DALLAS -- The Big 12 is right to be smart and calculating.
That was the general message from College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock during Day 2 of Big 12 media days Tuesday.
The Big 12 was the lone Power 5 conference without a team in the CFB Playoff following the 2014 season, which sparked discussion about adding a conference championship game following Ohio State's rise to the No. 4 ranking and last playoff position after winning the Big Ten championship game.
"One year doesn't make a trend," Hancock said. "I think the Big 12 is smart to sit back and wait. I think they're smart to be deliberate and thoughtful about this."
On Monday, Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said he had discussions with Jeff Long and representatives of the CFB Playoff about the extra game the Buckeyes played, which helped earn them a spot in the playoff bracket. He was told "13 is better than 12," meaning Big 12 teams could be at a disadvantage with only 12 regular-season games to play as opposed to the rest of the Power 5 conference teams, which can play 13 games with a championship game appearance.
"There's no question Ohio State benefited from getting the chance to play another game against a quality opponent, it enhanced their résumé," Hancock said.
However, Hancock pointed out how close the Big 12 was to looking like the belle of the ball instead of finding itself locked out of the party. Baylor and TCU finished ranked No. 5 and No. 6 in the final CFP rankings, narrowly missing the opportunity to play in the national championship decider.
"You have to remember the risk of conference championship games," he said. "If two of those games had come out differently, the Big 12 could have had two teams in the playoff, and they would have looked like a room full of geniuses at this point."
Ohio State, which finished No. 4, and Florida State, which finished No. 3, won title games on Championship Saturday that helped secure their berths in the playoff.
From 1996 to 2010, when the conference featured 12 teams and played a title games each season, the Big 12 saw several top teams fall to underdogs in title games, including 1998 (when No. 2 Kansas State lost to Texas A&M) and 2007 (when Oklahoma knocked off No. 1 Missouri). Those losses meant dreams of a BCS title game berths were ended by an upset loss in the Big 12 title game.
"This risk from conference championship games is significant," Hancock said. "Nobody knows that better than the Big 12."