The first College Football Playoff rankings of 2020 are here, and BYU is ranked No. 14.
The No. 14 ranking came as a surprise, as the Cougars are ranked No. 8 in both the AP and Coaches polls. BYU, off to its first 9-0 start since 2001, is slotted just ahead of 3-0 Oregon and just behind 6-2 Iowa State and 4-1 Indiana.
BYU coach Kalani Sitake called the ranking a “great motivation for our team” while adding, “I think we play a great brand of football with excitement and passion,” during ESPN’s show where the CFP rankings were unveiled.
“We have a lot of work to do, and a lot to prove obviously and a short amount of time. Hopefully we can get that done,” Sitake said.
During his interview on ESPN, Sitake addressed the scheduling situation with Washington.
“We had a great practice in hopes of playing Washington, we game-planned and did all of our meetings last night in hopes of playing Washington. Our players lost money and our coaches lost money changing their schedules with Thanksgiving coming up in the hopes of playing Washington,” Sitake said.
Now that this week’s Utah-Arizona State game is cancelled, the Pac-12 announced the Utes would play the Huskies, as they now need a game after the Apple Cup was cancelled due to COVID cases in the Washington State football program.
“It just didn’t work out for whatever reason. There’s this narrative out there that we were hiding or ducking or waiting, and that’s just not true. It’s a false narrative. I want to make sure everyone understands that we’re not afraid of anybody,” Sitake said.
The Cougars are fresh off of a dominant 66-14 victory against North Alabama, with BYU’s marquee win coming in a 51-17 win against then-No. 21 Boise State. As of right now, the Cougars have just one more game scheduled, a Dec. 12 matchup against 3-2 San Diego State.
“As you look at their schedule, and that’s where the committee went, their best win is at Boise State. Boise State was shorthanded in that game,” CFP selection committee chair Gary Barta said regarding BYU during the ESPN show. “So the committee’s very impressed with BYU, but certainly the schedule, compared to the teams around them, came into play.”
College Football Playoff Rankings (Nov. 24)
1. Alabama (7-0)
2. Notre Dame (8-0)
3. Clemson (7-1)
4. Ohio State (4-0)
5. Texas A&M (5-1)
6. Florida (6-1)
7. Cincinnati (8-0)
8. Northwestern (5-0)
9. Georgia (5-2)
10. Miami (Florida) (7-1)
11. Oklahoma (6-2)
12. Indiana (4-1)
13. Iowa State (6-2)
14. BYU (9-0)
15. Oregon (3-0)
16. Wisconsin (2-1)
17. Texas (5-2)
18. USC (3-0)
19. North Carolina (6-2)
20. Coastal Carolina (8-0)
21. Marshall (7-0)
22. Auburn (5-2)
23. Oklahoma State (5-2)
24. Iowa (3-2)
25. Tulsa (5-1)