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The Big 12 released its 2025 football schedule Tuesday, setting the stage for another season of back-and-forth battles in a conference that delivered thrills on a weekly basis in 2024.
When Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark banged the podium to proclaim his conference the most competitive in the country at media days last July, he had no idea just how correct he would be. The final Big 12 standings featured a four-way tie for first place as Arizona State, Iowa State, Colorado and BYU all finished with a 7-2 record in conference play. The standings reflected the late-game heroics and epic thrillers the conference produced on a weekly basis. No team could be deemed a heavy favorite in league play, and no underdog was incapable of springing an upset.
Unfortunately, the loss accumulation in this parity-driven conference left the league without any real contenders in the all-important College Football Playoff Rankings. The four regular season co-champions were all ranked in the CFP top 25, but none high enough to really contend for an at-large bid.
As the Big 12 looks ahead to 2025, its list of contenders looks just as crowded. In the eyes of the oddsmakers, no other power conference has more teams with odds of 10/1 or better to win the league (five) and no other conference has favorites with odds as long (+550) as the Big 12’s co-favorites (Kansas State and Arizona State). Essentially, the Big 12 boasts several good teams, but may lack a dominant national title contender.
Which is exactly where the league was at the end of 2024.
That’s not to say an at-large bid is impossible for the Big 12 as key nonconference showdowns provide opportunities to impress national audiences. Those games, along with some big conference matchups, will…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/big-12-football-schedule-2025-nine-games-that-will-impact-conference-title-college-football-playoff-races/
Author : Chip Patterson
Publish date : 2025-02-04 19:18:00
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