SALT LAKE CITY — The rematch played out almost the same as the original this season.
The biggest difference was that BYU put together a strong open drive before Texas Tech locked in and controlled the momentum for the duration of the game in the Big 12 championship.
The second loss to Texas Tech all but guaranteed a miss on the College Football Playoff, with the selection committee already docking the Cougars before the championship game loss and keeping BYU as the first team "outside" the playoff line.
Even with Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark and Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire politicking for BYU, it was a fruitless effort for the Cougars and the conference.
That fate was made more a reality an hour before the selection committee released its rankings when the Associated Press Top 25 rankings dropped the Cougars to No. 12 in the final rankings of the regular season. Though not an official decider on the College Football Playoff seeding, the AP rankings were a tell-tale of what's to come.
A couple hours later, the fate was sealed when the College Football Playoff selection committee dropped BYU to No. 12 and outside of the playoff.
Texas Tech stayed put at No. 4 in the CFP rankings, with Utah also staying put at No. 15 ahead of what is expected to be a Las Vegas Bowl bid against the Big Ten's Nebraska.
Joining the three top-15 teams in the Big 12 is No. 17 Arizona and No. 21 Houston.
For the first time since the second week of the season, a new No. 1 team occupied the top spot in the AP Top 25 and was ranked the No. 1 seed in the playoff. Undefeated Indiana now checks in at No. 1 as a unanimous selction after defeating Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game.
The three other teams receiving a first-round bye in the playoff includes No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 Texas Tech. The remaining teams in the playoff include Oregon, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Alabama, Miami, Tulane and James Madison.
To see the full rankings check below, or click here.
