The Big 12 has a perception problem that won’t seem to go away.
The first edition of the College Football Playoff rankings told its own story. The conference featured three unbeaten teams yet neither Baylor, TCU or Oklahoma State found itself among the top four. In fact a pair of one-loss teams, No. 4 Alabama and No. 5 Notre Dame, sat above the Big 12’s highest ranked team (Baylor at No. 6) as the Big 12 was the only Power 5 conference with an unbeaten who didn’t land in the top four.
It all worked out in the end after Oklahoma mowed through November like a runaway train to secure a playoff spot.