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Football Four

Big 12 agrees on football tiebreaker procedure

Dan Wolken
USA TODAY Sports
Had the Big 12's new tiebreaker been in place 2014, Baylor and kicker Chris Callahan would have been the league's "one true champion".

PHOENIX — The Big 12 formalized its football tiebreaking procedures here Wednesday as it wrapped up spring meetings at the Arizona Biltmore hotel.

One day after commissioner Bob Bowlsby indicated that Big 12 members were not interested at this point in starting a conference championship game for the 10-team league, the tiebreaking procedures could become important in the College Football Playoff discussion.

Baylor and TCU finished tied at 8-1 last season after the league's round robin schedule, but the Big 12 — whose slogan was "One True Champion" — did not declare a conference champion. Instead, it was left it up to the College Football Playoff committee to determine which team was best qualified for a semifinal berth.

Though that decision was not the sole reason both Baylor and TCU got left out of the playoff, College Football Playoff committee members indicated that the Big 12 did not help itself by failing to designate a conference champion.

Moving forward, head-to-head results will determine the championship in the event of a two-way tie. That was obvious.

The procedure for breaking a three-way (or more) tie will begin by comparing results against the next highest-placed team or teams. In other words, if two of the three tied teams beat the fourth-place team, the one that didn't would be eliminated. Then, head-to-head between the two remaining teams in the comparison would determine the champion.

If multiple teams are tied in fourth place, the top three teams' collective record against that next group would be used as the next tiebreaker.

If a champion cannot be determined after that tiebreaker, scoring differential among the three (or more) tied teams would be used to eliminate one from consideration.

In the event that cannot break a tie, a draw at the conference office would determine the champion.

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