Why the Pop-Tarts Bowl Could Be BYU’s Launchpad into 2026 CFP Contention
For No. 12 BYU, Saturday’s Pop-Tarts Bowl matchup against No.
22 Georgia Tech isn’t about salvaging a season - it’s about setting the tone for the next one. The College Football Playoff door is already closed for 2025, but beat the Yellow Jackets, and the Cougars could be walking into 2026 with the kind of momentum that matters in the eyes of the selection committee.
A win would cap BYU’s season at 12-2, a record that’s not just impressive on paper - it’s the kind of finish that can vault a program into the top 10 of the final AP Top 25. That kind of ending matters, especially when you’re trying to earn that elusive “benefit of the doubt” status from the CFP committee. And with quarterback Bear Bachmeier expected to return, along with the potential return of running back LJ Martin, there’s a legitimate case for BYU to open next season inside the top 15.
That’s not just about pride. It’s about positioning. Because in college football, where you start can dictate how far you're allowed to go.
We saw that lesson play out over the past two seasons. After a rocky 5-7 debut in the Big 12, BYU entered 2024 picked 13th in the conference and didn’t receive a single vote in the preseason AP poll.
It took four straight wins - including a statement-making 38-9 rout of then-No. 13 Kansas State - just to crack into the rankings.
The climb didn’t stop there. After taking down Utah in Salt Lake City to improve to 9-0, BYU surged to No. 6 in the CFP rankings.
That was uncharted territory for the Cougars in the Playoff era. But losses to Kansas and Arizona State knocked them out of the top four and into a four-way tie atop the Big 12.
Just like that, the Playoff hopes were gone.
Still, the 36-14 win over No. 23 Colorado in the Alamo Bowl was a strong finish - and it mattered.
BYU ended the year ranked No. 13 in the AP poll, a massive leap from their preseason projection of No. 68.
That kind of jump should’ve set the stage for a top-15 start in 2025. But when quarterback Jake Retzlaff transferred to Tulane, the Cougars were left out of the preseason AP Top 25 entirely. Once again, they had to climb.
To their credit, they did. BYU started just outside the rankings and worked their way up with eight straight wins, eventually landing at No. 7 in the first CFP poll.
But the margin for error was razor-thin. A 29-7 road loss to No.
8 Texas Tech knocked them back five spots - and despite winning their next three games and earning a spot in the Big 12 title game, they never returned to the top 10. And in this current CFP structure, that top-10 status is often a prerequisite for serious Playoff consideration.
Here’s where the frustration sets in for BYU fans - and where the stakes of Saturday’s game become clear.
Imagine if BYU had started this season at No. 13 instead of unranked. Eight straight wins likely would’ve had them ranked even higher than No. 7, and a loss to a top-10 team like Texas Tech might not have been so damaging. That’s the difference between being on the inside looking out, and on the outside hoping to be let in.
It’s the same dynamic we see with programs like Ohio State, Oregon, and Alabama. When you start high, you’re allowed to stumble without falling out of contention.
Ole Miss lost at No. 9 Georgia and dropped just three spots.
Oregon lost at home to No. 7 Indiana and only slipped to No.
- Ohio State lost to No.
2 Indiana and fell a single spot. Alabama lost three games and still sat comfortably in the top 10.
That’s not favoritism - it’s inertia. The polls set the narrative, and the narrative shapes the Playoff picture.
When the first CFP rankings dropped on Nov. 4, the top six teams were the same as those in the AP poll released two days prior. The top 10s were nearly identical. That’s not coincidence - it’s confirmation that early-season perception sticks.
So how does BYU change its narrative? By finishing strong.
By beating Georgia Tech. By giving voters and the committee a reason to view the Cougars as more than a good story - as a program that belongs in the national conversation from Day 1.
Saturday’s Pop-Tarts Bowl isn’t just a sendoff for the seniors. It’s a springboard for the returners. A win gives BYU a 12-win season, a top-10 finish, and a head start on the 2026 campaign.
The Cougars’ climb to CFP credibility doesn’t begin next fall. It starts now.