BYU football looks to play its way into the College Football Playoff when it faces Texas Tech in the Big 12 championship on Saturday, Dec. 6, and can potentially cause some chaos in the process.
The No. 11 Cougars (No. 11 CFP) are currently the first team out of the 12-team CFP bracket. However, BYU could earn an automatic bid for the playoff should it defeat Texas Tech.
BYU is looking to avenge its road loss to the Red Raiders a few weeks ago. The Cougars fell 29-7 and struggled to generate offense in the game, failing to score until midway through the fourth quarter.
No. 10 Alabama (No. 9 CFP) and No. 9 Notre Dame (No. 10 CFP) are both rooting against BYU during conference championship weekend, although the Crimson Tide control their own destiny should they defeat Georgia in the SEC title game.
Here’s how BYU can shake up the College Football Playoff bracket if it upsets Texas Tech.
How BYU can ruin Alabama, Notre Dame CFP chances
BYU, currently on the outside of the CFP, could move into the 12-team bracket with a win over Texas Tech in the Big 12 championship game. The Cougars would earn an automatic bid as one of the five highest-ranked conference champions.
The issue is that Texas Tech, which is currently No. 4 in the CFP rankings, would likely stay in the field as it owns a 29-7 win over BYU from a few weeks ago. A BYU win would most likely force Alabama or Notre Dame out of the CFP.
Alabama has a chance to earn its own automatic bid, though, if it can beat Georgia for the second time this season in the SEC championship game. If BYU wins and Alabama wins, Notre Dame would likely find itself out of the CFP picture.
Things could get even murkier if BYU wins and Alabama loses on Dec. 6. That would mean the CFP committee would have to choose between Alabama with a 10-3 record and Notre Dame with a 10-2 record. The committee moved the Crimson Tide over Notre Dame in the latest CFP rankings update, which could come into play with the committee’s decision.
A three-loss team has never made the CFP, but the committee also has shown a precedent of not punishing teams for losing their conference title game. SMU still made the CFP over Alabama last season despite falling to Clemson in the ACC championship game, and TCU still made the four-team CFP in 2022 despite losing to Kansas State in the Big 12 championship.
Either way, a BYU win puts the committee in quite the bind.