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Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield could regain year of eligibility

Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield (6). (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield (6). (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield could regain the year of eligibility he lost when he transferred.

According to the Dallas Morning News, the Big 12 is set to vote next week on a rule that causes student-athletes to lose a year of eligibility for transferring within the conference. Mayfield began his career as a walk-on at Texas Tech and lost a year of eligibility when he transferred to Oklahoma.

Mayfield appealed his lost year of eligibility, saying the rule should not apply because he was not on scholarship at Tech. If the rule were changed as it relates to walk-ons, Mayfield would be a junior in 2016 instead of a senior.

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Mayfield previously filed an appeal to regain the year back, but the Big 12’s faculty representatives denied it in May 2015 before the quarterback played a down for the Sooners. The league's faculty representatives are set to meet next Wednesday, when a vote will take place.

Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby told the DMN that a potential downside to a rule change could present itself if Mayfield transferred outside the conference with his extra year.

From the DMN:

A longtime athletic director before becoming commissioner, Bowlsby said his campus experience helps him see both sides of the issue. He also is concerned about a scenario where Mayfield could transfer from Oklahoma outside of the Big 12 for 2017 and get an NCAA waiver for his final season.

To say that could be a bad PR look for the Big 12 is probably an understatement.

"I think we all ought to be a little bit thoughtful about it," Bowlsby said. "Absent Baker Mayfield getting relief, he'll have a year of eligibility left and won't be able to use it in our conference but instead would go someplace else and use it. That might not be in anybody's best interest."

After sitting out in 2014, Mayfield emerged as OU’s starter before the 2015 season. He led the Sooners to a conference title, throwing for 3,700 yards and 36 touchdowns in the process. He threw for 2,315 yards, 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions as a true freshman walk-on at TTU in 2013.

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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!