Colonel_Reb
Hall of Famer
<div>PHOENIX (AP) - Big 12 coaches have rejected a proposal to change
the controversial tiebreaker that gave Oklahoma the nod over Texas in
the three-way tie in the Big 12 South last season.
Meeting at a resort on Wednesday, they voted to keep the Bowl
Championship Series standings as the method to break ties between more
than two teams. Under that rule, the Sooners edged the Longhorns by 13
thousandths of a point in December.</div>
The coaches had considered
adopting a three-team tiebreaker that would eliminate the lowest-ranked
team in the BCS standings, then go to the head-to-head result of the
remaining two teams. If that had been in place last year, Texas Tech
would have been eliminated, and Texas would have emerged as the
division champion because it had defeated Oklahoma.
"The
tiebreaker system we had was felt, by the majority of coaches, to be
appropriate to what we want to accomplish," commissioner Dan Beebe
said. "There's risks in either one. We had one risk last year."
The coaches' recommendation will go to Big 12 athletic directors, who may still change the tiebreaker.
Beebe
said the coaches decided to stick with the BCS standings as a
tiebreaker because of the national title implications. Under the
rejected tiebreaker, it's possible that a fifth-ranked team could earn
the nod because of a victory over a team ranked No. 1 or 2 - and that
might cost the Big 12 a shot at the national title.
"The motive
is to give the best chance for a team to play in the national
championship," Beebe said. "Obviously, we had a scenario (in 2008),
hopefully we'll never have that again."
Last fall, the wild Big 12 South ended in a three-way tie between Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech.
Oklahoma
defeated Texas Tech, which defeated Texas, which defeated Oklahoma,
leaving all three teams with a claim to the division crown.
It came down to the fifth tiebreaker, and Oklahoma won out, earning a berth in the Big 12 championship game against Missouri.
Oklahoma
finished a single point ahead of Texas in the USA Today coaches' poll
and six points behind the Longhorns in the Harris Poll. That left it to
the computer ratings, and the Sooners came out on top in four of the
six.
The Sooners beat the Tigers for the Big 12 title and went on to play Florida in the BCS national championship game.
Texas was left playing Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. [url]http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/9545922/Big-12-coaches-vo te-to-keep-tiebreaker?FSO2&ATT=MA [/url]
the controversial tiebreaker that gave Oklahoma the nod over Texas in
the three-way tie in the Big 12 South last season.
Meeting at a resort on Wednesday, they voted to keep the Bowl
Championship Series standings as the method to break ties between more
than two teams. Under that rule, the Sooners edged the Longhorns by 13
thousandths of a point in December.</div>
The coaches had considered
adopting a three-team tiebreaker that would eliminate the lowest-ranked
team in the BCS standings, then go to the head-to-head result of the
remaining two teams. If that had been in place last year, Texas Tech
would have been eliminated, and Texas would have emerged as the
division champion because it had defeated Oklahoma.
"The
tiebreaker system we had was felt, by the majority of coaches, to be
appropriate to what we want to accomplish," commissioner Dan Beebe
said. "There's risks in either one. We had one risk last year."
The coaches' recommendation will go to Big 12 athletic directors, who may still change the tiebreaker.
Beebe
said the coaches decided to stick with the BCS standings as a
tiebreaker because of the national title implications. Under the
rejected tiebreaker, it's possible that a fifth-ranked team could earn
the nod because of a victory over a team ranked No. 1 or 2 - and that
might cost the Big 12 a shot at the national title.
"The motive
is to give the best chance for a team to play in the national
championship," Beebe said. "Obviously, we had a scenario (in 2008),
hopefully we'll never have that again."
Last fall, the wild Big 12 South ended in a three-way tie between Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech.
Oklahoma
defeated Texas Tech, which defeated Texas, which defeated Oklahoma,
leaving all three teams with a claim to the division crown.
It came down to the fifth tiebreaker, and Oklahoma won out, earning a berth in the Big 12 championship game against Missouri.
Oklahoma
finished a single point ahead of Texas in the USA Today coaches' poll
and six points behind the Longhorns in the Harris Poll. That left it to
the computer ratings, and the Sooners came out on top in four of the
six.
The Sooners beat the Tigers for the Big 12 title and went on to play Florida in the BCS national championship game.
Texas was left playing Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. [url]http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/9545922/Big-12-coaches-vo te-to-keep-tiebreaker?FSO2&ATT=MA [/url]