Colorado impacted by Big 12's uphill battle for College Football Playoff berths
It’s happening again.
The College Football Playoff is positioning itself to limit the Big 12 Conference to one bid for the last edition of a 12-team bracket.
The 13-member committee made up of athletic directors and retired coaches released its first rankings of the season Tuesday night. The one problem: they go into a bunker when answers are most needed.
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark strongly advocated for expanding to a 24-team postseason. That doesn’t surprise anyone, considering the conference has failed to get more than one team in the field in the CFP era.
Colorado felt the disrespect during its nine-win season in 2024. Even with eventual Heisman winner Travis Hunter and one of the nation's most potent offenses, CU was always on the outside looking in.
Spoiler alert: it probably won’t get much better after the expansion to 24 teams happens, sorry, Colorado fans.
It isn’t doom and gloom for the No. 3 Utah Utes, though, as they earned their highest CFP ranking in program history before a “Holy War” clash with the No. 9 BYU Cougars this weekend. Head coach Morgan Scally’s squad should be able to afford a loss.
Yormark might secretly be rooting for BYU.
At first glance, being ranked ninth doesn’t sound like the worst thing for the Cougars. But several two-loss SEC teams and the No. 11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish are lurking behind BYU, ready to ‘little-brother’ the Big 12.
You might be wondering: didn’t BYU just defeat Notre Dame head-to-head? Yes, yes, they did. But this committee has shown time and again that the result on a field isn’t the most important factor, as twisted as that is.
You can count on the Fighting Irish jumping the Cougars in the rankings next week if they beat the No. 1 Miami Hurricanes on Saturday.
“To compare teams head to head, they have to be in the same pod,” said committee chair Hunter Yurachek on the ESPN rankings reveal telecast Tuesday night.
Despite Yurachek bringing up a term more synonymous with Tide Pods and the iPod, the criteria the CFP published to compare teams are: 1. strength of schedule, 2. head-to-head results, 3. results against common opponents and 4. factors like key players being unavailable or coaching departures. (They shouldn’t have to worry about Lane Kiffin bolting for a tarmac this season, at least)
While strength of schedule is being framed as holding the Big 12’s challengers back, the No. 15 Texas Tech Red Raiders and the No. 17 Houston Cougars have an average 43rd-ranked schedule, according to Massey Ratings. That’s 20 spots higher than media darling Notre Dame (63) and 11 spots above ACC favorite Miami (54).
Utah, BYU, Texas Tech and Houston have all impressed on the national stage this season. The Utes are one of only three undefeated teams remaining in the FBS, and BYU and the Red Raiders both have multiple ranked wins eight weeks in.
But if the first committee rankings are anything to go by, don’t be surprised to see a two-loss Big 12 squad get pipped by a three-loss SEC giant when it’s all said and done.
It’s a sad reality for the conference with the mantra “16 strong,” but the most important stage of grief is acceptance.
For now, all Big 12 fans can do is cross their fingers and hope the precedent flips.
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