Big 12 releases 2012 schedule with W.Va clearance

IRVING, Texas (AP) - A Baylor team adjusting to life without Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III will play its first two Big 12 games next season against league newcomers West Virginia and TCU.

West Virginia will make its Big 12 debut on Sept. 29 at home against Baylor, which two weeks later will host former Southwest Conference rival and new Big 12 foe TCU for the second year in a row. Baylor is the only Big 12 team that will play the two newcomers in back-to-back games, and will be the first to complete both of their games against them.

TCU is also set to play in the first Big 12 game of the season. The Horned Frogs make their conference debut with a Sept. 15 visit to Kansas and new coach Charlie Weis in the only Big 12 game scheduled that weekend.

The Big 12 finally released its 10-team, round-robin schedule Tuesday after West Virginia announced it had settled a lawsuit with the Big East that allows the Mountaineers to begin play in the Big 12 next season.

TCU, coming off its third consecutive Mountain West Conference title and a No. 14 final ranking, will play at West Virginia on Nov. 3. The Mountaineers finished ranked 18th last season.

While the Big 12 said dates are subject to change and adjustments are expected to accommodate its television partners, at least now the matchups are set for the league's first season after Texas A&M and Missouri leave for the Southeastern Conference.

West Virginia basically inherited the Big 12 schedule that had been set for Missouri, while TCU took over the expected Texas A&M slate -- including a game at Texas the week of Thanksgiving.

The schedule currently lists TCU at Texas on Nov. 24, the Saturday after Thanksgiving. But they are also the only league teams without games the weekend before and could be switched to holiday TV viewing in the spot where the Longhorns and Aggies played their rivalry game.

Television selections for the first three weeks of the season and special dates, such as Thanksgiving Day and other non-Saturday games, aren't due to the conference until July 1.

Defending Big 12 champion Oklahoma State plays its league opener Sept. 29 at home against Texas.

For the first time since 2004, the Bedlam game between Oklahoma State and Oklahoma won't be the last regular season game for both teams. The game will be played Thanksgiving weekend, and both teams will still have games left after that on Dec. 1 - Oklahoma at TCU and Oklahoma State at Baylor.

The Sooners and Cowboys played the last Big 12 game last season, on the same Saturday that when the league had formerly held its championship game.

Just like last year, the Big 12 is extending its regular season schedule to the first Saturday in December. Along with the Oklahoma State and Oklahoma road games that weekend, Kansas is at West Virginia and Kansas State hosts Texas.

Oklahoma State will play TCU and West Virginia at home this season after playing Texas A&M and Missouri on the road.

Iowa State, which last year at home defeated Oklahoma State 37-31 in double overtime for the Cowboys' only loss, plays in Stillwater on Oct. 20.

Texas and Oklahoma will play their annual Red River rivalry game at the Texas State Fair in Dallas on Oct. 13.

Oklahoma has what could be a difficult closing stretch, with its Nov. 17 game at West Virginia before Bedlam and then the trip to TCU. The addition of the Frogs to the Big 12 took away one of the Sooners' scheduled non-conference games.