15 November 2023
MANHATTAN (KSNT) – Wildcat fans have questions about the Big 12 conference’s tiebreaking policy for football.
The conference rules for a multiple-team tiebreaker states: “If not every tied team has played each other, go to step two.”
However, it appears the league is opting not to enforce the tiebreaker in this way, if K-State ends up tied with Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
KSNT reported this controversy Tuesday night, click here for the full story.
A Big 12 spokeswoman sent 27 News the following statement on Wednesday:
Regarding Step 1 of Multiple-Team Ties in Conference Tiebreaker Procedure: in the event of a multiple-team tie, head-to-head wins takes precedence. If all the tied teams are not common opponents, the tied team that defeated each of the other tied teams earns the Championship berth. There have been no changes to any rules regarding Big 12 Football tiebreaker procedures, which were agreed upon prior to the season and went into effect August of 2023.
Statement from Big 12 spokeswoman sent to 27 News
The new enforcement plan would give Oklahoma State the tiebreaker, if it was tied with K-State and OU, since the Cowboys beat both those teams head-to-head. Previously, K-State would’ve had a potential edge due to wins against shared opponents between the three.