Big 12 football seems to be on its last legs in 2017 and could be on the brink of collapse sooner rather than later, even with the addition of a title game.
Among all the Power Five conferences in college football, the Big 12 is often held in the worst light. Since they lost four of the key members of the conference roughly five years ago, the Big 12 has been trying to make things work with only 10 teams. While the TCU Horned Frogs and West Virginia Mountaineers have been welcome additions to the conference, it has not helped much long-term.
Morevoer, the Big 12 has struggled sending teams to the College Football Playoff. The only time that the Big 12 sent a team to the Playoff was when the Oklahoma Sooners lost to the Clemson Tigers in a Semifinal game during the 2015 season. Fans can say that TCU and Baylor were snubbed in 2014 but both teams did have one loss. Also, the four seed Ohio State Buckeyes ended up winning the National Championship in 2014 so competition for spots in the Playoff were tough that year.
The Big 12 has consistently been on its way down for the last few years. Talks of expansion just seemingly fell apart in a matter of months last Summer when commissioner Bob Bowlsby was possibly looking at adding two more members to the conference. It looks like the players still want expansion, though.
Expansion is still possible and if the Big 12 adds the right members and successfully splits up the 12 teams into two competitive divisions then all would be right. However, the expansion talks are done for quite a while. Maybe enough time for the conference to dissolve altogether.
Now, let’s take a look at three reasons why the Big 12 will collapse soon.
3. No TV network
Due to the Longhorn Network’s deal with ESPN, it will be at least another 13 years until the Big 12 will be able to start its own TV network.
More from Big 12
- Things are going to get much darker for the Houston Cougars
- College Football Playoff: Projected top 4 after Week 3
- Kansas State football: 3 takeaways from road loss to Missouri
- Was Iowa State football robbed of crucial FG by refs?
- College Football Hot Seat: 5 Coaches who must win in Week 3
The prospect of having a Big 12 Network to show the conference’s basketball and baseball games is a great idea, but not something that will be a reality anytime soon. Even showing some of the more underrated football games on the Big 12 slate each week would be cool to see.
The Pac-12, SEC, ACC and Big Ten all have successful conference networks that help exposure and revenue. According to reports, the Longhorn Network lost $48 million in revenue throughout its first five years in operation.
Yet, the fact that the Longhorn Network kept teams like Texas and Texas Tech out of the Pac-12 in 2010 might have made the channel worth it, at least in the short run. If the contract between the Longhorn Network and ESPN had been for less than 20 years, it might have saved the conference altogether.
2. Other Power Five conferences have 14 teams (except the Pac-12)
The Big Ten, SEC and ACC all have 14 teams in their respective conferences. And with the Pac-12 prying Colorado and Utah from other conferences to have them join in 2011, they now have 12 members. That leaves the Big 12 as the only conference with only 10 teams among all the Power Five conferences.
Moreover, each Power Five conference has sent at least two teams to the College Football Playoff in the last three years, while the Big 12 has only sent one. If a member of the Pac12 wins the national championship in 2017, then that leaves the Big 12 as the only conference to not win a College Football Playoff title game among all the major conferences.
Big 12 expansion talks broke down more than one year ago and have not picked up any steam since. Some prospects like the Houston Cougars, BYU Cougars, Boise State Broncos and Colorado State Rams, looked like promising options and should continue to stay in contact with the Big 12.
However, the best time to expand is now in the past and the timing of expansion now seems poor for the Big 12.
1. Big 12 Championship Game could hurt more than help
Let’s just think about this for a moment, what if the Big 12 Championship Game causes the conference to lose out on sending a team to the Playoff. There’s a great chance that the Oklahoma schools could play each other twice, knocking out the higher ranked team entering the conference championship out of the Playoff picture.
Bedlam was a de facto Big 12 Championship Game in 2015 and 2016 and the annual in-state rivalry between the Oklahoma Sooners and Oklahoma State Cowboys was changed from the last week of the season to Nov. 4 this year. What affect could that have on both teams as they’re the favorites to take home the Big 12 Championship.
Next: Texas Longhorns' 2017 projected depth chart
Even if a team like Kansas State, West Virginia, Texas, or TCU makes it to the Big 12 Championship Game, that might not be counted as much of a quality win for another team. This really seems like a last ditch effort from the Big 12 to throw something together to ultimately save the conference. The opposite of their intentions could become reality in the coming years.