Big 12 to allow teams to play 1 nonconference football game

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Photo credit FILE - In this Dec. 7, 2019, file photo, Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley hosts the Big 12 Conference championship trophy after defeating Baylor 30-23 in overtime in an NCAA college football game in Arlington, Texas. Riley will earn an average of more than $7.5 million a year under a contract extension through the 2025 season. The university's board of regents approved the two-year extension Tuesday, July 28, 2020. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter, File)

Two people familiar involved with the decision say the Big 12 will permit its teams to play one nonconference football game this year to go along with their nine league contests as plans for the pandemic-altered season continued to fall into place.

The people spoke Monday night to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the conference was still preparing an official announcement.

The Big 12 university presidents signed off on the conference’s scheduling model, which gives schools the ability to play one nonconference game at home.

The 10-team Big 12 already plays a nine-game, round-robin conference schedule. Unlike other Power Five conference that have switched to either exclusively (Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC) or mostly (ACC) league games this season, the Big 12 could not add more conference games without teams playing each other more than once.

As conferences take steps toward a football season that seems to be in precarious shape, the NCAA is expected to weigh in Tuesday on fall sports other than major-college football.

The association’s Board of Governors is scheduled to meet and whether to cancel or postpone NCAA championship events in fall sports such as soccer, volleyball and lower-division football is expected to be a topic.