Big 12 schedule not back-loaded for top teams in 2016

IRVING, Texas (AP) - There will be a little more separation for the big games in the Big 12 next season.

The conference released its 2016 conference schedule Tuesday and it is different from this season, when No. 5 Oklahoma, No. 7 Baylor, No. 9 Oklahoma State and No. 15 TCU played all of their head-to-head matchups in November.

Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are both 10-1 heading into their game Saturday, a night after Baylor (10-1) plays at TCU (9-2) in a matchup of last year's co-champs.

Next season, Oklahoma State plays at Baylor on Sept. 24. Those teams played just last weekend, when Baylor handed the Cowboys their first win.

Oklahoma has those top games spread over three different months. The Sooners are at TCU on Oct. 1, with home games against Baylor on Nov. 12 and the regular-season finale against Oklahoma State on Dec. 3.

Baylor is the only team that plays back-to-back against the league's current Top 25 teams. The Bears play their rivalry game against TCU next season on Nov. 5, a week before going to Oklahoma.

The 10 teams in the Big 12 play a round-robin conference schedule, making it the only Power Five league in which every team plays each other. It is also the only major conference without a championship game.

The league opener is Sept. 17 when Iowa State is at TCU. The regular season goes through Dec. 3, the same weekend other leagues play championship games, when there are three games - Baylor at West Virginia, Kansas State at TCU and the Bedlam game at Oklahoma.

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