The BYU Cougars won the Pop-Tarts Bowl, 25-21, against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. And their head coach, Kalani Sitake, won over fans with his answer to why the Cougars decided to play the Bowl game.
Just like Notre Dame, the Cougars were snubbed from the playoffs by the committee. After the snub, the Fighting Irish decided not to participate in the Bowl game and brought their season to an end.
Sitake had a different perspective on it. After the win, he sat for a press conference and talked about the committee’s decision.
“Listen, [the CFP committee] made the decision. We’re fine,” he said. “We got to move on and just keep playing football. I think what the committee did is a hard decision for them to go and put that together.”
“If it’s not the way you wanted it to go, that’s okay. Your reaction is going to be what everybody’s going to define you with.”@BYUFootball‘s Kalani Sitake speaks about the opportunity to play in the Pop-Tart bowl after being left out of the CFP this season ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/NerHnJtt5o
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 28, 2025
Fans were very impressed by his answer, and the first name that popped into their heads was Notre Dame. Marcus Freeman’s team opted out of the Bowl game after being snubbed from the playoffs.
“Notre Dame …. pay attention !!” a fan wrote.
“Straight up class,” a fan wrote.
“This is what a classy man looks like,” a fan wrote.
“WINNER talk right here. Winner in the game and winner in life,” a fan wrote.
“The coach everyone wants for their kids!” a fan wrote.
There’s no doubt that Sitake showed great maturity in not only bringing his team to the Pop-Tarts Bowl but also by justifying his stance at a time when teams are opting out because of the committee’s unfavorable decision.
On top of that, clinching a win in the Bowl game must’ve added a lot of value to this outing. With this win, the Cougars are now ending the season 12-2.
Kalani Sitake Will Follow the Rest of the Season
Despite being the head coach of a college football program, Sitake is still a fan of the sport first. So, even though his team’s journey in the season has come to an end, the season itself isn’t over just yet.
Sitake said that he will be following the rest of the season as a fan of the sport. He also praised his team for showing up for the game.
“I love that these guys want to play the game. We had everybody trying to play, the only ones that didn’t play are the ones that were injured and we held out,” he said. These guys came here with a great attitude being here and had so much appreciation and gratitude for being invited to the Pop-Tarts Bowl.”
Even though Sitake and the Cougars are disappointed in the way the season has turned out, he is still grateful for the Bowl game opportunity and is excited about the rest of the season.
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