Big 12

Why the Big 12 needs a representative in 2017-18 College Football Playoff

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 4:24 p.m. ET

Fansided, Andrew Miller/FanSided via Saturday Blitz

The Big 12 was left out of the College Football Playoff field for the second time in three seasons last year, making a berth necessary this season.

The Big 12 Conference has recently been considered the worst of the Power Five football conferences. With only four teams getting into the field for the Playoff each season, the Big 12 has found itself on the outside looking in on two occasions. The only berth the conference had was from the Oklahoma Sooners in the 2015-16 college football season. The stakes for the conference seem higher than ever to prove themselves on the national stage this season.

First things first, let's take a look at the teams that seem to have a real shot from the Big 12 to contend in 2017.

OU enters the season as the presumed title favorite with two consecutive Big 12 Championships under their belt. They return senior quarterback Baker Mayfield and senior cornerback Jordan Thomas, among other talented players, leading what will likely be a top 10 team entering the season.

The Oklahoma State Cowboys enter the fall as the biggest threat to dethrone the Sooners. Quarterback Mason Rudolph and wide receiver James Washington lead one of the most talented offenses in the country. However, they need to get over the Bedlam hump if they want any chance at the Big 12 crown in 2017. Defeating the Sooners is the largest obstacle in the way of the Cowboys reaching the Playoff.

The Kansas State Wildcats look to also make it into the regular season inside the top 25 rankings. Head coach Bill Snyder is never one to underestimate as he returns tough and talented quarterback Jesse Ertz. K-State finished the 2016 campaign with a 9-4 (6-3 Big 12) record with some momentum from their Texas Bowl victory over former conference foe Texas A&M.

Other possible contenders in the Big 12 include the Baylor Bears, Texas Longhorns, and West Virginia Moutaineers. First-year BU head coach Matt Rhule looks to revitalize the Bears program after the mess left in Waco, TX, in 2016. UT also brings in a first-year head coach, with a lot of hype surrounding the program, in former Houston Cougar Tom Herman. WVU solidified themselves as the third best team in the conference last season behind OU and OK State. The Mountaineers have former Florida Gators quarterback Will Grier starting behind center in 2017.

The Big 12 needs a team in the Playoff field in 2017-18. Every other Power Five conference has at least two appearances in the CFB Playoff since its inaugural season in 2014-15. Moreover, with all the rumors surrounding either expansion or even disbanding the conference, the need for some positive PR is large.

Yet, OU and OK State are legitimate contenders to get into the field behind the star power from their quarterbacks Mayfield and Rudolph. And a possible return to glory for the Horns under Herman seems like an expectation from fans in Austin. Behind sophomore quarterback Shane Buechele, that could start to become a reality this season.

Overall, another season without an appearance in the playoff could be the beginning of the end for the Big 12 Conference. The conference has taken steps in the right direction with the addition of a conference championship game in 2017, but they still could use either an expansion or an upgrade to the level of overall competition in the conference. The most immediate need for the conference is their second ever appearance in the College Football Playoff.