ARLINGTON, Texas — Moments before the Big 12 championship game between No. 4 Texas Tech and No. 11 BYU, commissioner Brett Yormark made his last pitch to the College Football Playoff committee to put BYU into the playoffs.
"BYU's body of work at 11-1 — and I've said this before — is bring undervalued by the CFP committee," Yormark said. "Let's not look at logos, let's look at resumes. When you do a blind resume comparison, there is no doubt BYU is in the top 10."
The Cougars currently sit behind two-loss teams Oklahoma, Alabama and Notre Dame, and two-loss Miami looms right behind at No. 12.
"No Power Four team with an 11-1 record has ever finished outside the top 10 in the CFP rankings going into championship rankings," Yormark said, noting BYU's unprecedented low placement in the rankings.
If it were up to Yormark, the fight for the 12th and final spot wouldn't even be necessary, as he doubled down on his stance that a 16-team playoff model is the best for college football.
In the favored 5-11 format, which would give a bid to the five highest conference champions and 11 at large teams, BYU could afford to lose against Texas Tech and still be in contention for a national title.
"When there's 136 FBS schools, the number 12 is too low," Yormark said.
In November, BYU traveled to Lubbock, Texas, for a top-10 matchup that was featured on ESPN's "College GamDay." It was a game that the Cougars would like to forget, losing 29-7.
In the game, a noticeably hurt LJ Martin rushed for only 35 yards against one of the nation's best rush defenses
"When they were in Lubbock, you know, their quarterback and running back weren't as healthy as they were today," Yormark said. "I think they're a better team today."
The Cougars will make their final bid to the College Football Playoff committee against Texas Tech on Saturday at 10 a.m. MST.