The final 12-team playoff bracket caused chaos for several certified playoff-caliber programs. The playoff committee decided to put the Miami Hurricanes ahead of what many believe were more deserving teams, such as BYU and even Notre Dame. That didn’t sit well with the Cougar Nation. The BYU football team is now bringing receipts on why they should’ve been picked over Mario Cristobal’s Miami.

The biggest argument comes down to the numbers. The data seem to support BYU.

Their strength of schedule (SOS) was ranked 22nd in the nation, which is much tougher than both Miami (45th) and Notre Dame (44th). Their strength of record (SOR) was 9th. That’s noticeably better than Notre Dame’s 13th and Miami’s 14th.

Playing a more demanding schedule and having a better record against that difficulty usually matter a lot to the playoff committee. BYU fans are scratching their heads about how they got caught off guard.

On December 7, BYU’s official took the case over to X:

Another significant point for the Cougars is that they actually earned their way into the Big 12 Championship Game. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes didn’t even qualify for their conference title game. A 7-5 Duke football team took its spot. Notre Dame is independent, so there’s no conference game at all.

Playing in a high-stakes conference championship should help a team’s playoff case, not hurt it. BYU shouldn’t be penalized for playing an extra game against the No. 4 team in the FBS. Notre Dame and Miami were essentially on a free bye week.

Additionally, consider the quality of their losses. BYU, coached by Kalani Sitake, had just two losses this season. Both losses were to Joey McGuire’s stacked, No. 4-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders. One came in the Big 12 title game and the other in Week 10. Miami’s defeats came against SMU and Louisville, both teams with 8-4 records.

The Cougars were one of eight Power Four programs that won 11 games. They were also the only ones not to make the playoffs. BYU fans argue that their losses are “better” because they came against far stronger competition.

Even though Miami beat Notre Dame head-to-head, BYU fans feel the overall body of work should have placed BYU ahead of Miami in the first place. That would make the head-to-head tiebreaker irrelevant.

BYU fans are criticizing the committee for cherry-picking statistics and overlooking the broader context. Now, Kalani Sitake and the Cougars have to sit out the playoffs and head straight to a bowl game.

Which bowl is BYU playing in?

The BYU Cougars are getting ready for their bowl game. They will play against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, which will take place in Orlando, Florida. You can catch the game on Saturday, December 27. The Cougars have a chance to make some history as a 12th win would mark their first time hitting that number since 2001.

Beyond this fun bowl game, things are looking great for the future of BYU football. Their head coach, Kalani Sitake, just signed a big new contract after turning down the Penn State job. With a strong recruiting class, BYU is positioning itself to be a top contender in the Big 12 again next season. Plus, Bear Bachmeier exceeded all expectations.

As usual, Sitake somehow manages to assemble a top-five defense in the country every season. From a roster standpoint, the team is in excellent shape.

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Things are looking strong on the recruiting front as well. This class ranks about 20th in the nation and is second in the Big 12. They locked in five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons. They also managed to secure almost all the top local players in Utah.

This massive haul of top-tier talent is precisely what they need to keep pace with the big programs and continue to win year after year.