The Big 12 football conference has become known for its unpredictability.
Take last season for example when Arizona State, who was selected last in the pre-season claimed the league’s title and represented the conference in the College Football Playoff.
And this season has been billed from a national level in the same prism as the narrative is that the league is wide open heading into season with parity at the forefront. And while that parity can be a good thing, sometimes it doesn’t help the perception of a league that is continuously considered as wide open.
So, what can the Big 12 do to address those concerns? West Virginia Athletic Director Wren Baker was asked about it on the Big 12 Today and believes the answer isn’t too complicated.
“I think we have to get some massive wins in non-conference to build some energy there early and the next one is we have to get some massive wins in the College Football Playoff,” Baker said.
He pointed to the fact that Arizona State did a great job coming really close in the CFP against Texas falling 39-31 in double overtime, but finding a way to win those games will help change the narrative some.
Parity isn’t necessarily a bad thing either as Baker points to the different teams that have won the SEC but that has been backed up by their success in the post-season on top of those massive non-conference wins.
“So, you build that and sustain that momentum and energy around it,” Baker said.
The Athletic Director also believes that with all of the new teams entering the league the past two years there is some uncertainty with people trying to figure all of that out from a national perspective but the best way to change that is to have success on the field to catch that attention.
“We need to have somebody go on a run in the post-season and maybe make it to the champ game, it would be great if they won it. But at least advance to a point,” he said.
Still, Baker believes that night in and night out the Big 12 football conference provides a highly competitive brand of football which is a good thing for the league over the long haul. It’s just about teams breaking through and proving it to the rest of the college football landscape by notching those key victories.
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