TCU has a chance to break one of the longest-running droughts in college football.
The Horned Frogs, members of the Big 12 since the 2012 season, have a chance to give the conference its first national title since before TCU was a voting member. All that stands in the way of the third-ranked Horned Frogs is No. 1 Georgia, which itself is looking to become the first repeat national champion in nearly a decade.
Sonny Dykes, Max Duggan and Co. have quite the task ahead of them — as well as 17 years of pent-up frustrations on the part of the Big 12, which will soon lose its top two historic football programs, Texas and Oklahoma, to the SEC. A win by the Horned Frogs would be a wonderful parting shot to the soon-to-be-gone Longhorns and Sooners, who have floundered on the national title stage in recent seasons.
The Horned Frogs likely won't think of that as they take on the Bulldogs in SoFi Stadium, but the Big 12 certainly wouldn't hate for TCU to give the conference an extra bit of credibility as college football enters a new world of realignment that will fracture geographic ties to the sport forever.
MORE: Watch Georgia vs. TCU live on fuboTV (free trial)
With that, The Sporting News looks as the Big 12's maligned national championship history over the last decade-and-a-half:
When was the last time the Big 12 won a national championship?
Texas has the distinction of winning the conference's last national championship in football. The Longhorns beat top-ranked USC in the 2006 Rose Bowl to claim the undisputed national title for the 2005 season.
Prior to Texas' national title, the Big 12 had claimed championships in 2000 (Oklahoma) and 1997 (Nebraska). The Cornhuskers also won titles in 1994-95 as members of the former Big Eight Conference, which joined with several former Southwest Conference teams to form the modern Big 12 in 1996.
No team from the Big 12 has won a national championship since ... though several teams have come agonizingly close in the 16 years since.
MORE: What is a horned frog? Explaining TCU's nickname, mascot & logos for football program
Big 12 national championship history
The Big 12 has come close to claiming a national championship on several occasions since Texas' last title in 2005. But the conference has gone 1-6 in BCS championship game and College Football Playoff appearances, with TCU's win over No. 2 Michigan in the 2022 Fiesta Bowl being the first victory.
Indeed, TCU is the first Big 12 team to advance past the CFP semifinal game in five attempts. (Much to the chagrin of Longhorns fans, the Horned Frogs are also the first team from the state of Texas to play in the College Football Playoff, let alone the CFP championship).
Here is the Big 12's history of national championship and College Football Playoff appearances since 2005:
| Year | Team | BCS/CFP game | Final result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Oklahoma | 2009 BCS championship game | 24-14 loss to No. 1 Florida |
| 2009 | Texas | 2010 BCS championship game | 37-21 loss to No. 1 Alabama |
| 2015 | Oklahoma | 2015 Orange Bowl semifinal | 37-17 loss to No. 1 Clemson |
| 2017 | Oklahoma | 2017 Rose Bowl semifinal | 54-48 OT loss to No. 3 Georgia |
| 2018 | Oklahoma | 2018 Orange Bowl semifinal | 45-34 loss to No. 1 Alabama |
| 2019 | Oklahoma | 2019 Peach Bowl semifinal | 63-28 loss to No. 1 LSU |
| 2022 | TCU | 2022 Fiesta Bowl semifinal | 51-45 win over No. 2 Michigan |
| 2022 | TCU | 2023 CFP championship game | TBD vs. No. 1 Georgia |
Power 5 conferences' most recent national championship
Among the Power 5 conferences, only the Pac-12 has a longer national championship drought than the Big 12. The Pac-12 hasn't won since 2004, whereas the Big 12 hasn't won since 2005.
Since the latter season, the SEC has 12 national championships, while the ACC has claimed three (Florida State in 2013, Clemson in 2016 and 2018). The Big Ten has one, won by Ohio State in 2014.
| Conference | Most recent championship | National title team |
|---|---|---|
| SEC | 2021 | Georgia |
| ACC | 2018 | Clemson |
| Big Ten | 2014 | Ohio State |
| Big 12 | 2005 | Texas |
| Pac-12 | 2004* | USC* |
*USC was the last Pac-12 team to win a national championship as determined by the BCS or College Football Playoff, in 2004. The Trojans' 55-19 victory over Oklahoma in the championship has since been vacated.
