The Big 12 Conference got a much-needed boost last weekend amid all the chaos and upsets on Saturday.
Six of the 18 AP Top 25 teams that played lost to unranked opponents (33%), the highest mark since six of 16 (38%) lost the first week of October 2020. No. 1 Alabama was among four teams (Michigan, Tennessee and USC) in the top 11 to lose to unranked opponents — the first time that has happened since October 2016.
Based on a plethora of national prognosticators, The Big 12 was on the outside looking in with just one representative in the projected College Football Playoff before the weekend happened. However, after a number of upsets on Saturday, many now predict the Big 12 will get two teams in.
Big 12 Power Rankings: BYU, Iowa State Lead, — UCF, Arizona, TCU Drop (Week 7)
Amid all the conference realignment — with Texas and Oklahoma departing for the SEC this year — Big 12 programs, fans and commissioner Brett Yormark knew the Big 12 conference would be facing an uphill battle as we go into the first year of the College Football Playoff.
With the big media networks such as ESPN, FOX, etc. drooling over the SEC and Big Ten, it’s no secret that they’ll do all they can to help those conferences get as many teams into the playoff as possible.
ESPN signed a 10-year deal with the SEC, worth $3 billion. This was five times the amount the conference was getting from CBS. Meanwhile, the Big Ten followed that up two years later with a $7 billion deal with FOX, CBS and NBC.
These networks are paying huge sums of money and they want to make sure they get a good return on their investment. Having the ‘blue bloods’ and household names draws a big audience which provides the ROI that networks need to offset the cost of these media deals. That is why when the playoff committee is deciding between the SEC or Big Ten team vs. anyone else — if the resumes are close — it shouldn’t come as a surprise with who they’ll go it.
Unfortunately, it’s all for money.
Fortunately, upset Saturday was not only fun to watch, but it gave the Big 12 and other conferences hope that they’ll be able to participate in a more meaningful way in the first-ever College Football Playoff.
Big 12 Power Rankings: BYU, Iowa State Lead, — UCF, Arizona, TCU Drop (Week 7)
A week ago, the Big 12 had four ranked teams: No. 16 Iowa State, No. 17 BYU, No. 18 Utah and No. 20 Kansas State.
This week, Iowa State is No. 11, BYU is No. 14, Utah is No. 16 and Kansas State is No 18.
This was a big step if the Big 12 wants to get two conference members into the playoff.
Based on the playoff rules, the five highest-ranked conference champions and the next seven highest-ranked teams will earn a spot in the 12-team bracket.
With Boise State at No. 18, the Broncos appear to be the G5 representative, however, if they finish ahead of any Big 12 team, they’ll take one of the first four spots and get a bye — a huge advantage. So not only should Big 12 fans cheer on the Big 12 contenders, they should also be rooting for a Boise State loss which would help the Big 12 secure a Top 4 playoff spot.
A week can make all the difference, now let’s hope the Big 12 — which seems to have the most parity of any P4 conference — can get out of its way and stop beating itself up.
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Big 12 Power Rankings: BYU, Iowa State Lead, — UCF, Arizona, TCU Drop (Week 7)
