Is BYU out of the playoff? Explaining Cougars' CFP chances after Big 12 loss to Texas Tech

Senior Editor
Is BYU out of the playoff? Explaining Cougars' CFP chances after Big 12 loss to Texas Tech image

All eyes were on Lubbock, Texas, as ESPN's College GameDay was on-site for No. 8 Texas Tech’s showdown with No. 7 BYU. The Red Raiders didn’t let the national spotlight rattle them, cruising to a 29-7 win.

Texas Tech picked up a huge Big 12 victory as the regular season winds down. The win moves the Red Raiders into a tie for first place with BYU and gives them a crucial Week 11 tiebreaker. The Cougars, meanwhile, suffered their first loss of the season and in conference play, falling to 8-1 (5-1 Big 12) with three games remaining.

Here’s more on whether the Week 11 loss will keep BYU out of the College Football Playoff.

CFB HQ: Live scores | Standings | Schedule

Is BYU out of the playoffs?

BYU will, obviously, focus on winning out the rest of the season after suffering its first loss. The Cougars controlled their own destiny, and if they had gone undefeated, they would have been guaranteed a spot in the Big 12 title game. That’s important because the winner of the Big 12 championship game, regardless of regular-season record, is guaranteed a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff.

If BYU doesn’t win the Big 12 championship game, it will have to make the playoff field as one of the seven at-large teams. The good news is that the Cougars currently have only one loss, which keeps them in strong contention. The bad news is that the margin for error is gone, as another loss could knock them out of the Big 12 title game entirely, making a playoff berth very difficult. 

MORE: Why Notre Dame was ranked ahead of Miami in CFP rankings despise loss to Hurricanes

Remaining unbeaten teams in CFB

BYU entered Week 11 as one of the remaining undefeated teams in college football. With their loss, only Ohio State (9-0), Indiana (10-0) and Texas A&M (8-0) are undefeated. Ohio State and Indiana are two to watch because if they both win out in the regular season, one of them will be a top at-large big with only one loss. 

MORE: BYU QB Bear Bachmeier's reasoning for wearing No. 47

Big 12 football standings

TeamConference RecordOverall Record
Texas Tech6-19-1
BYU5-18-1
Cincinnati5-17-2
Houston5-28-2
Utah4-27-2
Arizona State4-26-3
TCU3-26-2
Baylor3-35-4
Kansas State3-34-5
Kansas3-34-5
Arizona2-35-3
Iowa State2-45-4
West Virginia2-54-6
UCF1-54-5
Colorado1-63-7
Oklahoma State0-61-8

Texas Tech remaining schedule

DateOpponent
Saturday, November 15vs. UCF
Saturday, November 29at West Virginia

BYU remaining schedule

DateOpponent
Saturday, November 15vs. TCU
Saturday, November 22at Cincinnati
Saturday, November 29vs. UCF
Staff Writer

Senior Editor