As another college football season nears its stretch run, the Big 12 once again finds itself in a familiar position which is fighting uphill for national respect. Despite fielding competitive teams and offering one of the deepest, most unpredictable slates in the country, the Big 12 seems to be treated as second-class by both the AP Poll and, more importantly, the College Football Playoff selection process.
While the official CFP rankings haven’t dropped yet, the AP Top 25 offers a weekly pulse check on how teams are being perceived. And for the Big 12, that perception isn't flattering.
A Respectable Loss, a Massive Drop
Texas Tech, previously ranked No. 7, fell all the way to No. 14 in the latest AP Poll after a narrow, competitive road loss to a now-ranked Arizona State team. Context matters: that loss came without their starting quarterback under center. Yet rather than receiving the kind of “valuable loss” treatment often granted to SEC or Big Ten teams, they were punished significantly — a seven-spot drop for a short-handed effort against a solid opponent.
Meanwhile, the highest-ranked team in the Big 12 at the moment is undefeated BYU, sitting at No. 11, despite their perfect record. Teams from other conferences with blemishes on their resume remain ahead, purely on perceived strength of schedule. That’s a troubling trend that sends a clear message: Big 12 teams have little margin for error, and even winning might not be enough to vault them into true playoff contention.
The “Deep But Not Dangerous” Label
The CFP committee and poll voters seem to admire the Big 12's competitiveness, often calling it “deep” or “balanced” but stop short of labeling it elite. That’s where the real issue lies.
The league is full of tough teams who can beat each other any given week, yet that parity is somehow used against them. When SEC or Big Ten teams lose, it's often chalked up to the strength of those conferences. When Big 12 teams lose in similar fashion, it becomes a sign that no single team is dominant enough to be taken seriously on a national scale. The narrative seems clear: “competitive” means “chaotic,” and “chaotic” means “not playoff-ready.”
That perception matters and not just in the rankings, but far beyond them.
CFP Access and the One-Team Path
With Texas Tech’s recent loss, the Big 12’s window for placing multiple teams in the CFP field may have closed entirely. That means, once again, the only path to the playoff likely runs through the conference championship. And if current trends hold, the Big 12 could be the only Power 4 league with just one representative in the 12-team CFP field for the second year in a row.
That’s not a good look. Especially when conferences like the Big Ten or SEC are consistently projected to have multiple teams in the mix, even before championship weekend.
If the CFP field is meant to reflect the top teams nationally, yet the Big 12 is consistently limited to a single spot, then it’s fair to ask whether the system, or at least the perception driving it, is stacked against them.
Recruiting, Coaching Hires, and Portal Impact
This national perception has a trickle-down effect. Whether or not it’s entirely fair, recruits, transfers, and coaching candidates are paying attention.
If you're a high-level quarterback in the portal or a blue-chip linebacker looking to showcase yourself on the national stage, and you see the Big 12 consistently underrepresented or undervalued, why would you choose to play there over a similarly competitive program in the SEC or Big Ten? It’s not about quality of coaching or player development — both of which are strong across the Big 12 — it’s about visibility and opportunity.
And for athletic directors looking to hire the next great coach, it could become a tougher sell. How do you pitch a “path to the playoff” if the path is viewed as narrower, more unforgiving, and lacking the national respect that comes with other conferences? This is a battle Oklahoma State will have to fight this offseason finding the right coaching staff to bring them back to prominence and for finding the right players to fit within the new culture.
A coach could do everything right: win big games, finish strong, even take home a conference title and still be left out of the playoff picture. That’s not the kind of ceiling many top-tier coaches are excited to work under.
It's Time to Shift the Narrative Or Risk Falling Behind
This isn’t a critique of the talent or effort within the Big 12. The players are legitimate. The coaches are among the most innovative in the country. The games are compelling, week after week. But until the national perception shifts, the conference will continue to fight an uphill battle that others simply don’t face.
If the league wants to maintain relevance on the national stage, it needs its programs to start demanding more respect — through non-conference wins, high-level recruiting, and stronger branding. Because until the narrative changes, the Big 12 may remain in the playoff conversation, but never truly at the center of it.