As we get set for Week 12 of the college football season, one thing is clear: All Big 12 football fans must root for the Pittsburgh Panthers against Notre Dame this weekend to try and get as many Big 12 teams into the College Football Playoff as possible.
Despite their best games being losses, and having two of them, Notre Dame, ranked No. 9 in the country on Tuesday night, looks like a lock to make the CFP if they win out. And Saturday is their best chance to drop a game against No. 22 Pitt on the road. After that, it’s Syracuse and Stanford, two teams that the Irish could beat with 10 players on the field.
Meantime, the Big 12 is set with its conference champion in the College Football Playoff. That is most likely to come from either Texas Tech, BYU, Cincinnati or Utah. After that, it will take some help to get a second Big 12 team into the field of 12, and take an inside straight to get three teams into the College Football Playoff.
Texas Tech is ranked No. 6, BYU is No. 12, Utah comes in at No. 13, and Cincinnati is No. 25. Remember, the Top 5 ranked conference champions get in, so a Group of 5 team is likely to be the No. 12 team in the Playoff. That leaves four conference champions, the SEC, Big Ten, ACC and Big 12, plus seven at-large bids.
Now if Texas or Oklahoma lose a game or two down the stretch, which is very possible, since they play Georgia and Alabama, respectively, this weekend, they could each have three losses at that point. That would set up to be a good scenario for the Big 12. But Notre Dame remains a thorn in the side of the conference, since it would take one of those seven at-large bids, despite not having a conference championship game to play in.
So as we settle in for another great week of college football, don’t just cheer on your favorite team, or the Big 12 at large, but cheer on Pittsburgh. The Big 12’s Playoff picture will likely depend on it.
