Was BYU underappreciated in the first College Football Playoff rankings? National analysts weigh in

Kansas State Wildcats tight end Will Anciaux (80) is tackled by the BYU defense in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. BYU won 38-9. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

When the first College Football Playoff rankings of the 2024 season were unveiled on Tuesday night, BYU came in at the same spot — No. 9 — where it landed in the latest Associated Press and coaches top 25 rankings.

While that is the highest spot BYU has ever been in the CFP rankings, the undefeated Cougars (8-0, 4-0 in Big 12) sit behind five teams with one loss and came in fourth among the five remaining unbeaten teams at the FBS level.

Following the announcements of those inaugural CFP rankings, multiple national analysts weighed in on what they thought the CFP committee got right, what it got wrong and what these initial rankings could mean for the playoff picture when the 12-team field is revealed next month.

One thing was clear from these analysts: The Big 12 has the biggest uphill climb among Power 4 conferences to get multiple teams into the playoff based off these first rankings.

Yes, there will be four more weekly CFP rankings before the final one, as well as the 12-team seedings, come out on Dec. 8.

Still, while there are four Big 12 schools in the initial CFP rankings — Iowa State is No. 17, Kansas State is No. 19 and Colorado is No. 20 — it might be a one-bid league come the postseason.

Here’s what several national pundits thought about BYU’s position, as well as what these first rankings said about the committee’s perception of the Big 12.

ESPN’s David Hale

Hale put BYU in the No. 1 spot in his Anger Index for the first week of the CFP rankings, making an argument that the Cougars should be the most upset with where they came in.

“There are only two possible explanations for BYU’s treatment in this initial ranking,” Hale wrote….

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/byu-underappreciated-first-college-football-051143418.html

Author : Deseret News

Publish date : 2024-11-07 05:11:43

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