Can the Big 12 Finally Prove to Be an Elite Conference in 2026?
With 16 teams in its conference and a wealth of high-end talent, the Big 12 still seems to lack the recognition needed to become a household name. Having Texas and Oklahoma leave a few years ago certainly didn’t help their case, and it only made them more forgotten. However, it's still baffling how teams such as BYU, Texas Tech, and Arizona State haven’t gotten the same love as worse teams in the SEC or Big Ten, even though they outperform them. Part of it is simply a lack of care from the committee, along with these schools not already having the same recognition as other, bigger schools.
This issue was evident last season, when the committee rightfully left Notre Dame out of the college football playoff, but Miami was the one rewarded. BYU had a clear argument for making it over the Hurricanes; although they got blown out by Texas Tech twice, their record was still superior. Of course, Texas Tech did end up making the playoffs last year and would unfortunately get shut out by Oregon even after getting an extra bye week. In the year prior, Arizona St. was the sole member of the conference to make the CFP, and although they put up a valiant effort against Texas, they lost in double overtime. There appears to be a pattern among Big 12 teams: they perform well in the regular season and a game in the postseason, but ultimately succumb to the greatness of other teams. There may be a solution to this problem, but it's going to take a lot of help, and that is for other teams to join the Big 12.
With the teams in it right now, there are only three or four contenders, and even with that, none of them will be able to compete with any of the real powerhouses. To prepare them, they must play these teams regularly, and this is especially true for BYU and Texas Tech. As for this becoming a reality, there isn’t much of a possibility of that happening. On the bright side, this conference can only go up, and with some of the talent they’ve got this year, it wouldn’t be too surprising if one team can make a run.Devon Dampier,Avery Johnson, andNoah Fifita are just a few of the many strong arms this fall. After all the offseason hype among other teams and conferences, the chances we see a team from the Big 12 play in late January are slim, but not impossible, so long as they’ve learned their lesson.
