CFB Playoff Selection Committee Chairman: “13th Game A Factor”

Once again the Big 12 Conference and commissioner Bob Bowlsby have been proven insurmountable in their ineptitude.

If you recall, they proclaimed until they were blue in the face that the “One True Champion” mantra would overcome any extra game that the other Power 5 conferences were playing by way of head-to-head championship games. Instead, the Big 12 opted for a round robin format and last season it resulted in two co-champions, TCU and Baylor.

But while the Horned Frogs and Baylor were taking down Iowa State and Kansas State in game 12, Ohio State was annihilating 13th ranked Wisconsin 59-0 in the Big Ten Championship game. That 13th game allowed the Buckeyes to jolt into the College Football Playoff, ahead of the Big 12’s candidates. It’s been speculated that the Selection Committee factored this in their choices for the four participants in the inaugural playoff but now Chairman Jeff Long is flat out admitting it.

"Long, who chairs the selection committee for the College Football Playoff, was a guest in the broadcast booth for a short Q&A on the SEC Network during the Arkansas spring game Saturday afternoon. During his interview Long was asked about the College Football Playoff and the value of playing a conference championship game in the eyes of the selection committee. In his response, Long said the 13th game played by those in conference championship games was a factor for the selection committee."

So if you were already laughing at Bob Bowlsby’s expense, please continue splitting your gut.

The Big 12’s done just about everything to avoid adding Cincinnati and another school to push their membership to 12 schools, thereby enabling them to add a championship game. They’ve lobbied to the NCAA to allow a championship game with just 10 schools. The NCAA’s, obviously, been laughing at the Big 12 for that motion just like you or I.

Then the conference attempted to justify their “One True Champion” claim by rejiggering their tiebreaker rules. Again, this is ludicrous because it didn’t address their underlying problem. Simply declaring TCU or Baylor conference champs instead of co-champs doesn’t change the fact that they play one less quality opponent than Ohio State and Alabama under their current setup. But this is logic we’re talking about here, which waived “bye bye” to the Big 12 years ago.

Finally, the conference made their own commissioner the chair of an Oversight Committee to filter litigation to the NCAA. Litigation such as allowing conference championship games without the minimum 12 members. It’s unclear if that’s good or bad for Cincinnati but this is yet another example of the Big 12 skirting the issue at hand and furthering their reputation as the “DePaul of college athletics”.

I’m not sure if Jeff Long’s statement will cause any moving or shaking within the Big 12 but I doubt much comes out of this in the near future.

At this point everyone with a pulse understands that an extra game by way of a head-to-head conference championship is the best way for the Big 12 to keep up with the rest of the Power 5. Most importantly, Bob Bowlsby understands this. There’s just no way he’s that damn ignorant. Stubborn, definitely, and that’s been proven. But stupid? No way.

If they’re unwilling to make the necessary change with the piles of evidence in front of them then there’s not much UC can do other than continue to be the unequivocally best Group of 5 candidate available, all the time.