By Jordan SiglerShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberNo. 11 BYU is set to play No. 5 Texas Tech in the Big 12 Championship Game on Saturday.
More News: Texas’ Steve Sarkisian Calls Out Notre Dame
The Cougars would punch their ticket into the College Football Playoff with a win over the Red Raiders. BYU finished the regular season with an 11-1 record, its only loss coming to TTU in a 29-7 contest on the road on Nov. 8.
The Cougars have an argument to make the CFP despite the outcome of Saturday's contest.
...More News: Florida AD Receives Major Backlash Amid Jon Sumrall News
Following Texas Tech's win over West Virginia on Saturday, TTU head coach Joey McGuire argued BYU deserves to make the CFP regardless of the result of the Big 12 championship.
"No matter what happens, I think BYU and Texas Tech should be in the playoffs," McGuire said.
However, news has surfaced in recent days that BYU head coach Kalani Sitake is expected to interview for the open job at Penn State, per college football insider Josh Pate. PSU would obviously like to finalize its head coaching search before the early signing period begins on Wednesday.
“We think they're meeting with Kalani Sitake, who is the head coach at Brigham Young," Pate said on "Josh Pate's College Football Show" on Sunday. "This has been pretty widely reported in Penn State circles, so if you're following Penn State, this is not news to you.
"If you're not following Penn State, that probably came out of left field a little bit. I have no clue how advanced their talks had been with him.”
Pate thinks Sitake would want to coach in the Big 12 championship regardless of his status with PSU.
Still, things could get murky for the Cougars' CFP ambitions if Sitake takes the job at Penn State and BYU loses to Texas Tech on Saturday.
It's unclear if BYU would let Sitake coach in the CFP if he accepted the job with the Nittany Lions. North Texas will allow Eric Morris to coach in the CFP if the program makes it despite taking the Oklahoma State job. Ole Miss is not letting Lane Kiffin coach the Rebels after deciding to leave for LSU.
The CFP selection committee could penalize the Cougars in the final rankings on Sunday if Sitake will not coach BYU in the playoffs. The Cougars are already on the bubble before the Big 12 championship.
A loss to TTU and Sitake leaving for Penn State would likely spell the end of BYU's chances of making the CFP.
For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.
Request Reprint & LicensingSubmit CorrectionView Editorial & AI Guidelines
Add Newsweek as a preferred source on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search.Recommended For You
NCAABill Belichick, North Carolina Hit With Brutal News After NC State Defeat3 min read
NCAA$37 Million SEC Coach Fired After 41-0 Loss: Report2 min read
NCAAJimbo Fisher Could Replace Auburn’s New Coach at USF3 min read
NCAAUrban Meyer Reacts to Jon Sumrall Being Named Florida’s New Head Coach3 min read
NCAALane Kiffin’s First Game as LSU Head Coach Revealed3 min read
NCAA4-Star LSU WR Enters Transfer Portal Immediately After Lane Kiffin Hire2 min readRelated Podcasts
Top Stories
NewsThe Motive Behind the National Guard Shooting: What We Know6 min read
NewsUncommon Knowledge: Trump Closes Venezuelan Airspace, but Not NATO Airspace5 min read
WorldRepublicans Demand Probe into Pete Hegseth’s Boat Strikes5 min read
PoliticsDonald Trump Suffers Blow in Alina Habba Case4 min read
U.S.What the US Supreme Court Has Said About Denaturalization7 min read
Live BlogTrial Begins for Brian Walshe, Accused of Killing His Wife—Live Updates1 min readTrending
FloridaAmazon Driver Sees Food Left for Stray Cats—Ring Cam Captures What He Does3 min read
NWSWinter Storm Warning as 8 Inches of Snow to Hit North and Midwest3 min read
Donald TrumpMap Shows Donald Trump’s Approval Rating in Each State After 10 Months4 min read
Delta AirlineDelta Air Lines Plane Slides Off Runway During Winter Storm1 min read
WeatherWinter Storm Warning As 13 Inches of Snow To Strike: ‘Extreme Caution’3 min readOpinion
OpinionForeign Energy Companies Have No Home in Our Forests | Opinion4 min read
OpinionThe Hemp Ban Shows America Still Works | Opinion4 min read
OpinionConventional Wisdom: The Somali Minnesota Welfare Fraud Edition4 min read
OpinionRedefining Professional Degrees Will Hurt Everyday Americans | Opinion5 min read
OpinionAI Is Coming for Our Most Intimate Communications. Congress Must Act | Opinion5 min read
