Is This The Season A Non-Power 5 Team Makes The College Football Playoff? Maybe.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – 2020 has been a wild year for a myriad of reasons and college football was not left out. BYU football’ss schedule was turned upside down and replaced on the fly.

The Cougars have been steamrolling the competition and are now in the top 10 with a huge matchup against Boise State coming this weekend. BYU is getting buzz from analysts and computer formulas for being a team that is a serious contender for crashing the College Football Playoff.

UCF was the closest non-power 5 team to get a shot at the playoff but even their magical season in 2017 ranked twelfth despite being the only undefeated team. 2020 seems different because so many have just barely or haven’t yet started the season.

Also to consider is the carnage in the Big 12 which was zero undefeated teams through five weeks of play, so that bodes well for BYU or another Group of Five team – such as Cincinnati – who are currently ranked a few spots higher than the Cougars.

The AllState Playoff Predictor gives BYU just under a 1 in 7 chance to make the Playoff and Cincinnati is sitting at 4.5 percent.

#BYU has nearly a 14% chance of making the @CFBPlayoff. pic.twitter.com/Am5ozc09cb

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One other item to look at is that the Pac-12 has yet to play this year and Utah is at 1.1 percent while both Oregon and USC are ahead of BYU at 17.9 percent and 14.9 percent, respectively.

This is the year an outside could make the College Football Playoff, according to KSL Unrivaled.

Undefeated BYU Or Undefeated Utah?

One interesting scenario about the College Football Playoff is how the number of games played is going to vary across the board. Wisconsin has already had two games canceled, the Pac-12 has yet to start and is scheduled to play seven games in seven weeks, and there are teams like BYU that have 10 games on the schedule.

A tough decision will have to be made and one that could pit a 10-0 BYU team vs. an undefeated Pac-12 team who is 7-0.

Would an undefeated #BYU team make it in the College Football Playoff over an undefeated Pac-12 team?

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KSL Sports’ Scott Mitchell is a former Utah quarterback and isn’t convinced that an undefeated Ute team would make the playoff.

“I would say if Utah went undefeated, I don’t think it would get in the College Football Playoffs,” Mitchell said. “I think Utah has gotten respect, but it hasn’t reached that level. There’s a sense that the Oregon program is really stockpiling good players and they’re going to contend.”

For Mitchell, it all comes down to the number of games in this scenario. The Pac-12 seven-game season is basically an extended spring and the odds of every game getting played is slim so it really could be a 6-0, Pac-12 champion vying for a playoff spot against a bunch of teams that have played at least 10 games.

College Football Playoff Has Three Locks

While this year seems primed for a non-Power 5 team to make the field, there is the issue of there already being three teams almost guaranteed to make it. This assumes things go as planned but Ohio State, Alabama, and Clemson – even if they lose to Notre Dame – are the overwhelming favorites to make the field.

There are some games that will help BYU get into the field. Florida plays Georgia and that will knock a team out, a Notre Dame loss to Clemson eliminates the Irish, Utah vs. USC loser is eliminated, and having Alabama winning the SEC over Georgia. As for BYU, they lose any game and they are out, but also what helps the Cougars are that the Big 12 is not great this year and there are no more undefeated teams in that league.

Here we go.#W1LSONHE1SMAN 2020

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Mitchell said there is a chance that BYU can get in over an undefeated Pac-12 team even with the three preassumed schools mentioned.

“You’ve got this one spot of the of the four college football spots really open. It’s anyone’s game because these teams keep opening a door for a team like BYU if they go undefeated or potentially a Pac-12 team,” Mitchell said.” I just I do not believe the Pac-12 will get seven games in, and I don’t know that I believe seven games is even enough. So is it possible for a team like BYU to make it to the College Football Playoff? I know people are saying this is insane and this is crazy but I don’t.”

KSL TV’s Jeremiah Jensen has the belief that the brand of being in a Power 5 league will trump an undefeated BYU team with its best wins against a pair of Mountain West teams in Boise State and San Diego State.

“For the sake of this conversation, Oregon wins the Pac-12 championship game seven. Does BYU get that spot over an undefeated BYU with a win over Boise State on the road and a win over San Diego State,” Jensen said. “Do they get that spot over Oregon? I say no.

“I think Oregon would get in because of the Power Five, and they’re Oregon, and I think the College Football Playoff committee would reward the undefeated power five team, just like they would Ohio State, Alabama and Clemson.”

The Ducks have been a really good team the past few years in the Pac-12 but they seemingly always beat each other up so there is rarely an undefeated team.

The Pac-12 has had only three teams finish with an undefeated league record since 2000; the other two were USC’s 2004 and 2005 seasons. So, the odds are very much against a Pac-12 team to finish without a blemish in league play.

“I think this BYU team has a legitimate shot of actually being in the discussion for [the College Football Playoff]. I think everyone goes, ‘if they go undefeated, we’ll take a New Year’s Six game.’ I think you’re selling yourself a little bit short.”

There is always a chance and BYU is in its best position ever to be in the discussion for the College Football Playoff. There is still a lot of football left but being in the conversation so deep into the season is only a good thing.

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