 The contract, which extended through the 2015 season, went into effect on January 1, 2009.Thus far the high-water mark for Gundy, the Cowboys won the Big 12 championship, the program's first conference championship since 1976 (when they tied as co-champions) and first outright conference championship since 1948.The team featured two-time Biletnikoff Award winner Justin Blackmon and quarterback Brandon Weeden, both first-round draft picks in the 2012 NFL Draft, as well as a defense that led the FBS in turnover margin

The team also appeared in the program's only BCS game, defeating Andrew Luck and the Stanford Cardinal 41–38 in overtime at the 2012 Fiesta Bowl.