Big 12 will actually have 'One True Champion' with new tiebreakers
The Big 12 announced Wednesday new tiebreaker procedures that will make its 'One True Champion' slogan reality.
By
Jon Solomon
•
3 min read
PHOENIX -- The Big 12 will have One True Champion next year. No, really.
As expected, the Big 12 ended its spring meetings Wednesday at the Arizona Biltmore by finalizing a tiebreaker to eliminate co-champions. Head-to-head will be the obvious deciding factor if two teams finish tied. A three-way tiebreaker would result in a series of steps that could include scoring differential.
Baylor and TCU finished as co-champions in 2014 despite Baylor winning head-to-head. The College Football Playoff Selection Committee never said the lack of having one champion kept both Big 12 teams out of the inaugural playoff.
Baylor coach Art Briles and Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby had a heated conversation about co-champions on the championship podium last year, with Bowlsby taking the position that he couldn't change the rules during the season.
The Big 12 will no longer recognize multiple conference champions. The tiebreaker will not only settle ties for the conference champion but could help break ties for the Big 12’s Sugar Bowl representative during years when the Sugar Bowl is not a semifinal game and the Big 12 has a CFP participant.
In a three-way tie, the third tiebreaker scenario is scoring differential. Bowlsby said the Big 12 considered other options, such as nonconference strength of schedule and victories over the highest-ranked team as selected by the committee.
“There’s probably a little bit of apprehension about scoring differential because theoretically it could contribute to running up the score,” Bowlsby said. “But I just think when you get down to that level, there aren’t a lot of real good ways to break the tie and this is probably as good as any. … It gave us some comfort that a 21-7 win is more valuable than a 48-41 win. We were concerned does it favor a defensive or an offensive team?”
The end of co-champions could impact bonuses for some Big 12 coaches. Coaches’ contracts often include clauses that provide extra money for winning a conference championship, even if a team shares the title.
Bowlsby quipped that “you could see the computations taking place” in Big 12 coaches’ minds about lost bonus money. However, Bowlsby added that the coaches "also acknowledge the reality that absent a championship game, we don’t want to be different in two ways that we can’t get to one champion and we also don’t have a playoff game.”
As for the Big 12’s 'One True Champion' slogan, it appears to be staying.
“I think it will probably be around,” Bowlsby said. “It’s apropos now, isn’t it? Actually, it was last year because as you’ve heard me say, I really think it was about how we conducted the season, not the fact we couldn’t get to one. We were an easy target, I’ll grant you that.”
Here's a look at the exact tiebreaker text presented by the Big 12 on Wednesday:
BIG 12 CONFERENCE FOOTBALL TIEBREAKER
(To be used to determine the Conference champion and, if needed, the Conference's Sugar Bowl representative in the event the champion is selected for a CFP semifinal)10.24 Tiebreaker Procedure.
The following procedure will determine the Conference Champion. The tiebreaker will also be used to break other ties as necessary. For the avoidance of doubt, only Conference records will be used throughout the process:a. If two teams are tied, the winner of the game between the two tied teams shall be the champion.
b. If three or more teams are tied, steps 1 through 4 will be followed until a determination is made. Once a team has been eliminated from a multi-team comparison, it is dropped from further comparisons. If only two teams remain tied after any step, the winner of the game between the two tied teams shall be the Champion.1. The conference records of the three or more teams will be compared against each other.
2. The conference records of the three or more teams will be compared against the next highest placed team(s) in the conference (4, 5 and 6....).
A. When comparing against the next highest placed teams, a two-way tie among the next highest placed teams will be broken by head-to-head before the comparison begins.
B. If more than a two-way tie exists among the next highest placed teams, record against the collective tied teams as a group will be used.3. Scoring differential among the tied teams. The team with the lowest difference between points scored and points allowed in games vs. the tied teams are eliminated from consideration.
4. Draw (In the event steps 1-3 cannot break a multi team tie the champion will be determined by draw at the Conference office).
