Rough morning for the Big 12 to wake up to.
Their undisputed best team, far and away better than the rest of the B12, bankrolled to a degree possibly unfathomable to the rest of the B12 outside of the Mormon Army, completely outclassed by the #3 B10 team.
The further the B12 gets from having Texas and OU, the worse it will get.
This is a glimpse into the future of the ACC when Miami and FSU go to the B10 and Clemson +3 gets snapped up by the SEC. VT better do whatever is necessary to be part of that +3 with Clemson, or it’s the wilderness for the Hokies.
28 Replies
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Stech
7mo
(In response to this post by hokieZ71)
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HouClone
7mo
He had his column written up 2 weeks ago whether it was the ACC or Big 12 that fell flat. He doesn't like the recent talk of the G5 being relocated after the JMU and Tulane results. He blasted Yormark for arguing Boise State shouldn't be ranked ahead of Arizona State in last year's CFP.
I agree with Wolken that the G5 plays just as good enough ball as anybody else and should be included. Been tons of blowouts in the playoffs including Alabama this year and Oregon last year. SMU was just a G5 2 years ago and doing well now having the opportunity.
(In response to this post by hokieZ71)
7mo
I know Texas Tech is spending a lot, but getting shut out in the CFP won’t build their brand.
(In response to this post by hokieZ71)
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HouClone
7mo
but doesn't have the blue-blood schools. The ACC has the blue-blood FSU and Miami teams, a recent but shaky status blue-blood in Clemson, then a drop-off, and then a bottom tier. The Big 12 was loaded with blue-blood/brand schools before they lost teams. Fortunately, they got a good pick of solid teams to backfill. The ACC has got to hold on to those blue-blood teams as there aren't any solid teams to backfill except UConn and Memphis in my opinion.
(In response to this post by RandomAsianGuy)
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SMU Pony
7mo
(In response to this post by hokieZ71)
7mo
throttled in their playoff game is comical.
And I've seen the whole "Oregon is the third best team in BIG" quote a few times now...and it's also distorting reality. OSU didn't play either Oregon or IU in the regular season and had a fairly easy schedule in the BIG (only played 1 of the top 6 teams in the conf). Meanwhile Oregon clearly has an elite team that played a very tight regular season game against #1 IU (and played 3 of the top 6 teams in the conf).
Texas Tech played against an elite team and lost a defensive battle. It happens all the time. It's hardly the basis to trash an entire conference. And the comment about how TT spent a lot of money while ignoring the massive sums spent by Oregon and Ohio State type schools is laughable. I'm getting tired of these very clearly biased and agenda driven articles that keep pushing the P2 above everyone else. This is a sport. Championships are earned on the field against any and all competition.
(In response to this post by SMU Pony)
7mo
people may be questioning whether the Big XII belongs or not. Particularly, if those same people doubled down that JMU didn't belong in the field after losing the same Oregon team by fewer points a week earlier. I don't disagree that the article if full of bias because it is attempting to evolve the FBS Playoffs into a P2 Playoffs. The debate may already be a chicken and egg debate depending on whether the national audience already supports the idea vs. the P2s and media outlets are slowing convincing the national audience to support the idea. Regardless of the situation, if the ACC and Big XII want to remain relevant to these discussions, then they have to take advantage of the few opportunities presented to them by winning on the grid iron. Miami did its part and Texas Tech did not.
(In response to this post by HokieAl)
7mo
The Sun Devils played really well and kinda got unlucky. And Texas was a very good team.
(In response to this post by SMU Pony)
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2hhoop3
7mo
or should it be said he nailed Yormark and the Big 12?
(In response to this post by SMU Pony)
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Truthahn
7mo
A year ago, it was that neither were interested in Miami, small private school, no longer elite, etc.
Ideally, SMU kicks it up a notch and suddenly we will hear about how the B10 has always had their eye on Dallas.
Hopefully, the same for us.
(In response to this post by hokieZ71)
7mo
interested in Miami, than FSU. I don't agree with it. But they have been saying it.
And BTW, winning matters and changes perceptions. No one is talking about VT to the P2 because we have been mediocre over the past decade. If Franklin puts a nice little late 1990s-early 2000s run together. Trust me, we will be in that conversation. But the time is NOW.
** Edited by Maroon Baboon at 1/2/2026, 11:55:48 AM
(In response to this post by Truthahn)
7mo
about their near equality with other conferences in nauseating. I feel like most "ACC fans" have the self awareness to know our place.
When is the last time a current B12 team won a national championship? BYU over 40 years ago as a member of the WAC? They have no elite programs, and nothing can hide that fact.
(In response to this post by hokieZ71)
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2hhoop3
7mo
would double their historical playoff win total.
(In response to this post by Maroon Baboon)
7mo
were 5 of those 8 teams who lost in the playoffs. And TCU, a current B12 member, was the only team who won a game.
So the B12 gets knocked for the failure of two teams that are now in the SEC. Does the SEC get to claim those 5 years of OU and UT losses in the playoffs?
I recall this yahoo article from last February around playoff expansion where they clearly wanted to give the SEC credit for the OU and UT playoff teams of the past. The P2 gets all the credit while the rest get all the criticism.
"The 14-team model — 4-4-2-2-1+1 — aligns mostly with conference strength over the last 11 years of the CFP’s existence, according to data compiled by Yahoo Sports.
Since the 2014 playoff, the SEC has had 52 teams ranked inside the top 14 of the CFP’s rankings heading into conference championship weekend, or about 4.7 teams per year. The Big Ten has had 51 teams (4.6). The Big 12 is next at 23 (2.1), followed by the ACC (20/1.8), Notre Dame (5/0.45) and Group of Five (3/0.27).
The data considers conference realignment shifts (ie: Oklahoma is counted toward the SEC figures, USC for the Big Ten, Stanford for the ACC, Utah for the Big 12, etc.)."
(In response to this post by 2hhoop3)
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2hhoop3
7mo
the time is where wins or losses go. The Big 12 has one win and that was against a suspect Michigan team that turned the ball over. The real proof is not in how many teams as much as what those teams do when they get there. The SEC got out of the gate but, has wanted recently. The B1G started slow and is picking up steam. The ACC was solid early on and has wanted in recent times and whether the Big 12 has even got out of the gate is certainly subject to debate.
(In response to this post by HokieAl)
7mo
are remarkably similar.
The ACC is top heavy, and has too many small privates. In addition, the media contract turned out to be an anchor, not an advantage.
I know no one personally that thinks the B12 is all that, but it is solid, with only a few week links.
Maybe the ACC schools can get off their perch, and play some games out here in flyover. A K-State VT matchup should have already happened, as they are the only two FBS schools that have not won a national championship in anything.
(In response to this post by Maroon Baboon)
7mo
Prince was their HC. However, K-State asked to be released from the series citing "competitive reasons" and instead opted to agree to a home-home series with Illinois when Zook was their HC.
(In response to this post by Big12 guy)
7mo
they start winning games in the playoffs.
(In response to this post by hokieZ71)
7mo
Didn't get in this year.
The writing is on the wall - if your not ND, Fsu, Miami, or Clemson, an at large will be rare IMO
(In response to this post by SMU Pony)
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Stech
7mo
(In response to this post by Big12 guy)
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RJHokie
7mo
Adults with 5 year old minds have a difficult time understanding complex matters like tie breakers…..
(In response to this post by Big12 guy)
7mo
The Big 12's problem is that it has no current members with any sustained football success on the national level. Yes, there are one-off's like TCU's NCG appearance (the B12's lone CFP win since it started) and BYU's 84 championship, but not much outside that.
Say what you want about the ACC, but it has three schools (Clemson, Florida State, and Miami) that have been powerhouses over a multi-year period. If any of those three have, say, two losses in a CFP at-large discussion vs a two-loss Big 12 school, they're likely to get the edge based simply on brand.
I actually like the Big 12 in that there are no clear "have-not" programs ; anyone can move up the ladder relatively quickly. But the insecurity of their YouTube community is comical - constantly trying to down the ACC and openly rooting for its demise as if somehow they can shape perception to put their conference into the #3 spot nationally behind the SEC and B1G.
(In response to this post by Big12 guy)
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HouClone
7mo
SMU got the nod over Alabama last year. Miami hasn't done much in over 10 years. They have a brand name but not as much as Notre Dame's.
(In response to this post by cburgroop)