Big 12 Reinstates Title Game, Could Have Five-Team Divisions

The Big 12 again proved it has zero clues what it is doing (other than trying to make as much money as possible) on Friday when it decided to reinstate its conference championship game for 2017.

Bob Bowlsby spoke on the matter on Friday afternoon and the 10 schools in the Big 12 voted on it unanimously.

#Big12 spring meetings: Commissioner Bowlsby on format and structure of #Big12FB Championship game. https://t.co/W3vwj3ps3g

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) June 3, 2016

The odd part is that the Big 12 still apparently wants to have a round robin schedule which means it is probably going to split into two five-team divisions for the sole purpose of not having two teams play in back-to-back weeks at the end of the season and in the conference championship game.

That’s what would have happened last year after OU throttled OSU in Stillwater. The teams would have met the following week for the Big 12 title (which would have been hilarious).

Now you can control this through scheduling if you break the teams up into groups of five. Great. Except you already all play each other! So why in the world is the Big 12 doing this?

Well you already know the answer to that question.

Bowlsby: Average annual value of a Big 12 championship game is in the high $20 million range. Somewhere just short of $30 million.

— David Ubben (@davidubben) June 3, 2016

Also, there is zero doubt of this. None. Kansas State will be involved.

You know how this will go. Big 12 team will breeze into the playoff in 2016. Then league champ will lose a rematch in 2017

— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) June 3, 2016

It also makes expansion far more intriguing. As if the Big 12 is trying to force its own hand. Well, we already have a title game … might as well get some more teams!

As for what the divisions would look like, I don’t hate this idea.

So…maybe this?

NORTH: Iowa St., Kansas, Kansas St., Oklahoma, Oklahoma St.

SOUTHish: Baylor, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech, West Virginia

— Max Olson (@max_olson) June 3, 2016

Finally, I thought this was also kind of odd.

Bowlsby said FOX and ESPN will alternate years on showing the Big 12 title game. ESPN will have even years. FOX in odd years.

— David Ubben (@davidubben) June 3, 2016