As we dive into the homestretch of college football's regular season, the Big 12 race is reaching a fever pitch. According to KUTV, No. 11 Brigham Young University (9-1, 6-1 Big 12) is on the cusp of seizing a place in the Big 12 Championship game with victories in its last two games. This Saturday's game against Cincinnati could set the stage for a potential heavyweight rematch with Texas Tech, but only if a series of other games shake out in their favor, including an Arizona State loss and either a Utah victory or a Houston loss.
The pressure's not just on BYU. As the New York Times reports, the No. 8 Oklahoma Sooners are still reeling from their high-stakes win over Alabama and must now fend off Missouri to maintain their playoff position. With Missouri's team, equipped with a formidable front seven and an All-American candidate at running back, Oklahoma can't afford to get complacent.
Meanwhile, the SEC is planning to peel away from their longstanding eight-game conference schedule in favor of a nine-game conference slate starting in 2026. This move, as KSL emphasizes, has triggered anxiety among coaches. They worry the change could spell the end for easy late-season wins, add grueling matchups, and potentially impact teams' playoff chances if the strength of schedule isn't factored in by the College Football Playoff committee.
Texas A&M's coach, Mike Elko, expressed concern for SEC teams in the expanding College Football Playoff bracket, "We have to figure out how to reward SEC teams for playing in the SEC," he told KSL. The unease mirrors that of his colleagues, who see the hard-fought SEC games as demanding enough without the added pressure of an extended conference grind.
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