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The Big 12 Conference’s 5 best rivalries that could emerge in 2023

By John Scimeca

CINCINNATI - NOVEMBER 13: Runningback Noel Devine #7 of the West Virginia Mountaineers rushes in the second quarter of the game against the Cincinnati Bearcats in at Nippert Stadium on November 13, 2009 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI - NOVEMBER 13: Runningback Noel Devine #7 of the West Virginia Mountaineers rushes in the second quarter of the game against the Cincinnati Bearcats in at Nippert Stadium on November 13, 2009 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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FORT WORTH, TX – JANUARY 02: Greg Ward Jr. #1 of the Houston Cougars hands off to Kenneth Farrow #35 during the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Amon G. Carter Stadium on January 2, 2015 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Sarah Glenn/Getty Images)
FORT WORTH, TX – JANUARY 02: Greg Ward Jr. #1 of the Houston Cougars hands off to Kenneth Farrow #35 during the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Amon G. Carter Stadium on January 2, 2015 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Sarah Glenn/Getty Images) /

1. TCU – Houston

There are some obvious comparisons that make this clash between Lone Star state rivals a good one to revive in the new Big 12. The two teams also both competed in the Southwest Conference before it disbanded in 1995.

The Cougars might look enviously at the Horned Frogs, as the Fort Worth-based private school lived a nearly dreamlike scenario in 2022 by finishing the regular season undefeated before defeating Big Ten champ Michigan en route to a national title game appearance.

Many programs would also love to emulate TCU’s rise from the WAC, Conference USA, and the Mountain West to the power conference Big 12 — in addition to becoming the league’s first team to achieve a win in the College Football Playoff.

The two teams have faced each other 25 times between 1976 and 2007, with the Cougars owning a 13-12 overall advantage. TCU, however, has won the previous eight consecutive meetings between the two schools. Houston had a pedestrian 8-5 finish to 2022 after a No. 17 final AP ranking and a 12-2 record the year before.

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The best part about the burgeoning rivalry between these two schools? TCU travels to Houston in Week 3 of 2023 in what will be the first contest of Big 12 play for the season.

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