I hate to interrupt an incredible week of Big 12 hoops with College Football Playoff talk, but we do have an important update. 

The College Football Playoff is staying at 12 teams next season. Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey couldn’t agree on expansion before the January 23 deadline, so we’ll have a third straight year of 12 teams.

They also tweaked the autobids. Instead of the five highest-ranked conference champions making the playoff, all Power Four conference champions and the highest-ranked Group of Five champion are now automatically in the field. 

That eliminates the scenario we saw play out last year where ACC champion Duke was left out because it was ranked below two Group of Five conference champions. 

It also ensures the Big 12 will have at least one playoff team next season. It doesn’t seem like much, but remember in November 2024, there was conversation about Arizona State getting left out because of Boise State and Tulane. That won’t happen anymore. 

The tweak is a small win for the Big 12 and ACC. 

It’s debatable whether or not staying at 12 is a good thing for the Big 12. 

Reporting indicates the Big Ten and SEC can’t agree on how far to expand the playoff field. 

The SEC favors going to 16 teams by adding four more at-large bids. The Big Ten wants to go to 24 teams and add more autobids, with one proposal giving every Power Four conference four automatic spots in the playoff. 

While I don’t think expanding to 24 teams is good or necessary for college football, it’s inarguably the best thing for the Big 12 if it really is a format with four autobids. Getting that much playoff access without having to take fewer autobids than the SEC and Big Ten feels almost too good to be true, which is why it probably never happens.

Adding four at-large bids like the SEC wants could have helped the Big 12 last year. BYU finished as the next-to-last team out. If the Big 12 has three teams in the top 15 again, it could theoretically even have three teams in the field.

But I’m skeptical the committee would’ve kept BYU at No. 12 last year if it meant a guaranteed playoff spot. I’m old enough to remember TCU getting moved from No. 3 to No. 6 in the final 2014 rankings after beating Iowa State by 52 points.

My gut tells me the extra four at-large bids would be gobbled up by Big Ten and SEC teams virtually every year. 

The real question is where this stalemate between the Big Ten and SEC ultimately leads. Both sides seem dug in and unwilling to budge.

The Big Ten has plenty of leverage right now. It has won three straight national championships, while the SEC hasn’t even made the title game the last three seasons. Why should Tony Petitti feel like he needs to bow at the altar of the SEC?

Meanwhile, the SEC is, well, the SEC. Twenty years of mostly earned arrogance isn’t going to go away quickly.

CBS Sports reports the SEC could still threaten to break off and create its own playoff, and even only play conference games, if it can’t make any progress with the Big Ten. That seems like bad business for everybody, but when has that ever stopped college sports leaders?

For now, the Big 12 needs to take the small wins and hold on for the ride. The Big Ten and SEC still hold all of the cards, and nobody knows exactly what to make of their current standoff.

What You Need to Know

• If you missed BYU star AJ Dyantsa’s 43-point game, you can see all of his highlights right here. 

• You have to check out the Houston-Texas Tech highlights from Saturday, too. Cougars freshman Kingston Flemmings dropped 42 in a losing effort, and Tech star JT Toppin had 31 and 12. 

• It’s going to be another excellent week of Big 12 hoops. Here’s a primer for #1 Arizona at #13 BYU tonight in Provo. 

• College Gameday will be on a Big 12 campus for a second straight week. Here’s where the crew is heading on Saturday.

• A top-five high school recruit in the class of 2026 is currently visiting BYU. 

• Deion Sanders and Colorado announced they’ll be issuing fines to players this year for specific misconduct issues. Here’s the full list. 

• Utah pulled its new football general manager from one of the most tradition-rich programs in the country. 

• Kansas wasn’t shy about celebrating a 24-point win over K-State in Manhattan. Here’s footage of the wild celebration in the locker room. 

• K-State basketball has a big Jerome Tang problem. Here’s my full breakdown of the impossible situation the Wildcats find themselves in. 

Enjoying Open For Business? It would mean the world to me if you could share the newsletter with three of your friends who want Big 12 news without SEC or Big Ten bias. Tell them to sign up at OFBNews.com and get started today!