ESPN Gives Big 12 Only 26% Chance to Make College Football Playoff in 2018
It’s only April and ESPN is already trashing the Big 12. What else is new?!
In a new study by its Football Power Index projections initiative, the conference only has a 26% chance to make the College Football Playoff, which is the lowest of any of the Power 5 conferences.
Top-Four Strength Of Record Odds
| CONFERENCE | AT LEAST ONE TOP-4 SOR TEAM | AT LEAST TWO TOP-4 SOR TEAMS |
|---|---|---|
| SEC | 84% | 28% |
| Big Ten | 80% | 19% |
| ACC | 65% | 5% |
| Pac-12 | 51% | 4% |
| Independents | 34% | <1% |
| Big 12 | 26% | <1% |
In ESPN’s FPI rankings, it gives Oklahoma the best chance to win all its games, at just 6.5%.
But no one else in the Big 12 even has more than a 1% chance of winning every game.
Texas: .5%
Oklahoma State: .2%
Everyone else: 0%
Ouch. And bizarre. No West Virginia? Maybe the best offense in not just the Big 12, but the country, with a Heisman contender at quarterback? That doesn’t make sense to me.
It also gives OU the best chance, at 54%, to win the conference, while Texas is at 21% and Oklahoma State is at 13%. Then it’s TCU at 4% and West Virginia at 2%.
Am I shocked or surprised? Not really. And while I think the Big 12 is as up in the air as it’s been in 3-4 years, there are also several options of teams that could emerge as the top team in the conference, and as a result, a College Football Playoff contender. Oklahoma, West Virginia and Texas would be by top three as of this moment, but there’s still room for the next tier to make a move as well.
Just chalk it up as another chip on the shoulder for the Big 12. Nothing new here.
