Big 12 considering expansion, adding championship game

The Big 12 is considering changes to their conference format after having TCU and Baylor shut out of the inaugural college football playoff.

TCU and Baylor were not ranked among the top four teams by the college football committee even though they are both 11-1 and considered by many to be among the top teams in the country. A big issue is that the conference billed the schools as co-champions because they did not have a conference championship game the way the SEC, Pac-12, ACC, Big Ten and many more conferences did. That was a sore subject for Baylor coach Art Briles, who went after Bowlsby Saturday night because of the conflict.

Conference commissioner Bob Bowlsby said Sunday that several changes could be in store for the conference.

“It’s clear we were penalized for not having a championship game..That will cause us to go back to the drawing board a little bit,” Bowlsby said.

“I think this will be a catalyst for discussion (of expansion),” he added. “We have to weigh whether this is substantial enough to add institutions… It’s certainly a major consideration.”

Though Bowlsby says expanding is a consideration, that does not mean it will happen automatically.

“I am not calling for us to expand or even consider expansion. It may just get bantered around a little bit,” Bowlsby said via ESPN’s Joe Schad.

Expansion would make sense. As it is, the Big 12 moniker does not even fit for the conference; they only have 10 schools. When all the other power conferences have a championship game, you don’t want to be the odd man out. It only makes sense to do it.