One of the many ongoing storylines this year for the Big 12 Conference has been who could represent the conference in the College Football Playoffs? The Oklahoma Sooners had been that team for the last three years.
They have been in the tournament in four of the last five, but with a down year it looks as though it will take another team to be the representative. The Oklahoma State Cowboys were the only unbeaten team remaining and many felt they had the best shot, until Saturday.
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According to Berry Tramel of the Oklahoman, the Cowboys loss to the Texas Longhorns on Saturday ripped the CFP dream away from the conference.
Oklahoma State has a championship defense. That much we learned on a wild Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium.
Alas, we also learned the Cowboys no longer have national championship aspirations. Texas took care of that dream with a 41-34 overtime victory over the Cowboys that the Longhorns had no business winning.
Given that the likely three teams all but guaranteed a shot are the Clemson Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide and Ohio State Buckeyes. The final spot is where it gets interesting. Could it be they year that a non-Power Five school gets in? The Cincinnati Bearcats are a team that comes to mind. Maybe an unbeaten BYU Cougars team? Or we could see yet another Southeastern Conference team sneak in? It is also quite possible that the Pac-12 Champion could be the team but they have yet to kick off their season.
Tramel makes a valid point that Oklahoma State probably was the best shot for the conference to make it into the tournament. Early season losses for Oklahoma, Kansas State, Iowa State and Texas essentially took them out of the conversation. The Sooners have come on strong as of late but it could be too late for that.
There is still plenty of college football left to be played in a wild 2020. One shouldn’t say that it is a done deal but the Longhorns could have very well spoiled the fairy tale season for Oklahoma State.
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