FWST: Big 12 coaches cling to CFP hopes despite league’s struggles

Big 12 teams head into Week Four contests with a combined 15-11 mark in nonconference play. That is significantly lower than the success rates in other Power 5 leagues, where the combined records include: Big Ten (26-8), ACC (23-9), SEC (23-9) and Pac-12 (21-7).

The slow start cannot be good for Big 12 teams when it comes to College Football Playoff implications, with only No. 16 Baylor (3-0) and West Virginia (2-0) still undefeated at this point. But league coaches have yet to concede anything on the playoff front in mid-September.

“I hope it’s too early to figure it out,” said Baylor coach Jim Grobe, whose team opens league play Saturday against Oklahoma State (2-1) in Waco. “A few teams have started sluggishly and we are no different. I hope as the year goes along, we’ll get better and better.”