CINCINNATI — Plenty of people around the college football world believe No. 11 BYU deserves to be a bit higher in the playoff rankings.
But Fox “Big Noon Kickoff” and former Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn thinks the Cougars are “about where they should be” within the playoff conversation.
“I don’t know that they have, like, a really great quality win,” Quinn told reporters Friday ahead of Saturday’s BYU-Cincinnati matchup. “Outside of the Big Ten and SEC, it’s like a lot of other conferences are trying to earn equity with the College Football Playoff Committee, and it always helps to have more teams that have winning records. I mean, you look at how many ranked teams are right in the SEC, they get the benefit of the doubt.
“So this, to me, would be another big win for (BYU), pulling it off here on the road at night against a good team with a winning record.”
Despite this, Quinn did say he believed the Big 12 is strong enough to be a two-bid league for the playoff, with BYU able to grab one of those spots.
“I think if you’re looking at the top two teams, as it currently stands with Texas Tech and BYU, they would be (playoff teams), in my opinion,” Quinn said. “... It looks like the committee is looking upon the Big 12 more favorably with five teams ranked this week, and there’s also a lot of games left to be played.”
As for Saturday’s matchup, Quinn believes the most important key for Cincinnati will be containing BYU running back LJ Martin, as the Bearcats’ run defense has struggled lately and Martin is one of the top rushers in the Big 12.
“He just can do it all,” Quinn said of Martin. “He’s good catching the football out of the backfield. He’s got great patience and vision, you kind of see with the backside cuts. He’s just steady, he’s a very reliable, steady player for them.
“I think that’s one of the things that you always appreciate about running backs, he always seems to be falling forward and making the right play, so he’s just solid all around.”
But of course, as a former quarterback, Quinn is a big fan of Bear Bachmeier.
“I’ve been so impressed with him. I mean, he’s a true freshman, I don’t think people quite understand. He didn’t early enroll. He didn’t redshirt, he literally got there, won a quarterback battle, and is coming in now as a true freshman. He’s only continually gotten better,” Quinn said.
“He has a knack for making plays in the clutch in the fourth quarter. He’s tough to bring down. He’s continually gotten better throwing the football. So he’s extremely impressive.”
