The WWE brand has crossed over with the Big 12 Conference in multiple ways the past few seasons, including top stars from WWE taking part in Big 12 Conference championship games at AT&T Stadium in Arlington by awarding the game’s Most Outstanding Player his own custom WWE championship title.

The WWE will be coming to Arizona State's Mullett Arena as part of an initiative between the organization and the Big 12.

During the 2025 college football season, four episodes of WWE SmackDown will be held in Big 12 markets on the eve of major college football games.

The Big 12 stands to benefit from the 5+11 proposal in that it effectively guarantees the conference champion a seat at the CFP table. While it is possible that two Group of Five (or Group of Six following the Pac-12's rebuild) champions could stand above the top Big 12 squad,