What Final CFP Rankings Mean for Oklahoma State, Big 12 Moving Forward
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The Big 12’s status as a power conference was once again thrown up in the air as the College Football Playoff seeding was revealed.
On Sunday, the second edition of the 12-team playoff became one step closer with the reveal of that 12-team field. While the Big Ten and SEC each secured multiple bids, no other conference got more than one team into the field.
The Big 12 was one of four conferences with a lone representative, joining the ACC, American and Sun Belt. Of those conferences, the Big 12 had the highest-ranked team of the bunch, with Texas Tech securing the No. 4 spot after beating BYU in the conference title game on Saturday, moving to 12-1 and ensuring itself a bye in the first round of the playoff.
However, the fact that the Red Raiders were the only Big 12 team selected isn’t exactly an encouraging sign for the conference. While BYU was on the bubble coming into the final weekend, a loss in Arlington sealed the Cougars’ fate and ended the Big 12’s hope of getting two teams in, marking the second-straight season with only one playoff berth from the conference.
As for Oklahoma State, it probably won’t have to worry too much about the national perception of the conference for a few years. Coming off a 1-11 season and riding a 19-game Big 12 losing streak into the Eric Morris era, there won’t be many conversations about the College Football Playoff in Stillwater for the foreseeable future.
Of course, the Cowboys’ future will still largely hinge on their conference’s standing in the greater scheme of things in college football. With two seasons of the 12-team playoff resulting in only two appearances and no at-large bids, the Big 12 is clearly not in a great spot for OSU.
Considering the Cowboys’ lack of success over the past two years, a move to the Big Ten or SEC is unlikely. However, with success across other sports and Oklahoma’s recent move to the SEC, a quick rebuild in Stillwater from Morris and company might be enough to get OSU into a conference capable of consistently earning multiple at-large bids.
On the other hand, perhaps an OSU resurgence would be enough to help the Big 12 get an at-large team into the field, whether it be the Cowboys or another team. Only time will tell how things shake out for the Big 12 as the playoff continues to evolve, but Sunday’s rankings certainly weren’t what the conference wanted to see.
Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.