In the history of the college football playoff rankings, BYU had never been as high on the list as they were last week. Their undefeated 9-0 start had boosted them all the way up to #6 in the rankings, and it looked like they’d be in line for a first-round bye if they were able to finish out the regular season without a loss. But they came up short in their most recent game against Kansas, and are now on the fringe of missing the playoffs altogether.
BYU Drops To #14 In The College Football Playoff Rankings
The CFP rankings were released on Tuesday afternoon, and BYU was the big loser of the week. While the top-5 remained unchanged, the Cougars dropped from their #6 position all the way down to #14. This has caused them to drop down to behind Boise State, whose only defeat on the season came against the currently #1 ranked Oregon Ducks. And while there are only 12 teams that qualify for the playoffs, being the best team in one of the five-highest rated conferences would earn BYU a bid.
But instead of being one of the teams that would earn a bye, they would be forced to play in the #12 vs #5 matchup in the first round. As the standings sit today, it is Ohio State who occupies that #5 slot, meaning that BYU would have to travel to Columbus to take on the Buckeyes.
Make this make sense.
BYU: Beat #13. Lost a conference game to Kansas. Ranked #14.
Notre Dame: Beat #15. Lost to N. Illinois at home. Ranked #6.
And that’s just the starting point of the madness. Go home, CFP Committee. You’re drunk.
— Jon Tweets Sports (@jontweetssports) November 20, 2024
The rankings make this weekend’s BYU vs. Arizona State game one of great importance. The surprise Sun Devils are 8-2 after their upset win over Kansas State last weekend, and are actually listed as 3-point favorites for their home game in Tempe. Should they suffer their second straight defeat, the Cougars would be in danger of falling behind both the Sun Devils as well as the Colorado Buffaloes in the Big 12 standings.
BYU hasn’t played against Colorado yet this year, and their only possible meeting would be in the conference championship game.
