On Saturday afternoon, no. 11 BYU football traveled to UCF and handled the Knights in a 37-24 victory. With the win, BYU took over sole possession of first place in the Big 12 standings. Below are the updated Big 12 standings along with commentary on the race for the Big 12 championship.
|
Team |
Conference Record |
Overall Record |
|---|---|---|
|
1. BYU |
5-0 |
8-0 |
|
2. Iowa State |
4-0 |
7-0 |
|
3. Kansas State |
4-1 |
7-1 |
|
4. Colorado |
4-1 |
6-2 |
|
5. Texas Tech |
3-2 |
5-3 |
|
6. Cincinnati |
3-2 |
5-3 |
|
7. TCU |
3-2 |
5-3 |
|
8. West Virginia |
3-2 |
4-4 |
|
9. Arizona State |
2-2 |
5-2 |
|
10. Baylor |
2-3 |
4-4 |
|
11. Houston |
2-3 |
3-5 |
|
12. Utah |
1-4 |
4-4 |
|
13. UCF |
1-4 |
3-5 |
|
14. Arizona |
1-4 |
3-5 |
|
15. Kansas |
1-4 |
2-6 |
|
16. Oklahoma State |
0-5 |
3-5 |
Historically, two-loss teams have been able to make the Big 12 championship game. Two-loss teams typically need to win a tiebreaker to go their way to get in, but there is a precedent to making the championship game with two losses.
Technically, that would leave nine teams with a chance to make the title game. However, the first two months of the season suggest there is a four-way race to the Big 12 championship between BYU, Iowa State, Kansas State, and Colorado. Those four teams have separated themselves from the pack at this point.
BYU and Iowa State are the only two teams that control their destiny. If they win out, it will be a BYU-Iowa State showdown in Arlington. That would certainly be the best-case scenario for BYU, and it would likely be the best-case scenario for the conference as well. Two 12-0 teams would probably translate to two bids in the College Football Playoff for the Big 12.
Kansas State is a legitimate threat to be 10-1 when they face Iowa State in the regular season finale. After surviving a scare against Kansas on Saturday night, the Wildcats just need to beat Houston, Arizona State, and Cincinnati to be 10-1 going into that game.
Colorado has the opportunity to make a run to the title game as well. The Buffaloes are 4-1 in conference play and 6-2 overall. Their upcoming schedule includes home games against Oklahoma State and Utah and road games against Texas Tech and Kansas.
What happens if all four teams are 8-1 and tied for first place? That could depend on who BYU loses to. We will have a complete breakdown of that scenario in the coming days.
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