I’ll preface this by saying I want BYU to win every game and go 15-0 this season. Of course.
The reality is that this inaugural season of the 12-team playoff will set a precedent that may last for years. The SEC/B1G power brokers are dead set on maximizing their access, and what happens this year and next will set that up.
Getting two teams in is vital, and the best way for that to happen would be for BYU to win their next four and lose in the CCG.
If the AP poll is any indicator (and hopefully it is not), there is a much higher likelihood that the ACC gets 2 teams in. If BYU runs the table and wins the conference title, that is even more likely.
I really, really want BYU to win the conference championship. But the stark reality is:
(a) they may lose one of the next 4
(b) they may lose the CCG
The odds of going 13-0 are pretty low.
If it happened that BYU is able to go 12-0 and lose that championship game, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, but it would definitely help the Big 12 in the long term.
Keep in mind there may come a season where getting an at-large bid may come down to the precedents set in the early years of the playoff era.