If you went to bed before BYU and Kansas, you might’ve missed the latest in the Big 12 causing playoff chaos.
Late Saturday night or early Sunday morning, depending on where you are, the BYU Cougars saw their undefeated season come to a screeching halt in Provo, UT with a three-win Kansas team notching win No. 4 with a 17-13 victory over BYU.
Kansas Jayhawks running back Devin Neal (4) crosses the goal line, for a touchdown, as Kansas tight end Trevor Kardell (45) blocks during an NCAA college football game against the BYU, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in Provo. (AP Photo/Rick Egan) APAP
What does this mean for the college football playoff? It continues to be a jumbled mess. Shocker, I know.
However, with BYU’s loss, it more than likely knocks out the Big 12 from grabbing one of the four automatic bids as a ranked conference champion.
If you don’t know, the four-highest ranked conference champions get a bye week and avoid playing in the first round at on-campus sites.
So, if the Big 12 is knocked out, who steps in their place?
Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to the Boise State Broncos.
You might’ve heard of them. They play on blue turf and have been giant killers of the sport for the last 15-20 years. Yeah, them.
BYU’s loss is Boise State (and SMU‘s) gain. BYU’s upset loss on Saturday also nearly assures us that the Big 12 will be a single-bid league with Iowa State’s back-to-back losses earlier this month doing damage.
So, if BYU is out (for now) and the Big 12 needs to occupy a spot in the playoff, who takes the spot?
Folks, say it with me, Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes.
That’s right, the most over-hyped, 4-8 team from last season has righted the ship with Heisman front-runner Travis Hunter and are (no pun intended) primed to experience their first trip to the CFP IF they can run the table to finish out the season and win the Big 12 championship.
What does the rest of the projected CFP field look like with three weeks before Selection Sunday?
Top 4 seeds
- 1. Oregon (Big Ten)--Rose Bowl
- 2. Texas (SEC)--Sugar Bowl
- 3. Boise State (MWC)--Fiesta Bowl
- 4. SMU (ACC)--Peach Bowl
More than likely, the ACC champion will be ranked higher than the Big 12 champ, so the ACC gets the final spot in the Top 4.
Here’s how the rest of the projected first round on-campus matchups look:
- No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 12 Colorado (Columbus, OH)
- No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 11 Georgia (State College, PA)
- No. 7 Indiana vs. No. 10 Ole Miss (Bloomington, IN)
- No. 8 Notre Dame vs. No. 9 Alabama (South Bend, IN)
First four out: Texas A&M, Army, Clemson, Tennessee.
If you’re a betting person, Notre Dame and Penn State look to be the most vulnerable first-round teams that may lose a game at home. Thanks to the wide-open SEC, it might be better to avoid a trip to Atlanta, and go to lovely State College or South Bend, just remember to bundle up before you go.
Andrew Hammond is the sports editor at AL.com. He can be reached at [email protected] or on X at @ahammaldc.