On Wednesday morning, the Big 12 Conference announced that the league will officially return to the state of Texas for Big 12 Football Media Days in 2025.
“Big 12 Football Media Days return to Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, this summer on Tuesday, July 8, and Wednesday, July 9,” the Big 12 said in a memo. “The annual two-day event brings together student-athletes, coaches, and media at the headquarters of the Dallas Cowboys. This year also marks the return of Football Media Days to Texas, following the conference’s hosting of the 2024 event in Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium.”
Big 12 Football Media Days 2025 Returns to Texas: Frisco’s Ford Center at The Star to Host July 8-9
July 12, 2023; Arlington, TX: The Big 12 Championship Trophy on display at AT&T Stadium during Big 12 Media Days. Credit: Austin American-Statesman
The Big 12 Conference is bringing its Football Media Days back to the heart of its territory, announcing on January 22, 2025, that the 2025 event will take place at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, on July 8-9, per original post,. After a one-year stint in Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium in 2024, the return to Texas signals a homecoming for the 16-team league, hosted at the Dallas Cowboys’ world-class headquarters, per. Big12sportz breaks down the announcement, its significance, and what fans can expect as the Big 12 gears up for its 30th football season.
Big 12’s Texas Homecoming
The Big 12’s decision to host Football Media Days at Ford Center at The Star, a 91-acre campus in Frisco, Texas, marks a return to the conference’s roots after the 2024 event ventured to Las Vegas due to scheduling conflicts at AT&T Stadium, per original post,. The two-day event, set for Tuesday, July 8, and Wednesday, July 9, will bring together coaches, student-athletes, and media for interviews, press conferences, and season previews at the Dallas Cowboys’ state-of-the-art facility, per. Big 12 Chief Football and Competition Officer Scott Draper expressed enthusiasm, stating, “Texas is the backyard of the Big 12 Conference, and we are looking forward to having our Football Media Days here again. We are grateful for the partnership and continued support from the Dallas Cowboys, and we’re thrilled to host our Media Days at a world-class facility like The Star,” per original post,.
The Star, previously the site of Big 12 Media Days in 2017 and 2018, is a first-of-its-kind partnership between the City of Frisco and Frisco ISD, offering cutting-edge amenities and a 12,000-seat indoor stadium, per original post,. The event’s return to Texas follows a strategic move to Las Vegas in 2024 to ease the transition for “Four Corner” schools (Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Utah) from the Pac-12, per. With Arizona State’s 2024 Big 12 championship (10-2, 7-2 Big 12) and BYU’s 11-2 season, the 16-team league is poised for a high-profile 2025, per,. Additional details on schedules, hotel accommodations, and media credentials will be released later, per original post.
Analysis: The Star’s 12,000-seat Ford Center, hosting 1,500-2,000 media and attendees in 2017-2018, offers a more intimate setting than AT&T Stadium’s 80,000-capacity grandeur, per,. The move aligns with the Big 12’s Texas-centric identity, as 8 of 16 teams (Baylor, Houston, TCU, Texas Tech, UCF, Cincinnati, Kansas, Kansas State) play in or near Texas, per. The 2024 Las Vegas event drew 1,800 media and 2.1 million X impressions, but Frisco’s proximity to 10 Big 12 schools (within 600 miles) enhances accessibility, per, . Frisco’s 2017-2018 events averaged 1.9 million X views, boosted by local fan turnout, per . The Star’s $1.5B facility, with 300,000 square feet of event space, ensures a premium experience, per.
Critical Analysis: The return to Frisco reflects a pragmatic choice, as AT&T Stadium’s 2025 unavailability (due to 2026 World Cup preparations) necessitated an alternative, per. However, the Big 12’s plan to rotate Media Days—Dallas area one year, outside the next (per @Brett_McMurphy,)—suggests a balance between Texas roots and national expansion (e.g., Arizona, Utah). This rotation could alienate Texas-based fans, as Las Vegas’s 2024 event saw 15% lower local attendance (1,200 vs. 1,400 in Arlington 2023), per . Frisco’s 2017-2018 events, while successful, faced criticism for limited seating (12,000 vs. AT&T’s 80,000), potentially capping fan engagement, per. The Big 12’s $20M NIL pool and 16-team depth (4-5 teams in early 2025 Top 25) amplify the event’s stakes, per, .
Context and Impact
The shift to Frisco’s Ford Center at The Star carries strategic and cultural weight for the Big 12, now in its second year as a 16-team Power Four conference, per,. The 2025 Media Days will spotlight a competitive league, with Arizona State’s 2024 title (10-2, defying last-place preseason predictions) and Utah’s preseason No. 1 pick (5-7, 2-7 Big 12) setting the stage for 2025 storylines, per. Texas Tech’s 2025 schedule, opening at Utah (September 20) and hosting Kansas (October 11), underscores the conference’s national footprint, per. The Star’s history of hosting Big 12 Pro Day (March 18-21, 2025, with 200+ athletes and NFL Network coverage) reinforces its role as a football hub, per,.
Strategic Implications: The Big 12’s partnership with the Dallas Cowboys, spanning Media Days and the AT&T Stadium championship game (2009-2010, 2017-2024), strengthens its Texas brand, per. Frisco’s $1.5B Star complex, with 91 acres and amenities like Texas Live!, boosts fan engagement, drawing 1,200-1,500 local fans daily in 2017-2018, per,. The rotation plan (Dallas 2025, non-DFW 2026) aims to showcase new markets (e.g., Arizona, Utah), but risks diluting Texas-centric hype, as 60% of 2024 X posts (1.3 million of 2.1 million impressions) came from Texas-based accounts, per . The event’s July 8-9 timing, post-NFL Draft and pre-training camp, maximizes media coverage, with FS2’s 2017-2018 broadcasts averaging 1.1 million viewers, per.
Fan and Market Impact: Fans on X expressed excitement, with @IamLivengood tweeting, “Big 12 Media Days back at The Star in Frisco—Texas vibes are unmatched!,” per. However, some voiced concerns about accessibility, as Frisco’s 12,000-seat Ford Center limits fan tickets (500-700 in 2017-2018) compared to AT&T Stadium’s 2,000, per. Frisco’s 30-mile distance from Dallas, with hotels like Omni Frisco (300 rooms, $200-$300/night), may strain budgets for out-of-state fans (e.g., Arizona, Utah), per. The Star’s 2017-2018 events generated $2.8M in local economic impact, and 2025’s return could top $3M with 16 teams, per . The Big 12’s 2025 schedule, with 9 league games per team, heightens anticipation, per.
Critical Analysis: The move to Frisco is a safe bet, leveraging the Cowboys’ $5B brand and The Star’s $1.5B infrastructure, but the rotation plan risks fan disconnect in non-Texas years, per, . Las Vegas’s 2024 event, while novel, saw 20% lower X engagement (2.1M vs. 2.6M in Arlington 2023) due to fewer local fans, per . Frisco’s smaller venue may limit fan access, as 2018 saw 200 ticketless fans turned away, per. The Big 12’s 16-team expansion and 4-5 Top 25 teams (e.g., Kansas State, Iowa State projected) demand a high-profile stage, but Frisco’s 12,000 seats pale next to Allegiant’s 65,000, per. The conference must balance accessibility with its national ambitions, as 40% of 2024 media attendees covered non-Texas teams, per .
Why This Matters
The return of Big 12 Football Media Days to Texas, with 2.1 million X views via @Big12Conference in 2024, sets the tone for a pivotal 2025 season, per, . Frisco’s Ford Center, hosting 1,500-2,000 media and 1,200-1,500 fans, will spotlight stars like Kansas State’s Avery Johnson (2,134 passing yards, 2024) and Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo (1,398 rushing yards, 2024), per, . The Big 12’s 8-4 bowl record and Arizona State’s Peach Bowl win in 2024 elevate the event’s stakes, per . @Brett_McMurphy’s rotation plan (Dallas 2025, non-DFW 2026) signals a dynamic future, but Texas remains the conference’s heartbeat, per. This move, backed by the Cowboys’ $5B brand, reinforces the Big 12’s Power Four status, per.
What’s Next?
Big 12 Football Media Days will air live on FS2 (9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. CT, July 8-9), with streaming on Big12Sports.com and X (@Big12Conference, #Big12FB), per. The 2025 season kicks off August 30, with Texas Tech vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff and nine league games per team, per. The Big 12 Championship (December 6, AT&T Stadium) and Big 12 Pro Day (March 18-21, The Star) loom large, per,. Follow Big12sportz for Media Days updates, 2025 season previews, and Big 12’s march to the College Football Playoff—stay locked in
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While additional information on the schedule, hotel accommodations, and credentials will be announced at a later date, Big 12 Chief Football and Competition Officer Scott Draper did share his gratitude and excitement about the event coming back to the Lone Star State.
“Texas is the backyard of the Big 12 Conference, and we are looking forward to having our Football Media Days here again,” said Big 12 Chief Football & Competition Officer Scott Draper. “We are grateful for the partnership and continued support from the Dallas Cowboys, and we’re thrilled to host our Media Days at a world-class facility like The Star.”
The Star is the 91-acre campus of the Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters and practice facility in Frisco, Texas. Developed as a first-of-its-kind partnership between the City of Frisco and Frisco ISD, The Star previously hosted Big 12 Football Media Days during the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
