Mussatto: Big 12 was right to change tiebreaker, but good luck quieting the conspiracies
NORMAN — The Big 12 fumbled.
The conference fumbled in writing its tiebreaker rule in August, and then it fumbled Wednesday in pretending no mistake was made.
Wrongs have been righted and rights have been wronged, but at least now the rule is written logically. Head-to-head wins take precedent. If three teams finish in a tie, like OSU, OU and Kansas State might, “the tied team that defeated each of the other tied teams earns the championship berth,” a Big 12 spokesperson confirmed Wednesday.
OSU beat OU and Kansas State. It’s only right that the Cowboys should win that tiebreaker.
Then the conference made itself look silly. Again: “There have been no changes to any rules regarding the Big 12 football tiebreaker procedures, which were agreed upon prior to the season and went into effect August of 2023,” the Big 12 said.
A change was made. A big change. A much-needed change.
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Originally, the rule was written like this: “If not, every tied team has played each other, go to Step 2.”
Forget the rogue comma. What the sentence meant — at least what it meant as written — is that if not all tied teams played each other, we go to the next tiebreaker. And because OU and Kansas State didn’t play each other, OSU’s victories against OU and K-State were basically voided.
See, it made no sense.
By waiting until mid-November to rectify the rule, the conference poured gasoline on a Sooner conspiracy theory that’s spreading like wildfire.
In a matter of days we went from OSU potentially getting screwed, to some OU fans, already convinced of a Big 12 deep state, feeling doubly screwed in their SEC sendoff season.
And Sooner fans, I don’t really blame you. Because if you already believed Big 12 officials were bad actors, this late-season rule change only adds to your argument.
But heed the words of Brent Venables, who was asked Tuesday if he thinks the Sooners are getting unfavorable whistles.
“I don’t believe in conspiracies,” the OU football coach said.
That was before tiebreaker gate, but it still applies.
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There is no conspiracy against OU. There is no conspiracy against Texas. If the Big 12 can’t write clear tiebreaker rules, is it capable of carrying out a season-long plot against the SEC-bound Sooners and Longhorns?
If Brett Yormark and Co. meet again next week to rewrite the rules once more, I’ll be a believer in the sinister scheme. But this is nothing more than the Big 12 trying to erase its mistake.
I get it, a rule change like this wouldn’t fly in a fantasy football league or a family game night. You don’t change the rules in the middle of the game.
But this rule change doesn’t alter any team’s strategy, either looking back or moving forward. Everyone is trying to win just the same, and every team still has two games to play.
Heck, maybe the Sooners and Cowboys will both make it to Arlington for a Bedlam rematch, anyway. Or maybe neither OU or OSU qualifies for the conference championship game.
Maybe, hopefully, this whole thing won’t matter.
If it does, the Big 12 only has itself to blame.
The league did the right thing Wednesday, but only after fumbling. Twice.
Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at jmussatto@oklahoman.com. Support Joe's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Big 12 was right to change tiebreaker, but timing fuels conspiracies
