December is here. For college football, that means Playoff time. The bracket is out, and now everyone can get ready to watch everything unfold. However, Selection Sunday doesn’t go without its drama, and this year, BYU would help see to that. The Cougars lost to Texas Tech on Saturday, Dec. 6, in the Big 12 championship game, and that changed everything. Let’s dive into it.
Why Did BYU Miss the Playoffs?
The Cougars were not really in the playoff conversation despite having only one loss going into this weekend. It was interesting for most fans in the Big 12, as so many teams ahead of them in the CFP rankings had poorer records. A significant reason BYU is not in the mix can be attributed to its schedule. Compared to the teams ahead of them, BYU’s schedule was weak. The Cougars also lacked some of the quality wins that other teams had.
BYU did have one thing on its side this weekend. They knew where they stood. They had to win, but they couldn’t get the job done. The Red Raiders dominated BYU 34-7. The Cougars turned the ball over four times, and Texas Tech was able to capitalize on the costly mistakes BYU made. The Cougars failed to put up a fight, which ultimately cost them a ranking spot, as the committee placed them behind Miami.
How Did BYU Affect The Bracket?
The move behind Miami ultimately changed the bracket for the worse for Notre Dame fans. Miami and Notre Dame were officially back-to-back, and the committee gave the nod to Miami. The committee used the head-to-head game that took place in the first week of the season to help Miami qualify for the playoffs.
Another interesting note is that Miami and Notre Dame had never been ranked back-to-back in any of the past rankings. BYU had been the separator on all previous occasions. So the Cougars’ blowout loss made room for the Hurricanes to come in and snatch a playoff spot away from the Irish.
Final Thoughts
The playoffs should be interesting this year. While no year will have a completely complacent college football Selection Sunday, this year will definitely go down as one of the wilder ones. The flip that occurred was quite unprecedented, and the BYU Cougars were at the heart of it all.
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