Perhaps a move to gain favor with the College Football Playoff (CFP) selection committee, the Big 12 is reportedly considering adding a conference title game.
According to ESPN, Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said the conference is also considering other schedule changes, like a mandatory Power Five opponent in the non-conference schedule. Bowlsby was in Dallas, Texas for the inaugural CFP National Championship game between Ohio State and Oregon.
Speaking to a small group of reporters, ESPN noted, Bowlsby confirmed that adding a conference championship game will be the subject of discussion once again.
"I was very proud of our athletic directors, to be honest about it, because they didn't have a knee-jerk reaction. There wasn't any, 'We've got to find two new members so we can have a playoff.' It's easy to forget that if a couple of things go differently, we get two teams in, not none," Bowlsby told the group of reporters. "We always knew somebody was going to be standing when the music stopped. Some of that is situational. I was proud of our ADs. We had a very businesslike session in New York and we talked a little bit about the tiebreaker, we talked about scheduling, we talked about nonconference schedules .. and we'll talk about it again."
The addition of a Power Five nonconference game and a title game could come just in time for TCU. The Horned Frogs looked dominant this year and were ranked within the CFP's top four heading into the final weekend. They are also expecting quarterback Trevone Boykin to return for his senior season and he could be a preseason Heisman favorite.
"The one downside I do think to the playoff is it has somewhat diminished the focus on conference championships insofar as they may play into who gets to go on and play in the four," Bowlsby said. "It was not as much about winning a Big 12 title as it was about a representative. You're playing in the SEC West and it really isn't about getting into championship game or winning the SEC, it's about [getting in the top four]. Time will tell if that trend continues. I'd have some sense of loss if that were the case, but I think generally speaking it's been a tremendous success."
