Oklahoma football: Sooners will close out 2012 season with tough stretch

The Big 12 schedule was released Tuesday morning, and OU is slated to finish its conference season with a Nov. 17 trip to West Virginia, a Thanksgiving week home game against Oklahoma State and then a Dec. 1 finale against TCU in Fort Worth.

OSU is the defending Big 12 champ, and newcomers West Virginia and TCU could receive strong consideration to be favorites this season.

OU opens its Big 12 schedule Sept. 22 against Kansas State. As it currently stands, it would be off the following week but then have no breaks for the remainder of the schedule, playing nine consecutive weeks.

Oklahoma is scheduled to play at Texas Tech on Oct. 6, against Texas in Dallas on Oct. 13, host Kansas on Oct. 20, host Notre Dame on Oct. 27, play at Iowa State on Nov. 3, host Baylor on Nov. 10 – and then enter the gauntlet of West Virginia, OSU and TCU. While the Big 12 release says the dates are subject to change, the conference's athletic directors were adamant in not wanting to move games are the schedule's release.