BYU Eliminated From Reaching Big 12 Championship Game
Nov 30, 2024, 9:34 PM
BYU football was eliminated from reaching the Big 12 Championship Game during their game against the Houston Cougars. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
PROVO, Utah — BYU football didn’t get the help it needed in the final week of the regular season to reach the Big 12 Championship Game.
The 9-2 Cougars, with a 6-2 record in Big 12 play, needed either Arizona State or Iowa State to suffer a loss to accompany a BYU victory over Houston to reach Arlington.
Arizona State and Iowa State won
K-State falls to Iowa State in Ames. #BYU is eliminated from reaching the Big 12 Championship Game. https://t.co/qD6Ktdg6Rb
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) December 1, 2024
BYU didn’t get the loss they needed.
Arizona State defeated Arizona 49-7, and Iowa State defeated Kansas State 29-21 in Ames.
BYU officially became eliminated from the Big 12 Championship Game pool during the second quarter against Houston.
The outcome of the BYU/Houston game will still impact who plays in the Big 12 Championship Game next week. If BYU defeats Houston, Iowa State will play Arizona State next week in Arlington.
If Houston pulls off an upset over BYU, Colorado, not Iowa State, would go to the Big 12 title game to play Arizona State.
BYU football dropped two games
BYU started the 2024 season with a 9-0 record and reached No. 6 in the College Football Playoff rankings. But they lost their past two games against Kansas and Arizona State, putting them in a position where they needed help in the final week to reach the Big 12 title game.
The Cougars will play in a bowl game for the first time since the 2022 season. Representatives from the Alamo Bowl and Pop-Tarts Bowl were in Provo on Saturday night to observe the BYU/Houston game.
The 2024 Big 12 Championship Game will be played at AT&T Stadium on Saturday, December 7, at 10 a.m. (MST) on ABC.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
