What BYU fans fear most when it comes to making the College Football Playoffs as an at-large selection is the dreaded "eye test". This subjective but impactful judgment from SEC and Big Ten apologists is often used to exclude plucky upstarts like BYU from making the College Football Playoffs in order to stack the deck with their blueblood programs.
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The eyes of the college football universe were on BYU this week as the No. 8 Cougars traveled to Lubbock to take on the No. 9 Texas Tech Red Raiders. ESPN College GameDay was in the house. It was the only game this weekend featuring two Top 10 teams squaring off against each other. The outcome would carry massive weight in the ultimate College Football Playoffs slotting. This marquee matchup gave BYU the perfect platform to pass the eye test.
Under these circumstances, BYU could afford a close, competent loss and still come out looking respectable. There's no shame losing to a Top 10 opponent on the road, provided you still play well. I predicted BYU would lose this game by 16 points, but I thought they would at least keep it competitive. The Cougars couldn't afford to get embarrassed, and with as well as they've played for the last two seasons I didn't think that could happen. What the Cougars couldn't afford to do with the college football universe watching was lay an egg and fail the eye test.
Well, they failed the eye test.
Rather, BYU's offense failed the eye test. And in the process, they may have cost BYU any hope of claiming an at-large bid for the College Football Playoffs
What's most concerning is that BYU was coming off a bye week and was generally healthy. Offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick had an extra week to prepare a game play to neutralize a very, very good Texas Tech defense. There was even some good news on the player health front with running back LJ Martin taking the field after being injured two weeks ago and wide receiver Jojo Phillips returning after a Week 3 injury.
Despite these reasons for optimism, here is how BYU's offense performed on their first eight drives of the game:
Punt - 5 plays, 16 yards
Punt - 8 plays, 23 yards
Missed 51-yard field goal
Punt - 7 plays, 19 yards
Punt - 3 plays, -4 yards
Punt - 5 plays, 15 yards
Interception
Punt - 6 plays, 22 yards
This may be the single worst, most hapless eight-series stretch BYU's offense has ever stumbled through. The Cougars offense dug itself into a 26-point hole before scoring its first points with just 7:35 left in the game.
After this downright awful offensive performance, BYU has squandered whatever credibility it had with AP voters and the College Football Playoffs selection committee. Unless Kalani Sitake's squad somehow manages to win the Big 12 championship, here's the argument that will come from the College Football Playoff selection committee to keep them out of the CFP:
"Why include BYU in the CFP as an at-large team when they couldn't even move the ball against Texas Tech? I mean, did you see that offensive mess in Lubbock? Can you imagine what Ohio State or Georgia's defense would do to them? Instead of watching BYU's offense get dominated again, let's put a team in the CFP that actually has a puncher's chance at a win. You know, like USC, Michigan, or Missouri."
And as BYU fans, how do we counter that argument?
BYU's eight offensive series to start the game against Texas Tech not only led to a loss, it shredded the Cougars national credibility. The Cougars will now probably need to win the Big 12 title game to make the CFP.
And based on what just happened in Lubbock, BYU had better be hope the Big 12 championship game isn't a rematch with this Cougars offense facing off against this Texas Tech defense.