Arizona State is in. Who else will play in the Big 12 Championship? – Deseret News

It’s been 15 years since BYU last found itself in a conference race this late in the season, but the Cougars are in Big 12 contention even after two straight losses.

Heading into the final weekend of the regular season, nine teams were in contention for a spot in the Big 12 Championship, according to the league.

The Deseret News will update tiebreaking scenarios throughout the day Saturday as results come in to show who has been eliminated, who is still in contention and who has clinched a spot in the Big 12 Championship on Dec. 7 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Arizona State takes its spot in the Big 12 championship game

Arizona State, by virtue of its win over Arizona on Saturday and TCU beating Cincinnati, became the first team to clinch its spot in the Big 12 championship game.

The Sun Devils, who are the highest-ranked Big 12 team in the College Football Playoff rankings at No. 16, finished the year with a 7-2 Big 12 record and 10-2 overall.

Other teams are still alive to play in the Big 12 Championship

Team — Conf. Record — Week 14 Opponent/Result

• Colorado – 7-2 – Beat Oklahoma State, 52-0
• BYU — 6-2 — vs. Houston, 8:15 p.m. MST (ESPN)
• Iowa State – 6-2 – vs. Kansas State, 5:30 p.m. MST (Fox)

Tiebreak scenarios that are still possible

Scenario 1: Arizona State, BYU, Colorado and Iowa State all win and finish 7-2 in Big 12 play.

Arizona State vs. Iowa State in the Big 12 Championship.

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Scenario 2: Arizona State and Colorado win (7-2 in Big 12 play), BYU and Iowa State lose (6-3).

Arizona State vs. Colorado in the Big 12 Championship.

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Scenario 3: Arizona State, BYU and Colorado win (7-2 in Big 12 play), Iowa State loses (6-3).

Arizona State vs. BYU in the Big 12 Championship.

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Scenario 4: Arizona State, Colorado and Iowa State win (7-2 in Big 12 play), BYU loses (6-3).

Arizona State vs. Colorado in the Big 12 Championship.

What is BYU’s last remaining path to the Big 12 championship?

There is only one scenario now in which BYU can participate in the Big 12 Championship:

• BYU beats Houston AND
• Kansas State beats Iowa State

In this scenario, there would be a three-way tie atop the Big 12 standings among BYU, Arizona State and Colorado.

How would BYU earn a spot, according to Big 12 tiebreaker policies?

First, we must determine a seed from a three-way tie between BYU, Arizona State and Colorado.

“Tiebreaker A – The tied teams will be compared based on their head-to-head record during the season.

• Arizona State won 1-0 against BYU, but did not play against Colorado.
• BYU went 0-1 against Arizona State, but did not play Colorado.
• Colorado didn’t play either Arizona State or BYU.
• Advantage: Arizona State. The Sun Devils are awarded seed no. 1, and BYU and Colorado go into a two-team tiebreaker.

With one seed set, we are now looking at a two-team tiebreaker between BYU and Colorado.

“Tiebreaker A – The tied teams will be compared based on their head-to-head record during the season.”

• BYU and Colorado did not meet in the regular season.
• Advantage: No. Move on to Tiebreaker B.

“Tiebreaker B – The tied teams will be compared based on winning percentage against all regular conference opponents.”

• BYU and Colorado played seven shared conference opponents during the regular season – Arizona, Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, UCF and Utah.
• BYU went 6-1 against those opponents, with wins against all but Kansas.
• Colorado went 5-2 against those opponents, with wins against all but Kansas and Kansas State.
• Advantage: BYU. BYU is assigned seed no. 2 in the Big 12 Championship.

Teams that have been eliminated from playing in the Big 12 Championship

Team — Conf. record — Week 14 opponent/result

• Baylor – 6-3 – Beat Kansas, 45-17
• Kansas State — 5-3 — at Iowa State, 5:30 p.m. MST (Fox)
• TCU — 6-3 — Beat Cincinnati, 20-13
• Texas Tech – 6-3 – Beat West Virginia, 52-15
• West Virginia – 5-4 – Lost to Texas Tech, 52-15

Note: Kansas, Cincinnati, Houston, Arizona, Utah, UCF and Oklahoma State were eliminated before this weekend.

Here’s how Baylor was eliminated: The Bears were eliminated when Arizona State won, ensuring that two teams would have a better Big 12 record than Baylor.

How Kansas State was eliminated: The Wildcats were eliminated after Baylor beat Kansas and Texas Tech beat West Virginia Saturday morning.

How TCU, Texas Tech and West Virginia were eliminated: Colorado’s 52-0 win over Oklahoma State on Friday eliminated all three teams from the Big 12 championship game.