Big 12 Puts Conference Championship Game on Hold, Implements New Tiebreaker

The Big 12 doesn't have a conference title game in football, and that won't change for the time being.

Conference commissioner Bob Bowlsby spoke to the media Tuesday about putting talks of adding a championship contest on hold, per ESPN.com's Max Olson:

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I really have been proud of our athletic directors because they chose to respond to not being in the playoff rather than react. I think they've been very thoughtful about it and continue to be thoughtful about it. We all believe that one year is not a long enough window or trial to draw any conclusions. We may find ourselves in better shape than some other conferences as a result of our model, not in spite of our model.

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Fox Sports' Stewart Mandel weighed in on what he took away from Bowlsby's press conference:

Bowlsby refers to the College Football Playoff and how some perceived the lack of a Big 12 championship game as a detriment. Those with that line of thinking have to include TCU and Baylor, who were in contention for the top four in the country but couldn't prove themselves on championship weekend.

Instead, as Max Olson of ESPN and Andy Staples of Sports Illustrated reported on Wednesday, a new Big 12 tiebreaker has been put into place:

Solomon provided more from Bowlsby, who spoke about the tiebreaker:

Horned Frogs and Bears fans watched Ohio State smash Wisconsin 59-0 in the Big Ten title clash, secure the fourth and final playoff berth and go on to win the national championship.

Bomani Jones of ESPN offered his opinion on the situation:

Baylor lost quarterback Bryce Petty to the NFL, but TCU will welcome back incumbent signal-caller Trevone Boykin. The legitimate Heisman Trophy contender gives the Horned Frogs an inside track to a potential playoff spot.

All of the other Power Five conferences have one last opportunity to strengthen a postseason resume. Since the Big 12 missed out in a big way in the inaugural College Football Playoff, perhaps momentum for a change will gain steam if 2015 plays out similarly.

Outside pressure evidently caused the Big 12 to at least consider the possibility of a championship game as more of a pertinent priority. It seems those discussions will be placed on the back burner for the foreseeable future.