Big 12 commissioner demands playoff bye over Group of Five champion

In Fort Worth, Texas, Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark publicly criticized the current College Football Playoff rankings during a press conference. Yormark's statements came ahead of the Big 12 championship game, where Arizona State and Iowa State, both with 10-2 records, were set to compete. Despite their impressive records, both teams were ranked outside the top 12 in the latest CFP rankings. This ranking also placed them behind several Southeastern Conference teams with more losses, highlighting what Yormark deemed a disparity in the evaluation of conference championships based on strength of schedule. Yormark emphasized that a Group of Five champion should not rank above a two-loss Big 12 champion. He pointed out that both Arizona State and Iowa State won non-conference games against Power Four opponents earlier in the season and expressed strong belief that their competitive schedule should have been factored more significantly into the CFP rankings. He reiterated the importance of strength of schedule, as established before the season, indicating that the selection committee had failed to adhere to this principle adequately. The backdrop of Yormark's criticism is the playoff selection process, which guarantees spots to the highest-ranked conference champions in the selection committee's final top 25 rankings, with the top four receiving a first-round bye. Currently, the Big 12 is projected to be the No. 12 seed, necessitating a first-round road game. This prompted Yormark to argue against a scenario where a three-loss Power Four team could advance in favor of a Big 12 champion with fewer losses. As he concluded his remarks, Yormark expressed hope for adjustments in the final College Football Playoff rankings, indicating that the committee's decisions could still reflect a change in priorities. He remains confident that the merits of strength of schedule will eventually influence the committee's final selections.