Kalani Sitake has kept his head down for most of the season, letting BYU’s play speak for itself. But with the Cougars now preparing for the Big 12 Championship game, the head coach isn’t holding back. And frankly, with an 11-1 record and a No. 11 spot in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, you can understand why he’s speaking up.
“It’s a little disrespectful,” Sitake said bluntly during an appearance on “BYU Sports Nation” Wednesday morning.
He’s referring to what’s been a noticeable lack of attention toward BYU in recent CFP ranking shows. Despite being one of the few one-loss teams in the country - and the only Power Five program playing in a conference title game that’s not ranked in the top 10 - the Cougars have barely been mentioned. Meanwhile, multiple two-loss teams ahead of them have been part of the weekly narrative, getting airtime, graphics, and debate.
Sitake’s frustration isn’t just about rankings - it’s about visibility. Over the last two CFP reveal shows, ESPN’s graphics packages have highlighted bubble teams and resume comparisons. But BYU and Utah were left out of those visuals entirely, even when the rankings being discussed ranged from No. 9 through No. 15 - right in BYU’s wheelhouse.
“If your job is to put the comparisons up there, but you leave the BYU graphic out… it seems like that’s maybe done on purpose,” Sitake said. “And maybe a committee shouldn’t be doing that on purpose.”
He’s not wrong to raise the question. BYU has been a longtime partner of ESPN, dating back to the network’s early days.
From their historic 1984 season to their late-night national TV slots during independence, BYU has been a consistent presence in the college football landscape. So when they’re not even part of the conversation - not even a logo on the screen - it stings.
Sitake’s point is bigger than just BYU. It’s about fairness in how the playoff picture is shaped.
The Cougars are playing for a conference title. Some of the teams ranked ahead of them are not.
And yet, those idle teams could potentially leapfrog into the playoff while BYU, even with a win, might still be left out.
“Last year, I felt like we didn’t belong in the conversation because we weren’t in the (Big 12) championship game,” Sitake said. “Now there’s teams that aren’t in the championship game that are sitting there waiting to see if they’re going to advance or move back. They have no say in it, just watching other teams play.”
His solution? Level the playing field. If you’re going to reward teams that don’t play a 13th game, then make everyone play one.
“If teams aren’t going to play in a championship game but they’re going to be in the playoff, they should all play a 13th game,” he said. “You can’t just say one thing and then change the game as you’re seeding the playoff teams.”
Sitake also pointed out the inconsistency in how championship games are treated. BYU is the only Power Five team in a title game that isn’t in the top 10. That’s not just unusual - it’s unprecedented in the current CFP format.
“Don’t punish the team for being in the championship game, but then elevate other teams,” he said. “Don’t let them have the upper hand by not playing a game. Then why would anyone want to play?”
It’s a fair question, especially in a system that’s supposed to reward teams for winning their conferences.
Sitake even floated a more radical idea - expanding the playoff to 24 teams, similar to the FCS model. That way, more deserving programs - especially those in competitive conferences like the Big 12 - would get a shot.
“Let’s go to 24 like the FCS,” he said. “Everybody who can play that 13th game, they don’t even have to play a championship game.”
He used a hypothetical to illustrate the point: in a 24-team system, even a team like Texas Tech - who holds a tiebreaker - could win the Big 12, and others from the conference could still make the playoff. More teams, more representation, more fairness.
“I probably spoke too long on it,” Sitake admitted. “I just… when you don’t even put our logo up there, you don’t even talk about us, then that’s disappointing.”
This Saturday, BYU has a chance to force the conversation. They’ll face Texas Tech in the Big 12 Championship game in Arlington, Texas.
Kickoff is set for 10 a.m. MST.
A win would secure an automatic CFP berth. A loss?
Well, that would leave their fate in the hands of the same committee Sitake just called out.
Either way, the Cougars have done more than enough to deserve a seat at the table. Now it’s time to see if the committee agrees.