Barry Switzer on Big 12 Championship: “If Oklahoma loses, they threw away $35 million for the conference”

Oklahoma Sooner’s legendary coach Barry Switzer has never been shy about sharing his views on many different topics. He recently expressed frustration with an unnecessary Big 12 championship game, and even went so far to say, “If Oklahoma loses, they threw away $35 million for the Big 12 conference.”

That’s the payout amount Oklahoma stands to make by advancing to the College Football Playoff and winning a national championship.

In prior years, the Big 12 Conference gave a title to the best regular season team but returns to playing a championship game for the first time in six years on Saturday. The decision makers at the Big 12 called for changes to avoid possible Playoff snubs in the future after both Baylor and TCU were omitted in 2014.

Switzer believes the Big 12’s current format only helps lesser schools and needs to be reverted.

“I worry about having to play a game. It’s stupid. Everything to lose and nothing to gain for Oklahoma. We won a championship outright and beat everybody in the league except for Iowa State. Everybody else in the conference had two losses. We’re the champion of the Big 12 and our president’s made a stupid mistake a couple years ago because Baylor and TCU. Two church school that didn’t have a chance to get into the final four. Neither would’ve had a playoff game because they’d invite a power school. They didn’t have a tradition or reputation, and what got them there was talent, even though it didn’t get them anywhere.”

“It’s dumb where you play in a conference that you play everybody and have a championship game. Because you think you needed to get in the final four? Just take care of business and go out and kick everybody’s butt during the regular season. And you’re the champion. You only lose one game or go undefeated and Oklahoma will be in the national championship— Or Texas would be— But the rest of these church schools and private schools probably wouldn’t.”

Oklahoma plays TCU in the Big 12 Championship on Saturday (12:30 p.m. ET on FOX). A rematch from Week 11 where Baker Mayfield and the Sooners dominated the Horned Frogs by a score of 38-20.