SALT LAKE CITY — As BYU and Texas Tech prepare for a potential conference-defining weekend, with the college football world descending on Lubbock, Texas, for ESPN "College GameDay" and one of the biggest games of the weekend, the attention was all on the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season Tuesday night.
How would the Big 12 be viewed in the initial rankings of the season, especially as it relates to its opportunity to get multiple teams into a playoff that heavily favors teams from the Power Two conferences?
Ahead of the season, Big 12 Commission Brett Yormark felt confident his conference could get multiple teams into the second iteration of the 12-team playoff.
"I fully expect the Big 12 to earn multiple College Football Playoff bids this year and to show, once again, that we can compete with anyone," Yormark said in July.
And if the first rankings of the season are any indication — with several weeks to go before a final playoff ranking — the Big 12 may have a chance, but that opportunity could quickly change.
The playoff selection committee included three teams from the Big 12 in its initial rankings that were released Tuesday night on ESPN, with both BYU and Texas Tech inside the 12-team playoff, giving the conference two bids initially.
But with both on a collision course this weekend, could it alter the future chances of the conference? That point remains.
Undefeated BYU — one of only four teams left in the country — checked in at No. 7 as the highest-ranked team from the Big 12, and was followed closely by No. 8 Texas Tech, who is a double-digit favorite over the Cougars at home on Saturday (10 a.m. MST, ABC).
But BYU got good news this week and will have the service of running back LJ Martin back in the lineup, according to Pete Thamel of ESPN. The Cougars' leading rusher should be a big boon in BYU's chances to escape with a road win and take firm control of the conference title race.
Behind the top two in the Big 12 is No. 13 Utah, whose only losses are to BYU and Texas Tech. Outside of its two losses, Utah has won all of its remaining games by no less than 25 points and remain highly ranked in both offensive and defensive statistics, which is largely for their higher ranking that the Associated Press Top 25 rankings.
It's the first time BYU and Utah have both been ranked at the same time since Dec. 5, 2021, in which Utah was ranked No. 11 and BYU No. 13 in that season's final College Football Playoff rankings.
It's also the 45th week in which the Utes have been ranked in the College Football Playoff era — tied with Oregon for eighth most all-time — and the 18th week in which the Cougars have been ranked.
For Texas Tech, which invested millions into its roster through NIL efforts, it's the first time in program history it has been included in the College Football Playoff rankings.
At the top of the rankings is No. 1 Ohio State, followed by fellow Big Ten team Indiana. Behind the two Big Ten powers is No. 3 Texas A&M and No. 4 Alabama. If the season ended today, those four teams would receive a first-round bye in the 12-team playoff.
This season, the College Football Playoff will do a straight seeding of teams, as opposed to last year's version that gave a bye to the top four conference winners. The top five conference winners this season will receive an automatic bid to the playoff, with the remaining seven teams falling in place based on the rankings set by the committee.
College Football Playoff schedule
First-round games: Dec. 19-20 (home sites)
- Game 1: Dec. 19 (6 p.m. MST, ABC)
- Game 2: Dec. 20 (10 a.m. MST, ABC)
- Game 3: Dec. 20 (1:30 p.m. MST, TNT)
- Game 4: Dec. 20 (5:30 p.m. MST, TNT)
Quarterfinal games: Dec. 31-Jan. 1
- Cotton Bowl: Dec. 31 (5:30 p.m. MST, ESPN)
- Orange Bowl: Jan. 1 (10 a.m. MST, ESPN)
- Rose Bowl: Jan. 1 (2 p.m. MST, ESPN)
- Sugar Bowl: Jan. 1 (6 p.m. MST, ESPN)
Semifinal games: Jan. 8-9
- Fiesta Bowl: Jan. 8 (5:30 p.m. MST, ESPN)
- Peach Bowl: Jan. 9 (5:30 p.m. MST, ESPN)
National championship: Jan. 19
- Hard Rock Stadium; Miami, FL (5:30 p.m. MST, ESPN)
For a list of the full rankings see below, or click here.
