

Big 12 looks to remain a powerhouse college football conference 

In addition to the schools already in the conference, the Big 12 will boast stout new programs in 2024. The Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah football programs are the four teams joining the league for the upcoming season. Of those squads, the Buffaloes arguably have the most hype.

Colorado has been the center of attention since they hired former Jackson State football head coach Deion Sanders during the summer of 2023. The Buffaloes finished the 2022-23 season with a lowly 1-8 record. Thus, the program entered 2023-24 with high expectations.

After a strong start, Colorado fell down the Pac-12 standings and finished the year with a 4-8 record. Their showing was an improvement from the previous year. Yet, they want to take things to a higher level.

On the flip side, Texas decided leaving the Big 12 was best to take themselves up a notch. The Longhorns now share a spot alongside the Alabama Crimson Tide, LSU Tigers, and a handful of other talented football programs in the SEC. Texas' former conference presence will be dearly missed, but the history they made will remain forever.

It will be interesting to see how the 2024-25 college football season plays out amid massive changes. Will the Big 12 have a program make the College Football Playoff? Even greater, can one of the league's schools win a national championship? The answer lies in the coming winter.