CINCINNATI — When the College Football Playoff selection committee unveiled the first batch of this year’s rankings Tuesday, BYU quickly became one of the top talking points. The undefeated Cougars enter this weekend 8-0 and all alone atop the Big 12 standings, but were ranked No. 9 by the CFP selection committee despite a pair of top-25 wins over No. 13 SMU and No. 19 Kansas State. Five of the eight teams ranked ahead of BYU enter this weekend with one loss.
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark joined the chorus of voices wondering why BYU wasn’t shown more respect in the initial rankings.
“I was a little surprised,” Yormark told The Athletic. “I just want to make sure that people aren’t focused on the logo on the helmet, and they’re instead focused on the resume and how the team is performing.”
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Yormark was in attendance for Saturday’s game between West Virginia and Cincinnati, as the Bearcats commemorated the 100th anniversary of Nippert Stadium. BYU plays in the Holy War rivalry game at Utah on Saturday night.
“When you think about BYU specifically, I would say that they should have been a little higher (than No. 9 in the CFP rankings),” Yormark said just before kickoff in Cincinnati. “BYU has two great wins against top-25 schools, and a really impressive one against SMU on the road that I was there for. But they have to continue to win and earn their way in, which I think they will.”
BYU won 18-15 at SMU in an early season non-conference matchup when neither team was ranked, the Cougars holding the Mustangs without a touchdown. BYU then beat Kansas State 38-9 a couple weeks later, handing the Wildcats their first loss of the season. BYU is ranked fourth among FBS programs in ESPN’s strength-of-record metrics, behind only Georgia, Oregon and Miami, and has better quality wins than fellow undefeated Indiana (No. 8) and Miami (No. 4), sparking debate this week as to whether “helmet bias” and BYU’s lesser pedigree factored into the rankings.
“I have a lot of trust in the selection committee that (BYU will get the consideration it deserves),” Yormark said, when asked what might have tempered BYU’s spot in the rankings. “This was only the first week of rankings. I’m bullish on our conference and where our schools will land at the end of the regular season.”
Despite being ranked No. 9, BYU was projected into the No. 4 slot in the newly expanded 12-team Playoff bracket as the fourth-highest ranked team currently leading in the conference standings.
The five highest-ranked conference champions earn an automatic Playoff berth, with the four highest receiving a first-round bye. No. 12 Boise State is projected as the fifth-highest league champion; the Broncos (7-1) are currently tied for first place in the Mountain West, and their only loss was on a last-second field goal against top-ranked Oregon.
Beyond BYU, the Big 12’s odds of sending multiple teams to the 12-team Playoff took a hit last weekend with losses by Kansas State and previously undefeated Iowa State to unranked opponents. Iowa State (7-1 overall, 4-1 in Big 12) is the league’s second-highest ranked team at No. 17 in the CFP poll, currently outside the seven at-large Playoff bids. The Cyclones entered Saturday tied for second-place in the league standings with No. 20 Colorado (6-2 overall, 4-1 in Big 12).
“At the beginning of the season, we wanted two teams in (the Playoff). We felt that would be a good year for the Big 12, and I’m still very hopeful we can do that,” said Yormark, who noted that entering this weekend, 14 of the conference’s 16 teams were still in contention to reach the Big 12 title game.
“If someone gets in the (Big 12) championship with one loss or no losses, they should be strongly considered for a CFP berth,” Yormark said. “A lot has to play out between now and Dec. 7, but I think we’re in the hunt to get two in.”
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Yormark also acknowledged the added attention generated by Colorado and two-way star Travis Hunter, one of the leading Heisman Trophy candidates. Colorado plays at Texas Tech on Saturday afternoon.
“Travis is a special player, and the country is seeing that. He’s as deserving as anyone for the Heisman,” Yormark said. “He’s got a great teammate in (quarterback) Shedeur (Sanders), who is also worthy. Thankfully, players from the Big 12 are part of the conversation.”
(Photo: Sam Hodde / Getty Images)
