Will BYU make the College Football Playoff? Game-by-game predictions for rest of year

You are what your record says you are. When it comes to the BYU Cougars, that means they are a darn good football team! At 7-0 overall and 4-0 in Big 12 play, the No. 13 Cougars are very much alive to get to Arlington and play for a conference championship. After getting past a down on its luck Oklahoma State Cowboys team, the Cougars are just five wins away from a perfect regular season.

Love 'em or hate 'em, the Cougs are going places in this newfangled Big 12 conference. They are one of three unbeaten teams in league play alongside Iowa State, who still has not lost yet either, and a one-loss Texas Tech team, whose lone defeat came to Washington State in the non-conference. Kansas State is still very much in the mix to get to Arlington, but fell to BYU badly earlier this season.

With so much left to be played, here is what I am seeing happening to BYU for the rest of the season.

The Cougars have the pathway to get a top-four seed with a 13-0 (9-0) record and a Big 12 championship. However, their three toughest remaining regular season games are all on the road. They have to go to Orlando next for UCF. While they get a bye after next week, BYU must travel to Salt Lake City to face arch rival Utah in the Holy War. However, the slip-up I am seeing may occur in Tempe.

This is entirely about how the schedule falls for BYU. They have time to regroup after a close call vs. Oklahoma State to handle business traveling across the country to Orlando. Having the bye ahead of the Holy War will be huge for Kalani Sitake's team's preparation. However, going to Arizona State immediately after handling a dead in the water Kansas team seems like the epitome of a trap game.

While I have BYU getting to Arlington, I am not sure if they are getting past a proven Iowa State team.

Let's unpack this a bit more in detail before you ease into your Saturday morning of college football.

Will the BYU Cougars make in into the College Football Playoff this year?

According to ESPN's Football Power Index, BYU has a strong 42.6-percent chance of making it into the College Football Playoff at this point in the season. It is the 14th highest mark in the country, but only second behind Iowa State's at 51.8 percent. The good news is the only other Big 12 team with better than a 10-percent chance of getting is is Kansas State at 23.8, but BYU has the head-to-head.

My big thing with BYU is there is not a ton of margin for error for them. The Cougars are well-coached and know exactly who they are playing for Sitake. They have a great team identity, and that will serve them in the end in Big 12 play. However, they are not perfect, and will potentially drop a game in conference play. My pick is at Arizona State, but it could happen at UCF or at Utah for the Holy War.

Since I have Iowa State projected to go 12-0 now with wins over Texas Tech and rival Kansas State in Farmageddon, they would be the first-place team getting to Arlington and BYU the second, as the Cougars have the head-to-head over Kansas State. It would be close, but I would take Rocco Becht and the Cyclones over Jake Retzlaff and the Cougars right this moment. At 11-2 (8-1), will BYU get in?

Unfortunately, BYU projects to be one of the first four teams out in that situation, as the Big 12 would only get in its Power Four champion of Iowa State. A second loss and not Big 12 championship will not be good enough to get in this year. For BYU to get in, the Cougars probably have to win the league. If they get to Arlington at 12-0 but lose, the Cougars would actually have a real shot at it.

The three-point victory on the road over ACC contender SMU could be a huge boost for the Cougars.