The Big 12, home to 16 full members, from Arizona to West Virginia, is set to bring on a major shift one year from now. If they get their way, women’s flag football is about to become a varsity sport in one of the most competitive conferences in the country. And right now, it’s positioning itself to become the first Power 4 conference to formally sponsor women’s flag football.
According to CBS Sports, the Big 12 is exploring the potential of adding women’s flag football starting in 2028 with at least six teams. That timing falls perfectly with the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, where flag football will make its debut.
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“We’re trying to meet the moment,” Big 12 chief football and competition officer Scott Draper said. “Our goal here is growth. Our goal is to advance Big 12 membership opportunities and growth for [the conference]. We see this as an opportunity to do that.”
Flag football has surged up 60% year-over-year at the high school level. At least 39 states now offer girls’ flag football at the high school level, and over 65 colleges already sponsor it in some form, club or varsity. So the pipeline is already there. Now it could be the Big 12 that might just be the first in line to legitimize it at the highest level. And this isn’t happening suddenly.
The NCAA has already recommended flag football for inclusion in its Emerging Sports for Women program, a big step toward eventual championship status. If approved across all three divisions, it creates a formal pathway for scholarships, structured competition, and a national title.
The NFL has been all-in on flag football for years now, especially on the women’s side. Participation in NFL FLAG programs among girls has jumped 50% in just three years. The league sees flag football as a global play that can expand the sport into new stages like the Olympics. So when the Big 12 partnered with the NFL back in December, this was always part of the bigger plan. Still, none of it works if schools don’t buy in because at least six Big 12 schools need to step up. But the upside is hard to ignore.
For the Big 12, this is a chance to diversify its portfolio in a way that aligns with where the sport is going. And maybe, it’s a chance to open doors because right now, there are thousands of girls playing flag football across the country with nowhere to go at the collegiate level. They’re just playing with passion without a platform and that’s what the Big 12 is trying to close. If they pull it off, it won’t be surprising to see the rest of the Power 4 follows suit. But while they’re still exploring, the Big South has already made a significant move.
Big South already moves from idea to action
As the Big 12 aims to lead at the Power 4 level, the Big South is proving it’s executable. It officially approved women’s flag football as a championship sport starting in the 2027-28 academic year, becoming the first Division I multi-sport league to take that step. Commissioner Sherika Montgomery called it a “dynamic and rapidly emerging sport fueled by access and opportunity.”
“The Big South Conference is proud to be at the forefront of this growth, providing a competitive platform for student-athletes to excel while helping shape the future of the game across our region and beyond,” he added.
Five schools are already on board including Charleston Southern, Gardner-Webb, Radford, UNC Asheville, and USC Upstate, with programs launching as early as Fall 2026. With the sport officially part of the NCAA’s Emerging Sports program as of January, a national championship could realistically arrive as early as Spring 2028 right in time for the Olympics. So now the question is who’s ready for it. The Big 12 sure is.
