Big 12 Announces Official Tiebreaker Scenarios for Championship Game

The league unveiled multiple title game possibilities following this week's games on Friday and Saturday.

John E. Hoover | Nov 19, 2023

Big 12 Announces Official Tiebreaker Scenarios for Championship Game /

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Oklahoma Sooners

Win, and Oklahoma still needs plenty of help.

But the Sooners' path to the 2023 Big 12 Championship Game in Arlington, TX, is strikingly clear: OSU and Texas better not stumble.

That's from a press release the Big 12 issued Sunday night, with all the scenarios that could unfold from games scheduled across Friday and Saturday. Here's the breakdown:

2023 Dr Pepper Big 12 Football Championship Clinching Scenarios Update

11/19/23 06:30 PM

Scenarios for the Football Championship surrounding Big 12 matchups on Friday, November 24:

• Oklahoma remains in contention with either a win or a loss against TCU.

• Texas will clinch both a berth to the Championship and a #1 seed (home team) with a win over Texas Tech.

If Texas wins and clinches a berth on Friday, the following scenarios apply surrounding Big 12 matchups on Saturday, November 25:

• If Oklahoma State defeats BYU, the Cowboys clinch a berth to the Championship as the #2 seed (vs. Texas).

• If Oklahoma defeats TCU on Friday and that win is followed by a Texas win AND an Oklahoma State loss, the Sooners clinch a berth to the Championship as the #2 seed (vs. Texas).

• If Kansas State defeats Iowa State on Saturday following a Texas win, AND a loss by Oklahoma, AND a loss by Oklahoma State, the Wildcats clinch a berth to the Championship as the #2 seed (vs. Texas).

If Texas Tech wins on Friday, the following scenarios apply surrounding Big 12 matchups on Saturday, November 25:

• No team can clinch a bid to the Championship until Saturday.

• Texas can still clinch a berth to the Championship if two of the three two-loss teams (Kansas State / Oklahoma / Oklahoma State) LOSE on Friday and / or Saturday. Texas and the remaining winning team of those three will qualify for the Championship.

• If Texas loses on Friday, and two or three two-loss teams WIN amongst Kansas State / Oklahoma / Oklahoma State on Friday and / or Saturday, there will be three or four teams tied for both Championship berths. Multiple scenarios exist in this circumstance contingent on which teams remain in the tiebreaker pool.

Updated scenarios will be released by the Big 12 Conference following the conclusion of Friday's games.

Broadcast information for this weekend's slate of games is listed below:

Friday 11/24/2023

TCU at Oklahoma, 11:00 a.m. CT on FOX
Texas Tech at Texas, 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC

Saturday 11/25/2023

Houston at UCF, Noon ET / 11 a.m. CT on FS1
BYU at Oklahoma State, 2:30 p.m. CT / 1:30 p.m. MT on ABC
West Virginia at Baylor, 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT on FS1
Kansas at Cincinnati 7:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN 2
Iowa State at Kansas State, 7 p.m. CT on FOX

Published Nov 19, 2023

JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.