Baylor head coach Art Briles is just plain wrong.
Appearing on ESPNU on Monday, he said that an undefeated or one-loss Big 12 team should get into the College Football Playoff, per Brett McMurphy.
Baylor’s Art Briles on ESPNU says undefeated or 1-loss Big 12 champ should get in @CFBPlayoff
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) November 9, 2015
If Baylor or Oklahoma State does finish with an undefeated record, then sure, that team deserves to get in. The Big 12 is a gauntlet, and going undefeated should warrant inclusion into the four-team playoff.
However, if the best team in the Big 12 loses a game, then there is absolutely no way that team should get in. There will be other teams with one loss that overcame more to finish with the same record, playing in tougher conferences, that will deserve to get in over the Bears or Cowboys.
Consider that either Florida or Alabama will likely finish with just one loss in the SEC. And, it’s just as likely either Stanford or Utah will do the same in the Pac-12. Then there is Notre Dame, which has a showdown with Stanford to finish the season. If the Irish win out, then they’re in.
Clemson will likely win out to finish undefeated, and it’s looking more and more like Ohio State could do the same. And don’t forget about wild card Iowa, which appears destined for an undefeated finish as well.
This leaves no room left for a Big 12 team in the equation.
As much as Briles would love to think his team would have a chance to get in with one loss, he’s just not going to get his desired result. This means the Bears better win out to have a chance to prove their worth amongst the biggest programs in the nation in January.