For the first two decades of the Big 12’s existence, not a single former quarterback from the conference won an NFL playoff game.
No, that’s not a typo. When Texas Tech product Patrick Mahomes earned his first (of many) postseason victories in January 2019 with the Kansas City Chiefs, it was the first such triumph for any league QB since the Big 8 and Southwestern Conferences merged in 1996.
Much has changed in the five years since Mahomes finally ended the drought. Big 12 quarterbacks haven’t just won in the playoffs, they’ve become inescapable, culminating with Mahomes and Iowa State alum Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers set to meet in the Super Bowl on Feb. 11.
Since the 2018-19 playoffs, Big 12 quarterbacks have gone a combined 24-16 in NFL postseason action, winning more than any other crop of conference QBs.
Additionally, the Big 12 has seen nine of its previous passers start playoff contests over the same span, more than any other league over the same stretch.
Even without Mahomes, arguably the most dominant postseason QB of his generation, the conference still has 10 QB playoff wins, more than the Pac-12 (eight), ACC (seven) or Mountain West (six).
The forthcoming Mahomes-Purdy Super Bowl matchup isn’t just a standard Big 12 quarterback clash — it’s the second consecutive such occasion, as Mahomes bested Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts in 38-35 fashion just a year ago when the Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles.
Just five years ago, the Big 12 had no quarterback playoff glory to speak of. Now, the league has had a QB monopoly on the two most recent Super Bowls. Talk about a breakthrough.
Aside from Mahomes, Purdy, and Hurts, Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma) and Ryan Tannehill (Texas A&M, a Big 12 member during his career) each have a pair of playoff wins under their respective belts in the past five years, with Mayfield even snapping a 26-year postseason futility streak in Cleveland in 2020.
Other former Big 12 quarterbacks to start playoff games since 2019 are Kyler Murray (Oklahoma, Arizona Cardinals), Geno Smith (West Virginia, Seattle Seahawks), Skylar Thompson (Kansas State, Miami Dolphins) and Mason Rudolph (Oklahoma State, Pittsburgh Steelers), with all having been held winless thus far.
Long story short — no matter what happens in Las Vegas at this year’s Super Bowl, the Big 12 just can’t lose.