by Michael Fox

Created on: April 12, 2009

There is no football conference that is as competitive today as the Big 12. This is a conference that has become the top college football conference thanks to all sorts of factors. These include the great histories of these programs, their continued dominance today and the great rivalries that are involved.

The Big 12 has been around since the merger between the eight teams in the Big Eight and four Southwest teams in the middle part of the 1990s. These has never been any changes in who is in the Big 12 and there probably will never be. All of these twelve programs are impressive ones in the field of college football.

Let's look at the North Division first - Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri and Nebraska. This is the weaker of the two divisions but it is still strong. Nebraska has been a strong program over the years and has won five national championships over the years. Plus, the Sea of Red that crowds Memorial Stadium for games is one of the most impressive sights in college football. Kansas has one of the most underrated coaches in the game right now in Mark Mangino while Missouri has been enjoying a huge resurgence in recent years.

The South Division - Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech - is the stronger of the two divisions. Oklahoma is a storied program with seven national championships and five Heisman Trophy winners and is still competitive. Texas is incredibly tough and has been equally successful with championships and legends like Earl Campbell and Ricky Williams. Both programs have been incredibly competitive and have had various recent NFL successes including a possible future star in Oklahoma's Sam Bradford. Plus, today Texas Tech has a challenging offense that is hard to figure out and Oklahoma State is a rising program.

Don't forget the great rivalries that are involved in the Big 12. The Red River Rivalry between Texas and Oklahoma is amazing. Watch half of the Cotton Bowl crowd in dark red and the other half in burnt orange is unbelievable. The Border War between Kansas and Missouri is also very passionate and historic (since 1891...and quit calling it a "Showdown!") while the Bedlam Series between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State is very intense. Also, the Iowa State and Missouri rivalry has one of the best rivalry trophies in the country in the Telephone Trophy.

The Big 12 is by far the toughest conference in college football. The programs are amazing and historic and it is home to some of the most impressive rivalries in college football.

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