College Football is pumping all of its money into NIL and recruiting, but the Big 12 is looking in a different direction. The Big 12 Conference may not be the Big 10 or the SEC when it comes to creative initiative and trying out new things—no conference comes close. Whether it is looking into playing games internationally, working with a private equity firm for additional revenue, or hosting a conference-wide NFL Pro Day, the Big 12 is not afraid to try something new.
This time, they are stepping away from the game and focusing more on the festivities with Big 12 Homecoming celebrations.
Homecoming Will Focus on the Community
Timothy Hurst/Denver Gazette
The Big 12 announced and created the Big 12 Homecoming last year, but this year, they are partnering with four schools (Utah, Colorado, Arizona State, and TCU) that will host a three-day event leading up to the teams Homecoming celebration.
The events will focus on entertainment, campus engagement, and community service. Here is what the conference released about the event:
“Festivities begin on Thursdays with the Big 12 partnering up with the CFP Playoff Foundation’s Extra Yard for Teachers Makeover Project to revitalize STEM, library or classroom spaces at a local elementary school with the help of Big 12 student-athletes, coaches, cheer and mascots.
Allstate is the presenting sponsor for the Big 12 Homecoming Be You Women’s Empowerment Tour. The series offers college students an interactive experience featuring engaging panels, activations, entertainment, giveaways and more.
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit is back as a Be You Tour partner to provide another year of successful panels focused on well-being and mental health advocacy for young women. Each site will also feature the SI Swimsuit x Tarte Glam & Beauty Bar, as well as SI Swimsuit panelists in various markets such as Katie Austin, Lauren Chan, Camille Kostek, Hunter McGrady, Jasmine Sanders and Ellie Thumann. The panels will also feature inspirational discussions from some of the biggest names and rising stars in WWE highlighting their journey to the ring and performing on a global stage.
The homecoming festivities will culminate on Saturdays with the Big 12 Tailgate sponsored by SeatGeek before kickoff with the electrifying dance music artist/producer DJ Press Play. The pregame celebrations, with supporting partners Old Trapper and Totino’s, include music, giveaways and more.”
Big 12 is Sticking Out in the College Football Landscape
The Big 12 knows that the SEC and Big 10 are the best two leagues and that football could be moving to a P2 model where everyone else is left behind. Outside of winning a National Championship or two, there isn’t much that the Big 12, or any other conference, can do on the field to avoid this ultimatum.
To counter this, the conference is quickly becoming the most fun league. While the SEC and Big 10 focus so much on elevating their top three or four teams, the Big 12 celebrates all of their teams and focuses more on the culture and fun that the conference is as a whole. For example, they make every team feel like they have a chance to win the conference, opposed to the SEC where everyone knows it will come down to a handful of teams.
The conference also goes up against the ACC, the third-best conference, and they do so by sending a message of unity and contentment that the ACC does not have. Homecoming is a very unifying event, suggesting that this is another example of the conference sending a message to the rest of the country, but particularly the ACC.
