 As a result, Big 12 wrestlers advanced to the NCAA Championships only as at-large invitees.At that time, talk began about the Big 12 inviting the Western Wrestling Conference teams to become affiliate members of the Big 12.On July 29, 2015, the Big 12 Conference and the six member schools of the WWC announced that Air Force, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, South Dakota State, Utah Valley, and Wyoming were being added to the Big 12's wrestling competition as affiliates, joining Big 12 full member schools Iowa State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and West Virginia to make a ten team conference slate.