​BYU got totally hosed.Actually, it’s more like the Cougars weren’t judged the same way Alabama was, and as a result, they finished 12th in the final regular season rankings and missed out on a spot in the expanded College Football Playoff.So now the program knows what it has to do this season. Be better than 11-1 going into the Big 12 Championship, and/or win it this time around.Nov 29, 2025; Provo, Utah, USA;BYU Cougarshead coach Kalani Sitake during the first half against theUCF Knightsat LaVell Edwards Stadium.© Rob Gray-Imagn Images(© Rob Gray-Imagn Images)Let me explain.BYU lost to one team last year – Texas Tech – and it got roasted in both games 29-7 and 34-7 in the Big 12 Championship.Along the way, it gave Utah one of its two losses on the year, destroyed a solid TCU, won at Arizona, and if we’re really going to do this like the College Football Playoff committee was supposed to, BYU beat Stanford 27-3.That was the same Stanford team that beat Florida State 20-13. The Seminoles made Alabama look awful in a 31-17 loss in Tallahassee. Like BYU, the Tide were rocked in their own conference championship loss, and with ten wins, ended up ninth in the CFP rankings.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementNo, the system isn’t rigged. It’s more like there’s a general ignorance when it comes to the Big 12 compared to the SEC and Big Ten. So when a Power Four team like BYU wins 11 games, ends up beating five teams that finished with eight wins or more, and whose only crime was losing twice to a team ranked fourth in the final CFP rankings, it needs to be even splashier.It’ll be tough to win 11 regular season games again in a tougher Big 12, and it’s asking too much of anyone to be even better than BYU was last season.But head coach Kalani Sitake didn’t take the Penn State job, he’s still around, and he has won ten or more games in four of the last six seasons.And he has a team that should be too good for the College Football Playoff committee to ignore.- 2026 BYU Schedule AnalysisHead Coach: Kalani Sitake (11th year: 84-45)Best Case / Worst Case: Win the Big 12 Championship and/or go to the College Football Playoff/Struggle to get to six wins2025 Record: 12-2Biggest Question: Do the Cougars have enough talent, and not just experience, to take that next step to get into the CFP?Fourth Quarter Scoring: BYU 131, Opponents 68Time of Possession: BYU 32:43, Opponents 27:17Red Zone Scores: BYU 53-of-59 (90%), Opponents 38-of-54 (70%)AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOffensive coordinator Aaron Roderick keeps on cranking out great attacks.It wasn’t always smooth, but it seemed like BYU was finding a way to take over when needed game-in-and-game-out.This year’s team is loaded with talent and experience, and now the consistency should be there along with the production.The backfield will be among the best in the Big 12. Quarterback Bear Bachmeier is a baller’s baller, working his way to over 3,000 passing yards and 15 touchdown passes, and over 500 on