DALLAS — During his presentation at the 2016 Big 12 Media Days, Bill Hancock, the executive director for the College Football Playoff, said that the Big 12's returning championship game will help the conference when it comes time for the playoff committee to select teams.
It didn't take long for those three magic words to come up either: 13th data point.
Hancock addressed whether or not the Big 12 playing a championship game, a thirteenth game, would make things easier on the selection committee when deciding on including a Big 12 champion in the postseason.
"It won't make things any easier," he said. "But the Big 12 will benefit from its champion having played another game against a quality opponent."
Hancock said that extra game is something that has been "missing" from the Big 12's resume.
"That's one other game against a good team and now they will have that with the championship game," he said.
Hancock also spent time propping up the College Football Playoff, now in its third year of existence, and revealing that both public interest in the regular season and public support for the selection committee have grown since the CFP first began.
He also acknowledged that the New Years Eve games could be finding a new home in the future.
"Obviously the viewership last year for the semifinal was not what we wanted," Hancock said. "So we are evaluating whether New Year's Eve on a weekday is the best day for the semifinals."
