Big 12 football remains a work in progress.
No national championship since 2005. No national championship game since 2009. But also no departures since 2011. And no snubs from the College Football Playoff since 2016, which puts the Big 12 ahead of the Big Ten and the Pac-12. Both missed out on the four-team playoff last season.
Things are looking up for Big 12 football, and here's one reason why. The Big 12 is scheduling better.
In December 2015, the Big 12 announced that, moving forward, its members would be required to play at least one non-conference game per year against a fellow Power 5 Conference opponent, or Notre Dame.