Oklahoma State wrestling officially has another trophy to chase. The Big 12 is adding a regular-season championship beginning in 2026-27, with all nine programs wrestling each other once. For David Taylor and the Cowboys, the championship checklist just got a little longer.
How many titles will Oklahoma State wrestling win this season? 👀🤠
Winning Big 12 duals just became a little more meaningful.
Beginning with the 2026-27 season, the Big 12 Conference is adding an official regular-season championship for wrestling, giving Oklahoma State and David Taylor another trophy to pursue before the postseason even begins.
The conference announced the change Thursday after it was approved by the league's wrestling head coaches.
For an Oklahoma State program with championship expectations? Go ahead and add another goal to the list.
How Will It Work?
The format is pretty simple. All nine Big 12 wrestling programs will face each other once during the conference schedule.
That's eight conference duals per team — four at home and four on the road.
Whoever finishes with the best winning percentage in those duals will be crowned the Big 12 regular-season champion.
And unlike plenty of other conference races, there won't be some complicated tiebreaker formula.
If two teams finish with the same best winning percentage? They're co-champions.
Big 12 dual competition begins Nov. 7 and runs through Feb. 17.
This Doesn't Replace the Big 12 Tournament
That's probably the most important distinction.
The regular-season championship is another title, not a replacement for the Big 12 Wrestling Championship.
That means Oklahoma State could now potentially win the regular-season championship based on its dual record and then chase another conference trophy at the postseason tournament.
The Big 12 actually recognized regular-season wrestling champions during the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons, so the idea isn't entirely unprecedented. Now it's officially coming back.
Big 12 Is Loaded
Winning it won't exactly be easy. The nine-team wrestling league consists of full-time Big 12 members Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Arizona State and West Virginia, along with affiliates Oklahoma, Missouri, Northern Iowa, Utah Valley and Wyoming. That's plenty of high-level wrestling.
Because everybody wrestles everybody, there isn't much room for debate. Want the regular-season title? Beat the conference.
Another Championship for David Taylor to Target
For Oklahoma State, the timing couldn't be more interesting. Taylor has made it pretty clear what the standard is in Stillwater.
He wants Oklahoma State wrestling competing against the best programs in the country. He wants major duals. He wants Big 12 championships. And ultimately, he wants NCAA championships.
Now the conference is giving his program another measurable goal along the way. And I actually like it.
Dual meets are an important part of college wrestling. If you're going to spend an entire winter determining which team consistently performed the best against its conference opponents, why not recognize it?
Final Thoughts
Oklahoma State's championship checklist just got a little longer.
Big 12 regular-season championship. Big 12 Wrestling Championship. NCAA Championship.
Three different opportunities to prove yourself in three different ways. The postseason tournament isn't going anywhere.
Neither is the ultimate goal of winning an NCAA title. But beginning this season, dominating the Big 12 dual schedule comes with some hardware of its own.
With the expectations surrounding Oklahoma State under David Taylor? You can bet the Cowboys will want the first one.
