Big 12 virtually guaranteed CFP berth after Tulane's loss

Tulane Green Wave head coach Jon Sumrall, right, greets Memphis Tigers head coach Ryan Silverfield before the start of the game at Yulman Stadium. Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Big 12 virtually guaranteed CFP berth with No. 17 Tulane's loss to Memphis

By Austen Bundy | Last updated Nov 28, 2024 10:43 PM ET

The College Football Playoff is still three weeks away, but the 12-team bracket is a lot clearer now than it was on Tuesday when the latest rankings were released.

No. 17 Tulane (9-3) lost its regular-season finale 34-24 to Memphis (10-2) on Thursday, effectively ending the American Athletic Conference's narrow bid to the playoff.

The Green Wave will travel to West Point to take on Army (9-1) for the conference championship game, but had it been victorious, it would've hosted with an opportunity to potentially leapfrog its way into the bracket.

The CFP guarantees the five highest-ranked conference champions automatic berths into the tournament with no stipulation that the power conferences must be included.

With the Big 12 still having a mathematic possibility for its champion to have three or more losses, the committee would be well within its rights to exclude them for a two-loss Group of Five champion like Tulane could've been.

However, with Thursday's result, the Big 12 has virtually guaranteed its spot in the 12-team field.

Of course, in the wackiest of possible scenarios, a five-loss West Virginia wouldn't conceivably be ranked ahead of a three or fewer-loss Group of Five champion.

That would mean the Big 12 would have to send a representative of either No. 16 Arizona State (9-2), No. 18 Iowa State (9-2) or No. 19 BYU (9-2) to avoid the nightmare scenario.

Saturday's action will be the ultimate judge of how final Tulane's stumble will be for the rest of the playoff, but a lot will have to go the Green Wave's way for any semblance of hope to return.

Austen Bundy

Austen Bundy is a journalist and sports junkie from the Washington, D. C. area

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