The Big 12 could be headed toward an Arizona State-Iowa State conference championship game next month, leading ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser to preemptively declare that the conference champion shouldn’t be in the College Football Playoff as the regular season wraps up.
Actually, Kornheiser didn’t just say the champion shouldn’t be in the CFP. The Pardon the Interruption host went a step further, claiming that CFP voters agree with him — and don’t want a team from the “terrible” Big 12 in the CFP.
“The Big 12 stinks. It’s a terrible conference,” Kornheiser said ahead of the third CFP rankings of the season. “The people in that room on the committee don’t want any Big 12 teams in the Playoff, not even the conference champion.”
Sick turkey Tony Kornheiser: “The Big 12 stinks … the people in that room on the committee don’t want any Big 12 teams in the Playoff, not even the conference champion.” pic.twitter.com/N38oygILfe
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 26, 2024
The comments came after Yahoo Sports reported on Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark’s campaign for his conference to be represented in the first-ever 12-team Playoff.
Yormark told Yahoo he saw “no rationale” for the Big 12 champion not to receive a first-round bye in the CFP. The fourth-highest ranked conference winner is likely to get the 4-seed and a bye. The fifth-highest ranked conference winner is likely to end up 12th in the seeding, per Yahoo.
Technically, new CFP rules mandate that the five highest-ranked conference champions receive an automatic bid. But that doesn’t have to include the so-called Power 5 conferences. That possibility has inspired some in college football to wonder whether teams like AAC leader Tulane or Mountain West leader Boise State could vault ahead of the Big 12 (or ACC) winner with a better record.
While Kornheiser agreed with cohost Michael Wilbon that the CFP would have loved to put Colorado in the bracket, a bad Buffaloes loss to Kansas in Week 12 all but ended that dream. So for now, Kornheiser believes the Playoff is better off without the new-look Big 12.
“Have any of them beaten Boise State? No,” Kornheiser said. “And do we think they could beat Boise State? No. Again, this conference stinks.”
In true Kornheiser fashion, he made all of these bold claims about the evolving world of college football wearing a turkey costume for Thanksgiving. With a hoarse, scratchy voice. Of course.
ESPN will announce the third installment of the CFP rankings on Tuesday night.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.