Seriously, did anyone else see what the Big 12 pulled off this year? It looks like they might have outsmarted everyone, positioning themselves for *multiple* bids in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff field, all while the rest of the nation just ate itself alive. And yeah, that chaos hit home too, with our Washington Huskies taking a tough 41-24 loss to Iowa.
The Big 12’s Masterclass in Scheduling
This season has been absolutely wild, folks. Week 6 just wrapped up, and we saw chaos absolutely erupt across the college football landscape. Both No. 1 Texas and No. 6 Alabama fell in two of the biggest games of the weekend. Think about that: the Big Ten and SEC now only have three undefeated teams remaining between them! The SEC is down to just the soon-to-be No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs. In the Big Ten, it’s No. 7 Indiana and No. 21 UCLA still perfect. But get this: the Big 12 has as many undefeated teams as those two massive leagues combined! What gives?
Turns out, the Big 12 might have played some serious chess. While the SEC and ACC decided to add a ninth conference game this year (the Big Ten and Big 12 were already doing it), the Big 12, whether intentionally or not, crafted a schedule where last year’s conference champion didn’t even have to play either BYU or Utah during the regular season. Of course BYU and Utah have to square off, because the Holy War is sacred, but that clash wasn’t even scheduled until early November. This setup made it possible for the three teams expected to be the best in the Big 12 to stay undefeated for as long as humanly possible. That means as long as they kept winning, they’d all be chilling in or near the top 10 of the College Football Playoff rankings when those started dropping. And you know what? Everything is going absolutely perfectly for the Big 12 right now. While the Big Ten, SEC, and ACC have been devouring each other, the Big 12 suddenly sits poised to get two teams into that 12-team field. If BYU somehow pulls off an upset against Notre Dame next week, there’s even a minuscule chance the league could sneak three teams in, even with some nonconference schedule quirks for Tech and Utah.
A Wild Scenario and a Pac-12 Pain Point
So, humor me for a second, because this is wild: What if BYU beats Notre Dame, and then Notre Dame beats Miami and finishes 11-1? BYU goes on to finish 11-1 itself, losing on the road to Utah on November 7. Meanwhile, Texas Tech finishes the regular season at a perfect 12-0. The Big 12 championship would be Texas Tech and Utah, since the Utes would have that head-to-head win over BYU. Now, imagine Utah beats Texas Tech in the conference championship. The Utes are in the field. You have to think an 11-1 BYU with a win over an 11-1 Notre Dame is also getting an at-large bid. The only question at that point would be if a 12-1 Texas Tech, whose best win is probably Houston, would merit an at-large spot. It’s not a sure thing, but would a 12-1 Power Four school really be passed over for a 9-3 team from the SEC or Big Ten? Probably not, right? They are trying to replace conference championship games, after all.
Man, while the Big 12 is dreaming up these multi-bid scenarios, not everyone is so lucky. Out here, Oregon’s postseason hopes took a MASSIVE hit after a sloppy home loss to UCLA. That’s a gut punch for the Pac-12, and it just adds to the overall unpredictability of this college football season.
Week 6 was a wild one, that’s for sure. The College Football Playoff race is just getting started, and if the Big 12 keeps this up, we could see some serious shake-ups in who gets a shot at the title. For now, we’re left watching the chaos unfold, hoping our Pac-12 teams can rebound and make some noise. It’s never a dull moment in college ball, that’s for sure!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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