What-If Wednesday: Big 12’s New CFP Odds, Bubble Teams and Firing Coaches
Welcome to our newest feature, which we’re calling “What-If Wednesday.” In this column, I’ll propose a handful of questions that, at this point, have not come to fruition. But IF they do, what will come out of it? What’s the end game?
Join us for this one, and let’s have some fun.
What If the 5+7 format is good for the Big 12?
Then, the SEC and Big Ten will try to kill it as quickly as possible.
Heck, just look at a recent report that came down that the SEC or Big Ten wanted four automatic qualifiers to the College Football Playoff. That’s ridiculous!
The two leagues hoped they could continue to use their TV network partners to pump up their propaganda and get a bunch of auto bids to the Playoff. Then, when they inevitably won, or at least had a ton of success in the Playoff, they would crow about how they’re the best conference. And around and around we go.
The 5+7 College Football Playoff format (five auto bids for conference champions, seven at-large bids), gives the Big 12 the possibility of a conference champion and another team making the Playoff as an at-large. It won’t happen every year, but it will happen, and if the Big 12 starts winning some games, the SEC and Big Ten will go ahead and do their own thing.
What If Cincinnati finishes 8-10 in Big 12 play?
Then they can still make the NCAA Tournament, but it has to be with the right wins.
Cincinnati is 5-7 in league play and Joe Lunardi still has the Bearcats in his First Four Out. UC plays Oklahoma State on Wednesday night in a must-win game. After that, they’ll take on TCU, Houston, K-State, OU and West Virginia.
If UC goes 3-3 over that stretch, they’re 8-10 in the Big 12. But if one of those wins is at Houston, where the Cougars have won 20 in a row, then that’s a game-changer. But if they don’t beat Houston, the Bearcats probably need to go 4-2 down the stretch and get to 9-9 in league play to feel like they are “in” the Big Dance.
Of course, making a bunch of noise in the Big 12 Tournament is always a possibility as well.
What If the oddsmakers are wrong on the next college basketball coach to be fired?
Then, some in Vegas and on the apps will lose a lot of money.
Somehow, Mike Boynton has much better odds than Josh Eilert to be the next head coach fired.
Both seem like great guys, but this makes no sense.
Here is the list from BetKentucky.
| Kenny Payne, Louisville | +150 |
| Jerry Stackhouse, Vanderbilt | +600 |
| Juwan Howard, Michigan | +750 |
| Mike Boynton , Oklahoma State | +1200 |
| Wayne Tinkle, Oregon State | +1200 |
| Josh Eilert, West Virginia | +2500 |
| Johnny Dawkins, UCF | +2500 |
| Jerod Haase, Stanford | +3000 |
| Mike Hopkins, Washington | +3500 |
| Andy Enfield, USC | +5000 |
| Other/The Field | +3300 |
Mike Boynton is likely to get one more season. He has a young team that is showing glimpses of improvements this season and has a contract that likely keeps him in Stillwater through 2025.
But Josh Eilert, who admittedly stepped into a difficult spot, is unlikely to be in Morgantown beyond this season. While we are rooting for both guys, the fact that Boynton’s odds of being fired are nearly double Eilert’s makes absolutely no sense.
