BYU head coach Kalani Sitake knows his team is firmly on the College Football Playoff bubble with another loss to Texas Tech in the Big 12 Championship Game. But despite his team's 31-point loss dropping their record to 10-2, Sitake believes the Cougars still belong in the 12-team bracket.

Sitake knows the five-score loss severely hurts BYU's resume, but he feels that his team should not be hurt by only losing to what he feels is the “No. 1 team in the country.”

“They're the No. 1 team in the country,” Sitake said in his post-game presser. “I don't know what the other rankings are. This team is really good. So you go play the No. 1 team in the country twice — one in Lubbock and one in a neutral site in the same state — I'd love another crack at it. But they do that to everybody. If you watch the film, you'll see what they do. They grind it out, and they end the games like they just did against us.”

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BYU fell to 11-2 against Texas Tech with the Big 12 Championship Game result, losing by an average of 24.5 points. However, they are 10-0 against every other team with an average margin of victory of 21.7 points.

BYU would have likely secured a top-four seed and a first-round bye in the College Football Playoffs with a win. Instead, the Cougars have to pray to receive a bid from the selection committee.

Texas Tech became the first team to win a Power Four conference title game to lock in its top-four seed, with Tulane effectively securing the Group of Five bid. Ohio State, Indiana, Georgia, Oregon, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Oklahoma all figure to be locked into the 12-team bracket regardless of Saturday's results.

Alabama beating Georgia in the SEC Championship Game would also give it a bid, but a loss puts it in the same position as BYU. The Crimson Tide would fall to 10-3 with a loss, which theoretically drops them a tier below the Cougars.