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BYU Football: Understanding the CFP rankings

By Adam Gibby

Sep 18, 2021; Provo, Utah, USA; BYU Cougars quarterback Jaren Hall (3) is pursued by Arizona State Sun Devils defensive back Evan Fields (4) in the fourth quarter at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 18, 2021; Provo, Utah, USA; BYU Cougars quarterback Jaren Hall (3) is pursued by Arizona State Sun Devils defensive back Evan Fields (4) in the fourth quarter at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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SALT LAKE CITY, UT – NOVEMBER 24: Solomon Enis #21 of the Utah Utes cannot catch this end zone pass while being defended by Keenan Ellis #30 of the Brigham Young Cougars in the second half of a game at Rice-Eccles Stadium on November 24, 2018 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT – NOVEMBER 24: Solomon Enis #21 of the Utah Utes cannot catch this end zone pass while being defended by Keenan Ellis #30 of the Brigham Young Cougars in the second half of a game at Rice-Eccles Stadium on November 24, 2018 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images) /

Momentum Doesn’t Matter

The AP Poll is all about momentum and when you lose/win. For a team like SMU who is sitting at 8-1, they are barely ranked in the AP Top 25. Had SMU lost in week three rather than last week, we may be looking at a Top 20 team due to them having more momentum now.

For the College Football committee, momentum doesn’t matter. Rather they look at the entire body of work for a season. Whether a team just lost or they lost in week one, it is all the same to the committee. Obviously aspects such as injuries or new tendencies are taken into account, but a loss to a team under the same circumstances is seen the same regardless of when it happens.

What this can also mean is that teams like Utah could find themselves ranked again. At the time of their losses to BYU and San Diego State, those looked pretty bad. Looking at it now, those are two losses the Utes can live with both the Cougars and Aztecs being considered in the Top 5 five schools in the west.

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