I wouldn't consider myself an anxious man. I typically take life as it comes to me, accepting the lows and lifting with the highs. But this weekend's football game against the Cincinnati Bearcats should have every BYU fan knee-deep in their own sweat, aching and panicked over the single most important regular-season game of the entire calendar.
A road game against the Cincinnati Bearcats at face value should be a likely win for the Cougars. They've been an unstoppable force of winning all season (save for one game that I can't seem to recall at the moment), and Cincinnati has proven very mortal in recent weeks with a crushing loss to Utah and a slip against Arizona just last weekend. BYU, on the other hand, looks as strong as ever after humiliating TCU in Provo on Saturday.
Even the Vegas oddsmakers seem to believe in the Cougars, favoring BYU despite this game being set in Cincinnati.
But BYU fans, turn off the lights. Lock your doors and windows. And for the love of all that is good and true, do not make a sound, because this is the final test for a team whose at-large status in the eyes of the College Football Playoff selection committee hangs in the balance of Saturday's result.
A dominant win would be most favorable, of course, but so would the Los Angeles Dodgers calling it quits and handing Shohei Ohtani to my beloved Seattle Mariners. We can't always get what we want, people. Still, tackling the Bearcats in convincing fashion may be enough to nudge BYU into the top 10 -- the apparent cutoff for this season's at-large hopefuls.
A narrow victory would still be a plus, as BYU escapes a dangerous road environment and collects its 10th win of the season, leaving only a home game against UCF between this team and a rematch with the lone blot on the Cougars' 2025 resume: Texas Tech. This is an acceptable result, and the expected one, though possibly the worst for my cardiovascular wellbeing.
A loss to Cincinnati, however, no matter how close, would drive a stake through both BYU's chances at reaching the championship game in Arlington and receiving an at-large bid into the final 12-team playoff.
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When I say that the entire season could be ruined with a loss to Cincinnati this weekend, I mean it. BYU and Texas Tech remain the only Big 12 teams with less than two conference losses, thus giving Kalani Sitake full control over his path to Arlington. Last season's four-team tie-up spat the Cougars onto the pavement outside Cowboy Stadium, looking on as Mjölnir himself, Cam Skattebo, ran all over the Iowa State Cyclones.
BYU cannot afford to miss out this season -- not again. So again, if the message didn't get through to you, dear reader: BYU football must win this weekend against Cincinnati.