Big 12 Ends Preseason Football Poll Citing CFP Distrust, Arizona State Impact

Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti has openly advocated for a College Football Playoff format that heavily favors the Big Ten, proposing a 16-team playoff with 13 automatic bids, including four guaranteed for both the Big Ten and SEC, which critics argue is self-serving. Meanwhile, the Big 12, influenced by last season's inaccurate preseason poll that ranked Arizona State last despite their eventual conference championship and playoff appearance, has eliminated its preseason football poll to avoid disadvantaging teams in postseason seeding. Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark emphasized that due to roster changes and the transfer portal, preseason polls have little value and may misrepresent team strength, a view shared by the Big Ten as it has also ceased releasing preseason polls. The removal of preseason polls in football by these two conferences highlights growing skepticism about their accuracy and impact, though preseason polls in other sports remain unchanged. This shift reflects broader concerns about fairness and transparency in college football's playoff selection process amid conference-driven playoff format proposals.