AUSTIN, Texas — It doesn't even feel real to say, but there is still a way Texas Longhorns could play for the Big 12 Championship in 2020.
Here's why that is still a possibility.
According to Big 12 officials, if either Oklahoma or Iowa State were unable to play in the game because of COVID-19 issues, the conference would find a replacement team for the game, KVUE's media partners with the Austin American-Statesman confirmed.
UT is currently third in the Big 12 rankings due to the conference's unbalanced tiebreaker rules. Texas (5-3 in Big 12) takes the No. 3 spot over Oklahoma State (6-3 in Big 12) because of its head-to-head win over the Cowboys and since both teams have three conference losses.
Texas, however, has been dealing with its own coronavirus issues as of late. The team's game against Kansas, which was rescheduled to Dec. 12 after the Jayhawks had an outbreak in the middle of the season, was canceled last weekend after the Longhorns experienced an outbreak of their own following a win against Kansas State.
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The Kansas game cancellation is the reason why Texas has one less conference game than Oklahoma State does. The Cowboys were able to play all nine opponents in the Big 12 this season.
Should no coronavirus-related news come out of the programs in Norman or Ames, Texas' next game would then be whichever bowl game it's selected to. Otherwise, Iowa State and Oklahoma are slated to kick off at 11 a.m. in the conference title game on Saturday, Dec. 19.
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