No. 9 BYU Benefitted from a Chaotic Weekend in College Football

Casey Lundquist | Nov 3, 2024

BYU cornerback Marque Collins against SMU / BYU Photo

While BYU was idle over the weekend, chaos ensued in college football. 17 of the top-25 teams were in action and 7 top-25 teams lost. BYU benefitted from some of that chaos in a wild week in college football - allow us to explain. Here are the top three ways BYU was the beneficiary of Saturday's college football mayhem.

1. A Clear Path to Arlington

On Saturday, two of the four Big 12 front runners suffered losses. No. 11 Iowa State lost in the final minute to Texas Tech. Kansas State lost an absolute shocker on the road at Houston after leading by two scores in the fourth quarter.

Those two losses were not good for the Big 12's aspirations to get two teams in to the College Football Playoff, but they were very good for BYU's chances to make it to the Big 12 title game. If BYU wins out, they will play in the Big 12 title game. If BYU goes 3-1 (and as long as Kansas State does not absolutely collapse) the Cougars will also be in the conference title game. BYU's path to Arlington is wide open.

2. Four At-Large Playoff Competitors Suffered Losses

If BYU doesn't win the Big 12 championship, the Cougars could still receive an at-large College Football Playoff bid. In that scenario, BYU would need a few teams around them in the rankings to lose. The more teams that lose around BYU in the rankings, the better. There were four teams, that could have been competition for at-large births down the road, that suffered losses on Saturday.

No. 10 Texas A&M lost by multiple scores on the road at South Carolina. The Aggies were threats to leapfrog BYU in the College Football Playoff rankings as early as this week. Instead, they are no longer a threat to BYU with two more losses. Their loss also weakens Notre Dame's resume, a team that BYU is also competing against for an at-large bid.

No. 11 Iowa State's loss hurts their at-large chances. Again, not good for the Big 12, but it could benefit BYU down the road.

No. 11 Clemson (Clemson and Iowa State were tied at 11 in the AP poll this week) suffered a loss to Louisville at home. That gives the Tigers their second loss of the season and that might be all it takes to keep them out of the CFP.

No. 18 Pitt got blown out by no. 20 SMU on Saturday. Not only did that boost BYU's resume (more on that in a moment), but it also gave Pitt their first loss of the season. Pitt isn't a threat to leapfrog BYU in the rankings today, but they could have been down the road if they continued to win.

Going into the weekend, BYU had a 57% chance to make the College Football Playoff according to the Allstate Playoff Predictor. That number will almost certainly increase when it is updated later today.

3. SMU Has a Clear Path to the ACC Championship

BYU's win over SMU looks better and better every week. The Mustangs are now 8-1 overall and 5-0 in ACC play. Their only loss this season came at the hands of BYU. Since Clemson lost, SMU controls its own path to the ACC championship. If SMU wins out, they will be in.

The Mustangs will be favored in every game from here on out. FPI gives them a 50% chance to go 3-0 and play in the ACC championship game.

BYU's win over SMU is their biggest resume boost to date. Speaking of at-large births. The Cougars' win over SMU could be the difference between getting a spot in the playoff or not if it comes to that.

There's also a world where BYU, as the Big 12 champion, could be competing against the ACC champion for seeding. If SMU wins the ACC, BYU would have a head-to-head win over the ACC champion and would likely be rewarded with the third seed.