I was watching ESPNU yesterday and the discussion was the 4-team playoffs and their predictions - at least a couple of the guys had Baylor and TCU as the 5th and 6th team --- with that, it was stated that in fact, things stayed the same and Baylor and TCU were both left out that "the Big 12 would be fueling up the welcome wagon and be on the road looking for teams 11 and 12 so they could have a championship game." That they have no chance to make a final game statement when all the other conferences do could be the deciding factor ---
Personally, I see them going to 8 teams before more expansion - but I have no idea what might happen ---

Why is 12 the magic number for a championship game? I know that's the NCAA mandate but does anybody know why they set that number? Why can't a ten team league have a championship game of they want one?

WVAPPeer wrote:I was watching ESPNU yesterday and the discussion was the 4-team playoffs and their predictions - at least a couple of the guys had Baylor and TCU as the 5th and 6th team --- with that, it was stated that in fact, things stayed the same and Baylor and TCU were both left out that "the Big 12 would be fueling up the welcome wagon and be on the road looking for teams 11 and 12 so they could have a championship game." That they have no chance to make a final game statement when all the other conferences do could be the deciding factor ---
Personally, I see them going to 8 teams before more expansion - but I have no idea what might happen ---

Just for fun, what two would they take, stay regional with Rice and Houston? Find a travel partner for WVU?

good question - doubt the Texas schools would want 2 more to have to recruit against? - only legit travel partner I see for WVU would be Cincinnati --- I would think they would have interest in BYU if they give up the independent thing - maybe Boise or Colo St because they wouldn't be directly recruiting against them in most cases -

AppinATL wrote:Why is 12 the magic number for a championship game? I know that's the NCAA mandate but does anybody know why they set that number? Why can't a ten team league have a championship game of they want one?

This was the Division II rule that the SEC invoked, when they started this in 1992. They also have to have 2 divisions as well. This is why some of the conferences have divisions for football and not basketball and other sports. The Big 12 has petitioned for an exception to this, but it has not been granted yet. Could it? Who knows what the NCAA will do. The rule was in place because the DII conference had a big footprint and 6 teams in each division played each other because they were close and it limited travel. The championship game was a way to bring them together.

HeffnerIV wrote:

WVAPPeer wrote:I was watching ESPNU yesterday and the discussion was the 4-team playoffs and their predictions - at least a couple of the guys had Baylor and TCU as the 5th and 6th team --- with that, it was stated that in fact, things stayed the same and Baylor and TCU were both left out that "the Big 12 would be fueling up the welcome wagon and be on the road looking for teams 11 and 12 so they could have a championship game." That they have no chance to make a final game statement when all the other conferences do could be the deciding factor ---
Personally, I see them going to 8 teams before more expansion - but I have no idea what might happen ---

Just for fun, what two would they take, stay regional with Rice and Houston? Find a travel partner for WVU?

Take Cincinnati. Travel partner for WVU. And then court BYU. Big 12 North would be Cincy, WVU, Iowa State, the Kansas schools and BYU. Big 12 South would be the 4 Texas schools plus Okie and Okie State. Just an opinion.