Why did BYU lose its first game in the 2024 season? Was it a result of a lack of practice? Well, wide receiver Chase Roberts just admitted it by saying, “We struggled a little bit in practice last week in the red zone, and it carried over… Some mental errors, some mistakes. Practice better, with more urgency,” he said. Well, there you have it from the horse’s mouth. Just that one loss changed the whole dynamics of the Big 12 conference. Until Week 12, it looked like we were going to see them match up against the Buffs for the conference championship. However, now, all hell’s broken loose after a 13-17 loss to the Kansas Jayhawks. What’s next for them? A game against Arizona State.

On the November 20th episode of the David Pollack college football show, Pollack reviewed the Week 13 game between BYU and Arizona State. Before we get into who Pollack sees having an edge in the matchup, let’s hear what he said about Cougars’ offense. “When I look at BYU, I don’t trust the BYU offense, like I think they want to be running game with Martin and Hammer, and Retzlaff needs to get involved in that for that to be really good because they’re not elite up front.”

Pollack is not wrong. There has been an over-reliance on the run game. LJ Martin is the main weapon there. However, that has less to do with any weakness that quarterback Jake Retzlaff may have. The serious dearth of help in the wide receivers’ room is what’s causing a one-sided offense. While everyone is rightly talking about the game against the Jayhawks, we shouldn’t forget that against Utah Utes (Week 11), the Cougars were trailing 10-21 at halftime. Yes, they managed to win eventually, but not before the Utes’ D-line racked the quarterback.

The larger point is that a loss wasn’t surprising. Of course, you don’t lose against a 3-win team if you are dreaming about a playoff spot, but the Jayhawks have been on a decent run lately. Now, the next game against Arizona State? Who does Pollack favor? It’s not going to be a cakewalk for BYU to beat a team that’s coming out of a three-game winning streak. Even Pollack believes that Arizona State would beat the Cougars.

How badly was BYU’s CFP spot affected after losing to the Kansas Jayhawks?

Ouch, Cougars! BYU’s hot streak came to a halt after losing to Kansas, and the college football playoff committee took note of it. Once sitting peacefully at no. 6, the Cougars dropped eight spots to no. 14 in the latest rankings. The rumble was expected, but watching them in black and white still stings.

What does the committee say about it? CFP spokesman Warde Manuel didn’t mince his words, pointing out BYU’s blunders in the last few games and how they analyzed them. “We evaluate teams weekly. Those great wins also tell us about where a team is playing right now,” Manuel said on ESPN. They meant BYU’s performance just wasn’t up to the mark anymore.

Although they fall in these rankings, BYU still holds one of the highest CFP rankings in the history of the program. How can we forget their victory over SMU and Baylor, which made them an overnight star? But looking at the current scenario, the Cougars are on thin ice with Arizona State and next up, a Big 12 title game against Iowa State or Colorado also holds a possibility.