Big 12 to require its teams to play one nonconference football game vs. another Power 5 team

The Big 12 announced Tuesday that it will require its football teams to schedule at least one of its three nonconference games each season against another team from a “Power 5” conference or Notre Dame.

The scheduling requirement also states Big 12 teams can only schedule one game per season against a non-Football Bowl Subdivision opponent. According to the Big 12, the new requirement would not affect nonconference game contracts already in place.

Besides the Big 12, the Power 5 leagues are the Southeastern, Big Ten, Atlantic Coast and Pac-12 conferences.

Kansas State has filled the requirement through the 2021 season. The Wildcats open next season with a Friday home game against Stanford of the Pac-12 and play the Cardinal on the road in 2021. Kansas State has home-and-home agreements with two Southeastern Conference teams that cover the 2017-20 seasons. The Wildcats will play at Vanderbilt in 2017 and against the Commodores at home in 2020 and at home against Mississippi State in 2018 with the return trip in 2019.

Kansas won’t need to find a Power 5 team until 2019. The Jayhawks are exempt from the requirement in 2016 and 2017 because they already have three nonconference game agreements in place and they play host to Rutgers of the Big Ten in 2018.

This story was originally published December 8, 2015 at 11:49 AM with the headline "Big 12 to require its teams to play one nonconference football game vs. another Power 5 team."