Big 12 Football: 5 way-too-early storylines for 2020 season

5. How can the Big 12 rebound from a dismal 2019 postseason?

It’s tough to advocate for the Big 12 on the national stage after a pathetic showing in the 2019 bowl season — only Texas came away with a postseason win (against Utah in the Alamo Bowl). All five other teams lost.

None of those losses was under the magnifying glass like Oklahoma’s 63-28 drubbing at the hands of LSU in the College Football semifinal. The Sooners are now 0-4 in the CFP and have looked completely overmatched on defense against SEC teams in each of the past three seasons.

After an overtime loss to Georgia, a 45-34 defeat to Alabama, and this year’s rout against LSU, the Big 12 needs a team to win a key non-conference game or a CFP contest to restore confidence in future seasons. The CFP Committee says that it only considers the current season when determining the nation’s four best teams.

That may be the case, but it’s hard to forget the associations being formed with your team and/or league after watching the Big 12’s best team get routed the way OU did against LSU. To be fair, LSU decisively beat the defending national champions, Clemson, in the title game — but OU’s loss stung a bit more for a league in need of national credibility.