In college football, nice guys don't finish last; nice guys finish 11th.
And much to the frustration and even anger of passionate, knowledgeable BYU fans, the Cougars' current No. 11 ranking by the College Football Playoff selection committee means that if the season ended today, they would not be playing for a national championship. While a win Saturday in the Big 12 conference championship game would guarantee BYU a spot in the CFP, the Cougars should never have been placed in this "win or go home" position.
It's clear that the CFP selection committee and ESPN have been colluding for months now to position BYU as a No. 11 "bid stealer" should they beat Texas Tech.
And only within the last week has Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark and BYU leadership, including beloved coach Kalani Sitake, made any public statements questioning the selection committee's obvious, deliberate shafting of BYU specifically, and the Big 12 at large.
But at this point, these half-hearted public advocacy statements are far too little and way too late. No amount of 11th-hour pleadings can change the fate that has already been sealed for the Cougars.
Here's the ugly lesson Brett Yormark, Kalani Sitake, and other influential conference and school leaders need to learn to prevent BYU from getting shafted again next year:
In 2026, BYU and the Big 12 need to campaign early and often
Simply put, next year's BYU brass and Big 12 leaders need to publicly, passionately, and pointedly advocate for themselves before next year's 2026 AP preseason poll, and then regularly throughout the season.
As uncomfortable as this may sound, they need to put pressure on AP voters and the College Football Playoff selection committee before those two entities even cast their first votes.
BYU is in its maddening No. 11 position today in large part because they began the season unranked in the stupid but massively influential AP preseason poll. It took BYU going 3-0 to begin their 2025 campaign to finally get ranked, and even they it was at No. 25. They have been "the outsiders" all year because they began the season unranked, a crippling disadvantage that allowed ESPN and other pundits to simply ignore the Cougars for most of the season, a trend that continues today.
Before the 2026 season kicks off next year, Brett Yormark, Kalani Sitake, and other influential leaders from the Big 12 conference and the BYU need to say something like this before the preseason poll is revealed:
"I'm looking forward to where the AP Poll voters rank us in the preseason poll, because this is a Top 10 team. We have won double-digit games in each of the last two years and return a lot of production and continuity from last year. This is a Top 10 team coming into the season that will compete for a Big 12 championship and make the CFP playoffs. It's not rocket science. I think any AP Poll voter who actually watches our games and takes an objective look at our recent track record and our roster for 2026 will rank us very high."
Then, when the 2026 AP Poll preseason rankings come out, Big 12 and BYU leadership should put additional pressure on voters to move the Cougars up, regardless of where they are ranked. They should say something to the effect of:
"I just saw the AP Poll preseason rankings and I'm shocked and disappointed about where we are ranked. This is far too low for this talented team. Frankly, it's insulting and frustrating to get overlooked every year from AP Poll voters. I don't know if they don't actually watch us play, if they are just trying to keep the status quo, or if there is some sort of bias against BYU, but once again we have been unfairly ranked by AP voters to begin the season."
Those who have the ability to advocate for BYU next year need to do it before the season begins then ratchet up the pressure the day the AP preseason poll is launched. Words like "shock", "insulting", and "bias" will get traction in the media and put pressure on AP voters to respond.
The same pattern needs to play out before next year's College Football Playoffs rankings are released.
BYU and Big 12 leaders need to make public, pointed statements weeks before CFP rankings come out making similarly direct remarks about their expectation for BYU to be among the Top 10 in the rankings, provided their resume warrants it. And when the 2026 CFP rankings come out next year, those same voices need to be equally outraged, offended, and even accusatory in lobbying for BYU to rise up the ranks no matter where they fall.
Now, none of this feels good. Big 12 and BYU leaders shouldn't have to publicly, pointedly, and persistently advocate for their schools, and even go on attack mode at times. But this is the world BYU and the Big 12 live in.
The system is rigged against them. They need to go on the offensive early and often next year. They were far too late and far too limited advocating for BYU and the Big 12 this season, and it's too late now.
In the ugly world of college football, nice guys who hope the biased, greedy cartel that runs the sport will do the right thing don't finish last.
In this corrupt system, we've learned this year that nice guys finish 11th.