ABC/ESPN+:Joe Tessitore (play-by-play), Jesse Palmer (analyst), and Katie George (sideline reporter) ESPN Radio: Mike Couzens (play-by-play), Max Starks (analyst), and Mike Peasley (sideline reporter)
With the addition of four new teams, bring the conference total to sixteen total, the conference created new tiebreaking scenarios due to conference teams have imbalanced schedules.
Two-team tiebreaker
1. The tied teams will be compared based on their head-to-head record during the season.
2. The tied teams will be compared based on win percentage against all common conference opponents.
3. The tied teams will be compared based on win percentage against the next highest-placed common opponent in the standings (based on the record in all games played within the Conference) proceeding through the standings.
4. The tied teams will be compared based on combined win percentage in conference games of conference opponents.
5. The tied teams will be compared based on total number of wins in a 12-game season.
6. The representative will be chosen based on highest ranking by SportSource Analytics (team rating score metric) following the last weekend of regular-season games.
7. The representative will be chosen by a coin toss. [2]
Multiple-team tiebreaker
1. The records of the three (or more) tied teams will be compared based on winning percentage in games among the tied teams:
A. If all teams involved in the tie did not play each other, but one team defeated all other teams involved in the tie, the team that defeated all other teams in the tie is removed from the tiebreaker, and the remaining teams revert to the beginning of the applicable tiebreaker process (i.e., two team or three or more team tie).
B. If all teams involved in the tie did not play each other and no team defeated all other teams involved in the tie, move to the next step in tiebreaker.
2. The records of the three (or more) tied teams will be compared based on winning percentage against all common conference opponents played by all other teams involved in the tie.
3. Record of the three (or more) tied teams against the next highest placed common opponent in the standings (based on the record in all games played within the conference), proceeding through the standings. When arriving at another group of tied teams while comparing records, use each team’s win percentage against the collective tied teams as a group (prior to that group’s own tie-breaking procedure) rather than the performance against individual tied teams.
4. Record of the three (or more) tied teams based on combined win percentage in conference games of conference opponents (i.e., strength of conference schedule)
5. Total number of wins in a 12-game season. The following conditions will apply to the calculation of the total number of wins: Only one win against a team from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision or lower division will be counted annually. Any games that are exempted from counting against the annual maximum number of football contests per NCAA rules. (Current Bylaw 17.10.5.2.1) shall not be included.
6. Highest ranking by SportSource Analytics (team Rating Score metric) following the last weekend of regular-season games.
7. Coin toss [3]
Implementing the tiebreakers
As there were four teams tied for the best record in the conference, the "Multiple-team tiebreaker" was used. No team had defeated or lost to the other three, so step 1 was skipped. On step 2, the teams were assessed on their records against common opponents: Kansas, Kansas State, UCF, and Utah. Arizona State was 4-0, BYU 3-1, Iowa State 3-1, and Colorado 2-2 against those four teams, so Arizona State received the #1 seed.
The tiebreaker then reset to determine the #2 seed from the other three teams. Again, record against common opponents was used, with Baylor joining the four teams listed above. As all three teams had beaten Baylor, BYU and Iowa State were still ahead of Colorado, which was eliminated. BYU and Iowa State proceeded to the two-team tiebreaker, and since they had the same results against each common opponent, steps 2 and 3 were indecisive. Step 4, assessing Big 12 strength of schedule, resolved the tie in favor of Iowa State: Iowa State's opponents had a combined record of 36-45 within the conference, while BYU's had a record of 31-50.
This will be first time that Iowa State and Arizona State have ever played each other.[4]
Iowa State
After being picked to finish sixth in the preseason polls, Iowa State jumped out to their best start in progam history by winning their first seven games. They stumbled a bit with losses to Texas Tech and Kansas to fall out of the polls but rebounded with three straight wins to close out the season, punctuated by a win over Kansas State in the annual "Farmageddon" that combined with a BYU victory clinched a spot for Iowa State. This is their first Big 12 Championship appearance since 2020; Iowa State is looking for their first conference championship since 1912, the longest drought in FBS history.
Arizona State
In their first season as a Big 12 member, Arizona State was projected by media members to finish last. They won just two of their first four conference games before jumping on to a five-game winning streak (with one over 14th-ranked BYU) to close out the season, punctuated by a win over Arizona to clinch their spot. This is Arizona State's first conference championship game appearance since the 2013 Pac-12 Football Championship Game; the Sun Devils are looking for their first conference championship since 2007 and first outright title since 1996.
Game summary
Scoring summary
2024 Big 12 Championship Game No. 15 Arizona State Sun Devils (10–2, 7–2) vs. No. 16 Iowa State Cyclones (10–2, 7–2)
