A Two-Team Division Format In Big 12 Might Have Created More Attention for K-State This Season
Back on Nov. 1, 2023, the Big 12 announced its four-year scheduling plan when the conference expanded from 14 to 16 teams.
The one thing missing was splitting it into two divisions.
There are several ways you can break it up in two divisions. I would do West and East and work hard to keep rivalries intact.
My West Division is Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, Utah, Kansas State, Kansas, Iowa State and Colorado.
The East Division would be Oklahoma State, Baylor, TCU, Houston, Texas Tech, Cincinnati, UCF and West Virginia.
This season the battle to win the West would be very intense since Arizona, Utah, K-State, Kansas and Iowa State are all considered threats to finish in the top half of the Big 12.
Just think of the national exposure K-State would get literally week after week in October and November playing Arizona, Utah, Kansas and Iowa State with so much riding on the outcome of each game.
It is understandable why the Big 12 chose this model. It had to put together a schedule for the present and near future. And with all the rumors still swirling about conference realignment, it might not be wise to split teams up in division in the next two or three years.
Still, if you are going to have an end of the regular season championship game to decide the conference champion, it only makes sense to have two divisions in any conference with 12 or more teams.
Having the top two teams in a nine-game conference schedule with 16 teams vying for those two spots will only create chaos. One team might run away with it, but there could be three or four teams tied for second. Figuring out the second team could be nightmare, especially since one team might have an easier conference schedule.
Also, establishing two divisions will build rivalries and actually have more teams fighting for the conference championship game.
I understand the Big 12 rationale for going with its the current format.
“In this model, competitive balance and student-athlete wellness was prioritized,” Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark said in a press release on Nov. 1. “Rivalries will be protected and new matchups will be introduced – the excitement and parity this conference is known for will continue for years to come.”
In the current format, all teams will play one another at least once home and away. Some matchups will occur over three seasons while others take place in all four. Matchups in 2024 that were also played in 2023 will not repeat at the same site.
The Big 12 looked to maintain the current 5/4, 4/5 home/away rotation for all 16 members to minimize non-conference scheduling disruptions. Other important factors were balancing annual travel by distance and time zones as well as maintaining connectivity to rivalries without compromising a balanced rotation for all teams.
The one major problem with this four-year plan is the Big 12 might add and subtract teams in the next four years. Why not start now by establishing two divisions
With the 12-team college playoff, it is less harmful to finish second in your division if you only have two losses.
When you have one, 16-team conference, teams in the middle of the pack get lost. That’s less likely to happen with an eight-team division.
Bottom line, two divisions create more drama and more attention and new conference rivalries.
David Boyce is a contributing writer to K-State On SI. He can be reached at davidboyce95@gmail.com.
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DAVID BOYCE