It’s the “controversy” that simply won’t go away.
Unless you’ve been in a coma or under a rock -- or in a coma under a rock -- you know that the Big 12 was shut out of a spot in the first-ever College Football Playoffs. Entering championship weekend, TCU was third in the CFP rankings while Baylor was sixth, with Ohio State on the outside in fifth. The latter’s blowout of Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game, coupled with the Big 12’s lack of one, though, pushed the Buckeyes into the four-team playoff and, ultimately, their first national championship since 2002.
More than a month later, it’s still not sitting well with Bears head coach Art Briles how “close” he says his Bears came to earning a spot in the playoff..
Art Briles said Baylor was an 8-4 vote from earning the No. 4 spot in the recent CFP voting.
— Tim Griffin (@TimGriffinBig12) January 21, 2015
During availability, Art Briles said Baylor was short of fourth playoff spot on 8-4 selection committee vote. Declines to reveal source.
— Chuck Carlton (@ChuckCarltonDMN) January 21, 2015
Of course, if Baylor hadn’t lost to West Virginia... if TCU hadn’t lost to Baylor... if the Big 12 had a title game... if the Big 12 would’ve declared one single champion instead of trumpeting one true one... if any of those would’ve transpired, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation. Still.