The Big XII has always been seen as a Power Football Conference. Until recently, that was enough. Everyone knew the SEC was dominant, and after that, nobody really cared whether the Big XII or Pac 12 had more teams ranked or if the ACC had more bowl-eligible teams than the Big 10.
Everything has changed in the last few years.
Ever since Texas and Oklahoma announced they were departing for the SEC, there has been a power grab to get conferences in the best position possible to secure their own well-being. We’ve seen the historic Pac 12 crumble and fall apart in a matter of weeks. The AAC and CUSA conferences have been picked apart so badly that they barely resemble G5 conferences anymore.
In other words, nobody outside of the Big 10 and SEC feels safe.
Everything is a Competition for the Big XII
In the world of social media and overreactions, many look for any upper hand or advantage when securing power or merit. This includes National Signing Day. Yes, it is “Early National Signing Day,” but let’s be honest: all the big names sign today and enroll early for school in January, so let’s just call it what it is.
How did the Big XII fare? While it is impossible to say for certain with the day not over yet, for the most part, we can piece together whether this was a win, loss, or draw for the Big XII.
*All rankings are being considered based off of 247 Sports.
Case for a Win
Both the Big XII and ACC can claim a big win as being in a league of their own when it comes to competing against non-P4 teams. Only USF (48th) cracked the Top 50 in recruiting rankings, and the next team was Tulsa at 62. This shows a clear line between the Big XII and ACC and any G5 conference.
Another case for a Big XII win is how well they did overall. The lowest-ranked team in the Big XII is Houston, which at the moment (1:00 EST) sits at 71 and rises every time I check. The ranking puts the Cougars ahead of Virginia, SMU and Boston College. Sure, that’s nothing to hang a banner for, but it shows that, at least when it comes to recruiting, the Big XII is stronger at the bottom than the ACC.
Finally, Colorado is suffering because of how the metrics are read. The Buffs only have nine players currently signing but are bringing in a transfer class that already includes nine 4-stars. If you throw those players into the equation, Colorado is a Top 20 program.
Case for a Loss
Currently, Texas Tech is the highest-ranked team, sitting at 22nd. TCU and UCF follow at 31st and 32nd. That isn’t a great look, especially when Florida State, Miami, and Clemson are all in the Top 15.
Another case for a loss is that the entire SEC is ranked higher than 13 of the Big XII squads. Ouch. The Big 10 has 14 teams in before the Big XII’s fourth team.
Finally, the median ACC school (school in the middle) sits ranked at 40th, while the Big XII’s sits at 51st.
Verdict
Overall, I got the impression today that the P4 is closer to breaking off from the rest of college football than ever before. While the Power Conferences have always dominated in recruiting, this year in particular, feels like a story of two leagues.
Also, it’s a good thing that games are decided on the field and not on recruiting rankings. Otherwise, one may argue Vanderbilt would be a strong candidate to make the Big XII title game if they joined the league.
Overall, it was a big win regarding being a clear Power Conference. As far as being on the same level as the ACC, at least in this single comparison, it has to go down as a loss.