An expanded College Football Playoff is closer to being a reality and, with that, a West Virginia national championship.
It’s not a guarantee by any means, but the 12-team CFP that has been proposed in recent weeks would, in theory, make it much harder to have the same teams winning it all year after year in college football. For a program like West Virginia, which has never really been a consistent national championship contender, such a change is huge.
The CFP’s Board of Managers approved a study of moving from four teams to 12 earlier this month, allowing a deeper pool of contenders. It would work like this: the four highest-ranked conference champions would be awarded seeds 1-4, as well as byes during the first week. The remaining eight sports would go to the next two highest-ranked conference champions, as well as six at-large bids.
Since the College Football Playoff began with the 2014 season, West Virginia has never entered bowl season ranked in the top 12, let alone in the top four. On paper, it seems as if the Mountaineers would not really benefit from the expansion at all.
However, when looking at history, this could easily change. Since 2010, the Big 12 Conference has seen roughly two member teams ranked in the top 12 of the final AP Poll or, at the very least, a handful of teams within striking distance of that No. 12 spot. And while that poll comes at the conclusion of bowl season, for a team to finish that high they must have had some recent success in the first place.
Big 12 Teams in Final AP Rankings Since 2010
However, when looking at history, this could easily change. Since 2010, the Big 12 Conference has seen roughly two member teams ranked in the top 12 of the final AP Poll or, at the very least, a handful of teams within striking distance of that No. 12 spot. And while that poll comes at the conclusion of bowl season, for a team to finish that high they must have had some recent success in the first place.
We can also see that, barring a catastrophe of a season within the conference, both participants in the Big 12 Championship game would likely be among the top 12 teams. Again, this has proven to be a challenge for the Mountaineers, who have never finished higher than third in conference since joining the Big 12 in 2012.
So, does West Virginia benefit from a 12 team playoff? The answer: who really knows. History says no, but the team’s steady improvement, and an expanded playoff, could make the Mountaineers a player on the national stage sooner rather than later.
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