national championship on the 40th anniversary of 1984? It is great to finally have a real shot at it. It's fun to think/dream about, but then you look at what it would actually take to pull it off. Here is a sampling based on Action Network's current projected field...

https://www.actionnetwork.com/ncaaf/week-9-college-football-bowl-projections-updated-picks-brett-mcmurphy-college-football-playoff-predictions

If BYU gets an at large as Big12 runner up (what Action network is projecting)...

> Beat Penn State in State College, PA (Top 10 defense, Top 25 rushing offense avg. over 200 yards a game)
> Beat Miami in the Peach Bowl in ATL (#1 offense in the entire country avg. 577 yards a game)
> Beat Georgia in the Orange Bowl in Miami (it's freakin' Georgia)
> Beat Oregon or Ohio State in the National Championship game back in Atlanta

If BYU wins the Big12 and gets a first round bye...

> Beat Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale AZ
> Beat Oregon in the Cotton Bowl in Arlington TX
> Beat Georgia in the National Championship game in ATL

It is definitely a better path to get the 1st round bye, but beating Ohio State, Oregon and Georgia in consecutive weeks on the biggest stage with their best efforts? How does a Cinderella like BYU ever pull such a thing off?