My jaw crashed through the floorboards upon the release of the latest College Football Playoff rankings. After watching the BYU Cougars plummet from 7th to 12th in the AP Poll, it was only natural to presume their Holy War loss to the unbeaten Utes would place the royal blue just outside the at-large cutoff line.
Imagine my shock when the CFP committee instead tipped their cap to BYU football, slipping them just one spot downward and firmly in the picture for the postseason.
BYU football comes in at 10th in latest CFP rankings
The first batch of CFP rankings listed BYU at 9, their road loss to a mediocre UCF team weighing heavily on their resume despite an excellent win against blue blood Notre Dame.
They've fallen only one spot in the second edition; BYU is ranked 10th in the nation with a record of 7-2.
November 🔟 CFP Selection Committee Rankings
— CFP (@CFBPlayoff) November 11, 2026
🔟. BYU Cougars // @BYUfootball pic.twitter.com/gnGlSlkHyB
A favorable result that should surprise even the most die-hard BYU fans. Plain and simple, the Cougars have not been playing top-10 football for a full 60 minutes in recent weeks.
They lost in double overtime against UCF. They narrowly escaped a subpar Arizona State team in Provo. Then, after taking a 20-14 halftime lead against (3) Utah, Bear Bachmeier threw four interceptions, and the Cougars failed to score for the final 30 minutes of play.
So what's the explanation?
The win against Notre Dame is paying dividends
Thanks in large part to their October victory over the Irish of Notre Dame, BYU football has loss insurance for the first time in the CFP era. Last year's team lost just a single game in the regular season -- to the nation's fourth-ranked team, no less -- and was deemed unworthy of an at-large bid unless they could take down Texas Tech in a rematch.
This year, the Cougars have earned the trust of the selection committee. At least for the moment.
Chairman Hunter Yurachek shed some light on the issue, and addressed how Notre Dame beating Miami elevated the Cougars' standing despite a loss to Utah.
I asked CFP Committee Chairman Hunter Yurachek how important it was that Notre Dame beat Miami for BYU in this week's ranking to avoid a bigger fall, following a loss to rival Utah. pic.twitter.com/GRYAd5PbZf
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) November 11, 2026
Crediting the Cougars for rallying against Utah? Forgiving an ugly loss to a lesser opponent? If I didn't know better, I'd accuse BYU of stitching an SEC patch on their jerseys while we weren't looking.
It's taken three years of sustained winning to get to this point. Now it's up to the Cougars to close the deal in their final three games.
BYU football does not want to play in the Big 12 Championship game
It all starts with this Saturday's clash with a frightening Baylor team.
Yes, the same Baylor that just fired head coach Dave Aranda a few weeks ago, is a serious threat to soil BYU's playoff hopes right as they Cougars have been granted life. After suffering ugly losses to TCU and Kansas in early October, the Bears have been incredible in a 41-9 victory against UCF and a 42-31 home stand against Iowa State.
Boasting one of the most talented quarterbacks in college football, Florida transfer DJ Lagway, and one of the most effective defenses, the Bears will visit Provo, Utah, with a trip to the Big 12 Championship appearance still within reach. Winning the conference and securing an auto-bid is Baylor's only path to the College Football Playoff -- BYU, oddly, may be better served by staying home.
Currently standing with a 98% chance to reach the CFP if they don't participate in the Big 12 Championship, the Cougars should be cheering for the Utes to remain undefeated and Texas Tech to run the table the rest of the way. Though Kalani Sitake and his team would never admit it, and they'll certainly aim for a chance to even the score against Utah in Arlington, finishing 10-2 and missing out on a chance at the title is BYU's safest route to the playoffs.
Huge for BYU to only drop to No. 10. Cougars should win out in regular season to get to 10-2
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) November 11, 2026
They still have dates with Baylor, Kansas, and Cincinnati to square away before punching their postseason tickets, but BYU has a very realistic shot at the program's first CFP berth.
How strange that BYU is locked out of CFP consideration in a year where fans feel they're entirely deserving, only for the next year's bracket to feature a BYU team seen by many to be severely struggling down the stretch.
Logical or not, BYU is firmly in the playoff picture. Now more than ever, they control their own destiny.
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