Will Big 12 Earn Multiple CFP Bids Behind Arizona State?

Arizona State is entering the 2025 college football season as the presumed favorites to win the Big 12 once again - but they are not 'shoe ins' to actually accomplish the feat.

That begs the question - is there a path for the Sun Devils to make the College Football Playoff as an at-large selection?

CBS Sports analyst Shehan Jeyarajah explored if the league truly has the ability to do what hasn't been done since the inception of the tournament in 2014.

More on the discussion surrounding the potential for the conference to boast more than one team in the CFP:

"Last season, Arizona State was picked No. 16 in the Big 12 preseason media poll. It went on to win the league. After the whiff, the league decided to get rid of the poll entirely because coaches felt it negatively impacted perception of their members, and ultimately nudged Arizona State and BYU down the rankings. Oklahoma State and Utah's massively disappointing seasons also ended up being a black mark against the conference."

"We can quibble about whether the preseason poll mattered more than Arizona State losing to Texas Tech and Cincinnati early, but the league should be positioned better in 2025 regardless. In a composite of six media-created offseason rankings, both No. 11 Arizona State and No. 12 BYU are projected on the door of the College Football Playoff."

There are some reservations when it comes to the conference actually receiving two bids - among those are the precedent set by the league and the conference schedule structure.

"Additionally, the nine-game conference schedule makes producing multiple one-loss teams more difficult. The Big 12 also needs a little more luck than last season, when injuries doomed top contenders Arizona State and Iowa State in tight losses to inferior opponents. The schedule just needs to fall right."

The overall strength of the conference creates scenarios where teams such as Texas Tech, Baylor, and others can join the Sun Devils as playoff squads, while it could also serve as a detriment - if the great teams continue to beat each other in cycles.

Read more on Sam Leavitt being named the preseason Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year here, as well as Leavitt, Jordyn Tyson, C.J. Fite, Xavion Alford, and Ben Coleman being named to preseason All-Big 12 honors prior to the appearance at conference Media Days here.

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