1907:The Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association, which would eventually become the Big Eight, is founded by University of Kansas, University of Missouri, University of Nebraska and Washington University in St. Louis.  

1908: Iowa State College joins the Conference.

1928: The conference breaks up. Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma stay together, and become known to fans as the Big Six. The smaller schools and Oklahoma A&M form the Missouri Valley Conference.

1948: The University of Colorado joins the conference, which unofficially becomes known as the Big Seven.

1958: Oklahoma State, formerly Oklahoma A&M, joins the conference, which unofficially becomes known as the Big Eight.

1964: The conference is officially renamed the Big Eight.

1968: The tradition of sending the conference champion to Miami for the Orange Bowl begins.

1975: Jack Trice Stadium opened September 20, 1975, making it the newest stadium in the Big 12 Conference.

June 4, 1990: The Big Ten makes its first move toward expansion by adding Penn State.

1994: Baylor University, University of Texas, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech, join the Big Eight to form the Big 12 conference. For most sports, the conference is split into a North and South Division.

August 1996: The Big 12 Athletic competition programs began

June 21, 2006: The Big Ten announces the formation of the Big Ten Network, which will air programming and games of Big Ten schools. The Big Ten Conference is the majority owner with a 51 percent share, while Fox Cable Networks owns 49 percent.

Aug. 30, 2007: The Big Ten Network launches, which eventually becomes a major revenue stream for the leagues members and shifts the balance of power in college sports to the Big Ten. League members reportedly earn $20 million in TV revenue, more than double what Big 12 members earn.

April 26, 2007: The Big 12 announces a continuation of its ABC/ESPN relationship with an eight-year agreement worth $480 million.

July 1, 2009: Larry Scott is hired as Pac-10 commissioner. He says his conference will explore expansion.