The Big 12 may have been left out of the College Football Playoff fun last season, but Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy says that will not happen again this season.
Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy on whether the Big 12 lands a playoff spot: "No question. They'll be a Big 12 team in there."
— Chuck Carlton (@ChuckCarltonDMN) October 19, 2015
Ah, but which Big 12 team?
One-loss co-champions TCU and Baylor were each passed over for the College Football Playoff last season, the first year of the new postseason championship format. Alabama, Oregon, Florida State and Ohio State each received a spot from the selection committee, while TCU and Baylor were each sent to remaining New Years Six bowl games. This season is off to another solid start for the Big 12 playoff hopefuls in Fort Worth and Waco and the two do not face each other until late November. The Big 12 could have what turns out to be a defacto Big 12 championship game in Fort Worth, and a spot in the playoff could be within reach for the winner.
That is, of course, unless Gundy’s Oklahoma State or Oklahoma can have an impact on the Big 12 race. Oklahoma State is off to a 3-0 start in big 12 play and is also 6-0 midway through the season. Oklahoma State also gets both TCU and Baylor at home in Stillwater, so Gundy knows his program has a very good chance to make some interesting things happen in the conference. Just for good measure, Oklahoma State also hosts Oklahoma in this year’s Bedlam game a week after hosting Baylor. With one conference loss (to Texas), the Sooners are not out of the Big 12 picture just yet either, although Oklahoma’s path to a Big 12 title is trickier than Oklahoma State’s. The Sooners get TCU at home but must play at Baylor and Oklahoma State.
The Big 12 is still in a position where its championship push could end up dooming the conference’s playoff hopes, but seeing TCU and Baylor continue to stay high in the rankings is a positive sign. We will get a good idea of just how the Big 12 stands this season soon enough with the first release of the College Football Playoff selection committee rankings coming up in a couple of weeks.