That bytes: Humans like No. 2 BYU Cougars more than computers do

Mention the words “eye test” and most BYU football fans will cringe.

The past two years, BYU has just missed out on making the College Football Playoff, and one of the most prominent reasons given from members of the CFP selection committee is that the Cougars didn’t pass the eye test.

In 2025, the common thinking was that BYU had too many close wins over mediocre opponents, and those two disasters against Texas Tech, of course.

Despite going 11-2 in 2024 and 11-2 last year (before its win in the Pop-Tarts Bowl), BYU was on the outside looking in when the bids were handed out. Humans didn’t like the Cougars as much as computers did.

This year, the opposite appears to be happening.

After 6-0 BYU upset then-No. 2 Notre Dame 28-24 in Provo on Saturday night, the Cougars jumped from No. 8 to No. 2 in the most important human rankings (before the first CFP rankings come out Nov. 3), the Associated Press Top 25 Poll. The Cougars are No. 3 in the US LBM Coaches Poll, swapping places there with 6-1 Ohio State.

Clearly, the Cougars — who play at UCF on Saturday (1:30 p.m. MDT, Fox) in Orlando’s Acrisure Bounce House — are passing the eye test. Humans in the AP Poll gave them 20 first-place votes.

However, the computers aren’t looking upon BYU as favorably. Computer-generated rankings vary, but most rely heavily on statistical data, efficiency metrics and predictive formulas to come up with their ratings of teams.

ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) is widely considered to be the most important computer poll these days, and there is ample evidence that the CFP committee keeps track of its findings throughout the selection process.

ESPN’s FPI currently has BYU at No. 14; interestingly, BYU was at No. 14 before it beat Notre Dame, so the computers were not nearly as impressed as the media members (AP poll) and, um, sports information directors (coaches poll).

Notre Dame stayed put at No. 2 in the FPI after losing by four points in Provo.

Coincidentally, Utah, which is No. 10 in the AP poll, is ahead of BYU in the FPI, landing at No. 13 there.

What about other computer-generated rankings?

In Jeff Sagarin’s ratings, Notre Dame is No. 2, but BYU is No. 14 and Utah is No. 15.

In Sports-Reference’s Simple Ratings System (SRS), BYU is No. 12 and Utah is No. 18.

We did find at least one computer that likes the Cougars a lot, however. In the Congrove Computer Rankings, BYU is No. 4 and Notre Dame is No. 5.

But guess who is at No. 3?

The 6-0 Texas Tech Red Raiders.