The personnel movement for the 2021 season saw several notable changes in leadership across Big 12 teams. Richard Head opted to depart from Miami after a championship-winning season. In his place, the team secured a successful one-year deal with their former GM Cody Coppersmith.

Los Angeles managed to convince Liz Bautch to come out of retirement, appointing her to lead the Wildcats. The timing of her hiring generated some controversy, as rumors had begun circulated before the departure of DeMario Suggs. Nevertheless, Liz Bautch took charge just in time for the commencement of the 2021 season.

Dan Uribe did not return for his fourth season as the GM for Green Bay, and the team appointed Mason Bautch to the role. Mason made history as the youngest General Manager in the Big 12, bringing a fresh perspective to the team.

The 2021 Big 12 draft marked the 9th annual gathering of General Managers to strategically select eligible football players. Departing from traditional in-person drafts, the event took place online on Sunday, September 5, 2021, at 7:00 pm CST. The Vegas Knight Hawks were granted the honor of the first overall pick, and they chose Davante Adams from Green Bay, making him the top selection in this year's draft.

Complete First Round Selections

Pick	Big 12 Team	Player	POS	NFL Team
1	Vegas	Davante Adam	WR	GB
2	Phiadelphia	Christian McCaffrey	RB	LAR
3	Northern Arizona	Patrick Mahomes	QB	KC
4	Cedar Rapids	Alvin Kamara	RB	NO
5	Boston	Dalvin Cook	RB	MIN
6	Miami	Derrick Henry	RB	TEN
7	Chicago	DK Metcalf	WR	SEA
8	Los Angeles	Travis Kelce	TE	KC
9	Cleveland	Aaron Jones	RB	GB
10	Brooklyn	Ezekiel Elliott	RB	DAL
11	Green Bay	Tyreek Hill	WR	KC
12	Milwaukee	Nick Chubb	RB	CLE

The 2021 Big 12 regular season underwent notable changes, aligning with adjustments in the NFL schedule. The expanded schedule now spanned 14 weeks, featuring a total of 168 games that kicked off on the Thursday night following Labor Day. Each Big 12 team engaged in one game per week, and a novel addition to the season included a 3-point home field advantage applied to all home teams.

Remarkably, the Los Angeles Wildcats and Brooklyn Bolts dominated the league, both securing impressive 10-4 records and claiming the top two spots in the playoffs as well as their respective divisional crowns. In contrast, Chicago experienced its most challenging season, finishing at 2-12 and landing at the bottom of the league standings.

Adding a dynamic element, the league introduced flex scheduling during the final week of the regular season. This innovative approach empowered the league to make strategic adjustments to the schedule, regardless of divisional status. Multiple game changes occurred in this critical week, shaping the landscape for divisional championships and influencing playoff seeding.

Standings

The playoffs for the 2021 season commenced on December 16, 2021, reaching their pinnacle with the Big 12 Championship on January 3, 2022. The league expanded the number of playoff teams to seven, with each division winner securing a playoff spot and the remaining four spots going to the four best non-division-winning teams. This expansion meant that only the #1 seed would receive a bye on opening weekend. Carrying over from the regular season, the league implemented home field advantage throughout the playoffs, with the home team receiving a 5-point bonus in each playoff game.

Round 1

The first round unfolded on December 16, 2021, with the top-seeded Brooklyn Bolts enjoying a bye and eagerly anticipating the winners of Round 1. In this round, two pairs of divisional matchups took place. The Cleveland Gladiators faced the Milwaukee Mustangs in a clash between the #4 and #5 seeded teams. Despite it being the third encounter between these divisional rivals, the Mustangs dominated from the start, securing a convincing 178-90 victory. Notable performances from TE Hunter Henry (26 fantasy points) and QB Matthew Stafford (21 fantasy points) propelled the Mustangs to success, while WR Amon-Ra St. Brown's impressive 24 fantasy points couldn't save the Gladiators from a first-round exit.

In another contest, the #2 seed Los Angeles Wildcats went head-to-head with the #7 seed Miami Inferno. Thanks to flex scheduling, this marked the fourth meeting between the two teams in the season. Los Angeles emerged victorious in two out of three previous encounters, including wins in Week 13 and 14. However, none of those matchups resembled this game, as Los Angeles sailed to an effortless 185-54 win. Stellar performances from TE Travis Kelce (41 fantasy points) and QB Justin Herbert (28 fantasy points) highlighted Los Angeles's dominance, while TE Foster Moreau led the scoring for Miami with 14 fantasy points.

In the final game of the weekend, the Phiadelphia Soul hosted the Green Bay Blizzard, featuring the 3rd and 6th seeds. Despite being the first game in these playoffs where both teams scored over 100 points, the outcome was another decisive victory, with the Soul defending their home field with a 189-110 triumph over the Blizzard. WR Tyreek Hill's impressive 33 fantasy points for Green Bay weren't sufficient to overcome Cooper Kupp and Mark Andrews, who combined for 70 fantasy points, securing the Soul's win.

Round 2

Round 2 commenced on December 23, 2021. The East division champion Brooklyn Bolts faced the Central division champion Milwaukee Mustangs after the Mustangs handled Cleveland in the first round. The matchup between the #4 seed and the #1 seed was a closely contested battle, highlighted by WR Tee Higgins' career-high 43 fantasy points for the Mustangs. However, it wasn't enough as the Mustangs fell to the Bolts 140-132, who were led by Aaron Rodgers and Deebo Samuel, each contributing 28 fantasy points. The victory propelled Brooklyn to the Big 12 Championship for the third time in their history and their second consecutive appearance.

Following a weekend full of blowouts in Round 1, the second game in Round 2 was a nail-biter between the #3 Phiadelphia Soul and #2 Los Angeles Wildcats. After multiple lead changes, the Wildcats, led by RB Chase Edmonds (27 fantasy points), narrowly secured the win with a score of 144-142. Despite three Soul players accumulating 20+ fantasy points, it wasn't enough as Los Angeles punched their ticket to their second Big 12 Championship appearance in team history.

Big 12 Championship

The 2021 Big 12 Championship played in Inglewood, California concluded on January 3, 2022. It featured the top two seeds in the league, Brooklyn and Los Angeles. Los Angeles came into the matchup as a 24-point favorite over the #1 seed, but that didn't matter to Brooklyn as they rolled to a commanding 148-118 victory to win their second Big 12 Championship.

The loss capped off an impressive return season for GM Liz Bautch, coming out of retirement and making it back to the championship game in her first season back with Los Angeles. However, it ended with disappointment as the team fell short, putting up less than 75% of their projected points for the game.

With the win, the Bolts took home their second Big 12 championship, rebounding from their loss in the final game last year against Miami. They matched Miami and Milwaukee for the most appearances in the Big 12 Championship, with three visits each.

In the dynamic landscape of the 2021 Big 12 season, Milwaukee and Brooklyn emerged victorious, securing their fourth division titles, while Los Angeles celebrated their third triumph.

Third round wide receiver Cooper Kupp stood in the spotlight, clinching the prestigious 2021 league MVP. Leading the league with a remarkable 440 fantasy points, Kupp propelled the 9-5 Phiadelphia Soul, steering them to the second round of the playoffs and coming tantalizingly close—within 2 points—of securing their second Big 12 Championship appearance.

The title of GM of the Year was bestowed upon Cory Colvin of the Brooklyn Bolts. His adept management skills guided the team to an outstanding 10-4 record, marking his second time claiming this honor, the first being in 2013.

Brooklyn, under Colvin's leadership, not only clinched their third conference title but also secured their second league championship. Meanwhile, Los Angeles celebrated their second conference championship, adding another glorious chapter to their Big 12 legacy.