The Inaugural College Football Playoff rankings debuted Tuesday and BYU checked in at #7 and is the highest rated Big 12 team. BYU is one of three Big 12 teams ranked along with Texas Tech (8) and Utah (13). All three teams are ranked higher in the CFP rankings than they are in the AP Poll, which is a good sign of respect for the Big 12. Cincinnati is ranked #25 in the AP Poll but the Bearcats did not appear in the initial CFP rankings.
The committee views Utah favorably, which will help BYU as the season goes on. The Utes are ranked #17 in the AP Poll but are 4 spots higher in the CFP rankings. BYU rose as high as #6 in last year’s CFP rankings after a 9-0 start before losing to Kansas.
According to FanDuel odds, BYU has +154 odds to make the CFP and -192 odds to miss it, meaning oddsmakers have BYU more likely to miss the playoff. Those odds would go up materially if BYU were to upset Texas Tech this Saturday.