The Cougars are the first 11-1 team from a power conference in the CFP era to not rank in the top 10. Why?
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In the history of the College Football Playoff Rankings, 61 power-conference teams have finished the regular season 11-1 or better. Every one of them entered championship weekend ranked in the top 10. All but two were seventh or higher.
And then, inexplicably, there's BYU.
The Cougars put together a sensational season, reaching 11-1 and earning a spot in the Big 12 title game. They beat No. 15
Utah and went on the road to shock No. 18
Arizona. Yet they sit at No. 11, looking up at several two-loss teams.
In an era of bloated megaconferences, it would at least make sense if BYU's record came with an unusually soft draw. Instead, they rank No. 35 in strength of schedule, ahead of
Ole Miss,
Notre Dame and
Miami. For comparison,
Virginia is No. 82. BYU played six of the nine other teams that finished league play with a winning record, and their strength of record sits at No. 6.
Even last season,
Boise State reached the Mountain West Championship Game and was ranked No. 10. Somehow, the Cougars are receiving less credit than a Group of Five program.
The early-season nitpicks have also been overstated. A tight road win against Arizona looked shaky at the time, but the Wildcats proved to be a top-25 team. A slow start against
Colorado ended with BYU outgaining the Buffaloes by nearly 100 yards. Since then, the Cougars' last four wins have come by an average of 19.3 points, including road routs of previously ranked
Iowa State and
Cincinnati.
Last year, BYU's profile leaned more on steadiness than star power. This year, there are All-America candidates at every level: running back
LJ Martin, safety
Faletau Satuala and linebacker
Jack Kelly could play anywhere. This roster has real NFL-caliber talent.
Then there's the rise of quarterback
Bear Bachmeier, who has transformed the offense. The true freshman has topped 3,000 total yards with 25 touchdowns and has improved steadily throughout the year. If Notre Dame is forgiven for two losses while breaking in first-year quarterback
CJ Carr, it's baffling that BYU doesn't get similar credit for developing alongside Bachmeier.
Now the Cougars rank top 20 nationally in both FEI offense and defense, one of only 10 programs to hit that mark. They're also one of only nine to do so in SP+.
At every turn, CFP Committee chair Hunter Yurachek points to BYU's 29-7 loss to Texas Tech as the disqualifier. It's difficult to recall another instance where one performance is so heavily cited. And that's because it's the only real knock.
Meanwhile, a two-touchdown loss by No. 10
Alabama to
Florida State is essentially ignored. The Tide trailed 24-7 late in the third quarter against a 5-7 team. Losing big to bad teams apparently doesn't count.
Texas Tech is legitimately elite; SP+ would make them nearly a touchdown favorite on a neutral field against any SEC team. The committee assigns far too much blame to BYU and not nearly enough credit to Texas Tech.
Notre Dame can pound
Boston College and
Syracuse all it wants. Why should that matter more than handling a tougher schedule?
Last year BYU finished 10-2 and beat
SMU on the road. The Cougars still ended up No. 17 in the final rankings, seven spots behind 11-2 SMU. According to an analysis by
Stassen, BYU is on pace to become the most underranked team in the AP Top 25 since 1989 when comparing preseason to postseason position.
The case is clear. BYU is 11-1 with quality wins, real star power and a strong schedule. If a team like that can't play for a national championship, what exactly is the point of expanding the playoff?
