The WWE brand has crossed over with the Big 12 Conference in multiple ways the past few seasons, including top stars from WWE taking part in Big 12 Conference championship games at AT&T Stadium in Arlington by awarding the game’s Most Outstanding Player his own custom WWE championship title.

The WWE will be coming to Arizona State's Mullett Arena as part of an initiative between the organization and the Big 12.

During the 2025 college football season, four episodes of WWE SmackDown will be held in Big 12 markets on the eve of major college football games.

The Big 12 commissioner has seen plenty of growth by the league, which he believes should boost its profile in the College Football Playoff.

Yormark said he expects ACC commissioner Jim Phillips to emphasize the same pro-5+11 stance when his conference starts its media days later this month. He also said to ESPN he is "relatively confident" the playoff will expand to 16 teams when its new media rights contract begins in the 2026 season.