The Big 12 is a fun league, but let's be real about the playoff structure and the recruiting trail. The SEC and Big Ten are separating themselves with revenue and, more importantly, elite talent acquisition. You don't crash a party with three-star croots. Look at the 247 composite team rankings year after year. The top ten is dominated by our league and the Big Ten for a reason. Those programs are stacking five-stars and developing them. The Big 12's best teams are built through the portal, which is a great tool, but that's a year-to-year patch, not a sustainable model to consistently compete for national titles. When the playoff expands, sure, they'll get a spot, but "crashing the party" implies being a real threat to win it all. I don't see a progrram in that conference right now with the roster construction or the NIL war chest to go through multiple SEC/Big Ten heavyweights in consecutive weeks. Their champion will be a welcome participant, but the real contenders are coming from here. The recruiting rankings don't lie, and the talent gap is only getting wider.
