Big 12 requiring availability reports for all conference games

Utah and the rest of the league will be required to provide regular injury reports before league games

The Big 12 Conference will require availability reports from its men's and women's basketball teams the night before league games. | Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

The Big 12 announced Wednesday that the league will publicly provide player availability reports for all conference games in football, men's basketball and women's basketball, starting with the 2025-26 season.

The conference's members approved the policy, including updates in the days leading up to each game, as well as final reports due 90 minutes prior to kickoff or tip-off.

Additionally, Big 12 football teams will be required to submit daily reports three days before each conference game, while basketball teams will need to refresh their availability reports the night before every league contest.

The Big 12 joins the ACC, Big Ten and SEC in enforcing pro-style injury reports from its constituents. Like in the NFL, Big 12 squads will need to categorize players as "available," "probable," "questionable," "doubtful" or "out" in their availability reports. On the hoops side, terms like "available," "game-time decision" or "out" will be accepted; comparable to the language used in NBA injury reports.

The Big Ten became the first power conference to require football availability reports in 2023, and was followed by the SEC in 2024.

Along with the Big 12, 2025 will be the first season in which the ACC requires reports from its affiliates. While it is the league's first formal policy on injury reporting, ACC football coaches would voluntarily share weekly updates ahead of conference leagues from 2008 to 2017. The practice was later discontinued due to the anticipation of a national policy that never came.

With the rise of sports betting in college athletics, ACC commissioner Jim Phillips felt it was time to implement an official guideline for injury reports.

Jul 22, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; ACC commissioner Jim Phillips speaks to the media during ACC Media Days at Hilton Charlotte Uptown. | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

"It's the right thing," Phillips said during the league's media days in July. "I understand, and every coach has to do what they have to do in order to get their team ready, and there's always gamesmanship, always. That's been around for a hundred years, and it's going to continue, but it's the right thing."

"There's stresses on our student-athletes from individuals who are trying to garner information. Sometimes it's pretty innocent. They just want to know because they're a big fan. But other times it leads into the gambling and sports wagering path."

The ACC will also institute a penalty structure for schools that misuse or don't send availability reports on time. The first offense will result in a $50,000 fine. The second offense will be $100,000, and the third will cost $200,00, according to Phillips.

It's unclear how the Big 12 will handle teams that don't properly report their players' availability statuses, though the league does intend to post every update to its website, Big12Sports.com.