Pete Thamel: Big 12 needs to win 'marquee' 2024 non-conference games for CFP relevancy

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark talked up the league on Tuesday at Big 12 Media Days, stating that the Big 12 will “be the deepest conference in America” this season.

However, if the Big 12 is going to truly be considered one of the best conferences in college football in 2024, its teams are going to have to perform well on the field.

With Texas and Oklahoma leaving for the SEC this offseason, the perception of the Big 12 has taken a hit. ESPN’s Pete Thamel appeared on College Football Live on Tuesday and revealed some out of conference games that could help improve the way the league is viewed.

“Talking to coaches here today and Big 12 officials, at the Raiders stadium they channeled Al Davis — just win, baby,” Pete Thamel said. “They need to win marquee non-league games. West Virginia needs to beat Penn State in the opening weekend. Colorado needs to go make a great showing at Nebraska in September.”

Getting those two wins would be huge for the league, although there is one out-of-conference game that could hurt the league no matter the result.

Kansas State and Arizona face off in Week 3 in a non-conference game that has been scheduled for some time. The two Wildcats are both being mentioned as contenders in the Big 12 as the season gets underway.

“One thing to watch, and one thing officials told me they had some hesitation about, is Kansas State hosts Arizona in Week 3 in a non-league game. It had been scheduled years in advance when they were in different leagues,” Thamel said. “You have to wonder if that, with those teams being contenders for the College Football Playoff, if that non-league matchup given one of their contenders an extra loss, comes back to bite the Big 12 at the end of the year.”

Speaking of the College Football Playoff, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham believes the Big 12 will be judged more by what happens in the postseason than during the regular season.

“Well, I think when you get to the playoff, win,” Whittingham said of how to help the league’s reputation. “You can’t just get there, you want to get there and show up and be very competitive. I think that really will be the key is how we fare when we do get to the playoff — what can we accomplish.”

Big 12 Media Days got underway on Tuesday and will continue with Day 2 on Wednesday.