Let’s tell you a wild stat. The teams without a bye have outscored the bye opponents 42-3 in the first quarter of the CFB playoff. The obvious result? All the teams that got bye bit the dust. If this stat is turning your head, you should have heard the rumors: First-round byes are punching the air out of the CFB. The latest to fall victim to this bye pattern is Spencer Danielson and his Boise State. But there is a man who called it out first, Pat McAfee.

McAfee recently turned to his YouTube channel and pointed out the CFB playoff’s bye menace. But what are his arguments? You get too comfortable; you fail on your fundamentals and techniques. He declared, “You can also have to get like woken up in the first quarter, which all these teams have had to do.” And he is right; all 4 teams succumbed to a loss. All went through a similar pattern of slow starts and got blown out on the field.

When did you last see Ashton Jeanty fumble a ball? He did it twice in the first quarter against Penn State. Greg McElroy discussed the sudden dip in the Broncos’ form and how they lost the Fiesta Bowl. He followed the same logic as McAfee. The ESPN analyst believed the bye resulted in the Boise State losing focus, and rust took its toll.

McElroy said, “That just proves that the buy actually has a huge effect on how buttoned up your team might be when you have a long layoff. And the other team played an elimination game 11 days ago. Guess what that team that had it on the line a couple weeks back, they’re going to be a little bit more buttoned up and a little more dialed in when they’re going against teams that have not played in the better part of three and a half weeks.”

The 31-17 loss could also tell you a similar story. While Danielson remains steadfast in his stance and backs his team’s performance, it was not the Broncos of the regular season. 4 turnovers, a season-high 13 penalties, Jonag Dalmas missing two mid-range field goals, and the offensive line allowing 3 sacks—everything proved fatal.

If Danielson’s job wasn’t easy earlier, Jeanty would also leave the Broncos for his NFL endeavor. That also raises another question about the Broncos’ future.

Spencer Danielson: adjusting the expectations

When talking about his team and their run this season, Danielson expressed pride. He believed Jeanty and Ahmed Hassanein, who were NFL-bound, had left a legacy, that would be carried forward by others. “I’m proud of our team, and I know there’s a legacy here for this group. Ashton, Ahmed [Hassanein], who won’t be wearing the blue and orange going forward. But there’s a legacy they left,” he added.

While you could expect the Broncos to miss their leader, who brought calm and led from the front, they will also take their last two seasons as a compass and try to lead ahead. What’s more? Boise State will also have to adjust to the newly-aligned Pac-12, where it will try to push and go for the conference title. But what about the bye-system? With only a one-year sample, it’s harsh to take a critical call on it yet. There might be a pattern right now, but NCAA fans might have to wait for a bit longer to make a decisive call. However, Georgia, Oregon, Arizona, and Boise State might not agree.

What do you make of these comments about the bye system in the CFB playoffs? Do you believe Boise State and Spencer Danielson lost because of rust catching up to them? Let us know in the comments below.