Sports · American Football · 8 hrs ago
Big 12 could put multiple teams in the College Football Playoff
The Big 12 has several undefeated teams after Week 6 of the college football season.
That gives the conference a chance to place more than one team in the 12-team College Football Playoff.
The Big Ten and SEC have only three undefeated teams between them after top-ranked Texas and No.
6 Alabama lost, while Georgia, Indiana and UCLA remain unbeaten.
The Big 12 schedule means last season’s conference champion did not have to play BYU or Utah during the regular season, and those teams are not scheduled to meet until early November.
One possible scenario would see BYU finish 11-1, Texas Tech go 12-0 in the regular season, and Utah beat Texas Tech in the conference title game.
In that case, Utah and BYU could both earn playoff places, while Texas Tech’s chances would depend on how its season is judged against other contenders.
The outlook could change as teams play the rest of their schedules, including BYU’s game against Notre Dame next week.
After Week 6, the Big 12 had as many undefeated teams as the Big Ten and SEC combined, according to CBS Sports.
The article says the conference could put two teams in the 12-team College Football Playoff field.
A win by BYU over Notre Dame could create a path for three Big 12 teams to qualify, though the article calls that chance minuscule.
The scenario depends on how teams finish the regular season and the Big 12 championship game.
- Who
- Big 12 teams, including BYU, Utah and Texas Tech, could contend for places in the College Football Playoff.
- What
- The Big 12 could place two or possibly three teams in the 12-team playoff field.
- When
- The discussion follows Week 6 of the season; the article also considers games scheduled for next week and Nov. 7.
- Where
- The Big 12 and the College Football Playoff race. Specific game locations are not stated for the hypothetical scenario.
- Why
- The conference had several undefeated teams, while results in other leagues had narrowed their undefeated ranks; the schedule could also keep top Big 12 teams unbeaten longer.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The Big 12 may have outsmarted everybody this year.
Texas and Alabama lost, while BYU, Utah and Texas Tech were described as remaining undefeated.
BYU could face Notre Dame, and a win could improve the Big 12's chance of placing three teams in the playoff.
In the article's hypothetical, BYU would lose on the road to Utah.
In the hypothetical, Utah would beat Texas Tech, putting Utah in the playoff field.
- Playoff field
- 12 teams
- Big 12 undefeated teams
- As many as the Big Ten and SEC combined after Week 6
- Possible Big 12 playoff teams
- Two, with a minuscule chance of three
- Hypothetical Texas Tech record
- 12-0 in the regular season; 12-1 after losing the conference championship
- Hypothetical BYU record
- 11-1, including a win over 11-1 Notre Dame
Sources
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