How will the 2024 Big 12 schedule release impact the 12-team playoff structure?
No conference in college football will be more significantly impacted by realignment than the Big 12. With the addition of the BYU Cougars, Cincinnati Bearcats, Houston Cougars, and UCF Knights in 2023, the conference will expand to a total of 14 teams. However, the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns will depart after the season, reducing the conference back to 12 teams.
The departure of the Sooners and Longhorns coincides with the expansion of the College Football Playoff. Starting from the 2024 season, the postseason field will expand from four to 12 teams, providing eight additional schools with the opportunity to reach the playoffs. Let's examine how this new playoff format will impact the Big 12.
What changes will come to the Big 12 following conference realignment?
The Big 12 will continue to play nine conference games, according to Dave Skretta of the AP, who reported:
"Commissioner Brett Yormark held a call with Big 12 schools Tuesday to announce the plan. Every school will play nine conference games, just like they have since it became a 10-team league, and schools will play each other at least once in each two-year period. Traditional rivalries, or at least those left after realignments, will be preserved."
The most notable change is that schools will no longer face the entire conference each season. Instead, the conference will ensure that each school plays one another at least once every two years. Previously, the Big 12 had considered reverting to the divisional format used from 1996 to 2010.
How will the 2024 Big 12 schedule impact the 12-team College Football Playoff field?
The College Football Playoff will expand to 12 teams for the first time in 2024. In the four-team format, the Big 12 had a representative in the postseason in five out of nine years. However, they have never had two schools qualify in the same year.
Their five postseason appearances trails only the Southeastern Conference, Altantic Coast Conference and Big Ten. The Oklahoma Sooners, who are set to depart in 2024, are responsible for four of those appearances. While the Big 12 has not released their 2024 schedule as they are still considering further expansion, the new postseason format will help the remaining schools.
The conference has had several schools wind up just short of the postseason in the four team format. Furthermore, with the Sooners and Texas Longhorns set to leave, the conference schedule will get easier.