Big 12 football teams hoping 2016 would be the last year they would have to face Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield could be in for a disappointment.
The Big 12's faculty representatives will consider a rule proposal next week at league meetings that, if approved, would give Mayfield back a year of eligibility he lost in transferring from Texas Tech to Oklahoma, per The Dallas Morning News.
Mayfield, a senior at Oklahoma, was a walk-on at Texas Tech before leaving the Red Raiders for OU, and under conference rules, he lost a year of eligibility in the transfer. The rule change would allow walk-ons like Mayfield -- he has since been placed on scholarship at OU -- to transfer within the conference without being penalized. Naturally, Sooners athletic director Joe Castiglione said he is in favor of the proposal, which would allow Mayfield to return for OU in 2017 if he chose to.
Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby pointed out that the rule as it stands forces players like Mayfield, if they want to continue playing as a fifth-year senior at the college level, to transfer out of the Big 12 to do so.
Mayfield was the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year in 2013 at Texas Tech, passing for 2,315 yards in just seven starts for the Red Raiders. He then left for OU and sat out the 2014 season, and exploded last year for 3,700 yards and 36 touchdown passes for OU as a junior.
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