Every Scenario For Big 12 Championship Contenders You Need to Know Heading Into Final Week

Win and the Texas Longhorns are in. However, there is a lot that still has to happen this coming weekend as far as the Big 12 Championship is concerned.

Matt Galatzan | Nov 19, 2023

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Texas Longhorns

The Texas Longhorns picked up a massive 26-16 win over the Iowa State Cyclones on Saturday night, leaving them in control of their own destiny in both the Big 12 and the College Football Playoff.

As such, the Horns have the most defined path to the Big 12 Championship game in Arlington on Dec. 2. Win, and Texas is in. Lose, and things get a bit crazy.

With that in mind let's take a look at every Big 12 Title scenario you need to know heading into the final week of the regular season.

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Scenario 1: Texas vs. Oklahoma State

Texas beats Texas Tech, followed by an Oklahoma State win vs. BYU in Stillwater, will set up the first matchup this season - and likely final ever - between the Cowboys and Longhorns.

Scenario 2: Texas vs. Oklahoma

First things first - the Sooners must beat TCU in Norman on Friday to stay alive in the Big 12 race.

If that happens, they must then hope for an Oklahoma State loss to BYU in Stillwater to make it to Arlington.

If those two things come to fruition, and Texas beats Texas Tech, we will get a Red River Rematch between Texas and OU.

Scenario 3: Texas vs. Kansas State

If Kansas State defeats Iowa State on Saturday following a Texas win, a loss by Oklahoma, AND a loss by Oklahoma State, the Wildcats clinch a berth to the Championship as the No. 2 seed and play the Longhorns.

Texas Longhorns QB Quinn Ewers leads his team on to the field vs. TCU / © Jerome Miron, USA TODAY

Scenario 4: Texas Loses vs. Texas Tech, but still makes the Big 12 Championship

Texas can still clinch a berth to the Championship if two of the three two-loss teams (Kansas State, Oklahoma, or Oklahoma State) lose on Friday/Saturday.

Texas and the remaining winning team of those three will qualify for the Championship.

Scenario 6: Texas Loses and all h*** breaks loose

If Texas loses on Friday, and two or three two-loss teams win between Kansas State, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State, 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 - including scenarios in which Texas still makes it to Arlington.

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You can view the Big 12 slate for each of the contending teams below:

Friday, Nov. 23

TCU at Oklahoma, 11:00 a.m. CT on FOX

Texas Tech at Texas, 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC

Saturday, Nov. 25

BYU at Oklahoma State, 2:30 p.m. CT on ABC

Iowa State at Kansas State, 7 p.m. CT on FOX

Published Nov 19, 2023

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.