When it comes to its conference title game, the Big 12 is looking to separate itself from the other Power Four conferences.
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the Big 12 Championship Game is moving to Friday night next season. The 2026 Big 12 title game will now be played at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, Dec. 4, with the league moving the contest from its previous noon ET slot on Saturday.
AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, will still host the game, which will air on ABC.
Sources: The Big 12 title game will move to a Friday night in 2026, as it will be held on Dec 4 at 8 EST. It was recently in a Saturday noon time slot.
The Big 12 football schedule release, which is Wednesday, is highlighted by Arizona State playing at Texas Tech in Week 7. pic.twitter.com/MAKyCV5x81
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 21, 2026
While the Big 12 Championship Game served as the premier game in its Saturday timeslot, it also went head-to-head with the Mid-American Conference Championship Game and preceded the SEC, Big Ten, and ACC title games, which are played later in the day. The move to Friday nights will presumably create a ripple effect, as the American previously played its title game — which also airs on ABC— on Friday night.
In addition to the American, the Sun Belt (ESPN), Conference USA (CBS Sports Network), and the Mountain West (Fox) each played their conference championship games on Friday night in 2025. Notably, the Pac-12 also previously played its league title games on Friday nights, although the conference has yet to announce a date for its 2026 championship game as it prepares launch its new eight-team iteration.
Considering its West Coast footprint, the Pac-12 will likely now be forced to choose between opposing the Big 12 on Friday night and the Big Ten and ACC on Saturday. CBS — which didn’t air any conference title games on its network channel last season — is set to host the 2026 Pac-12 Championship Game.
It’s also worth noting that while the conference championship game will be played in 2026, its significance remains TBD. That’s because we still don’t know what next season’s College Football Playoff format will look like, with the Jan. 23 deadline to potentially expand the field now just two days away.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.