PROVO, Utah — BYU football didn’t get any help needed in the final week of the regular season to reach the Big 12 Championship Game.

The 9-2 Cougars, with a 6-2 record in Big 12 play, needed either Arizona State or Iowa State to suffer a loss to accompany a BYU win over Houston to reach Arlington.

Arizona State and Iowa State won

K-State falls to Iowa State in Ames. #BYU eliminated from reaching the Big 12 Championship Game. https://t.co/qD6Ktdg6Rb

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) December 1, 2024

BYU didn’t take the loss it needed.

Arizona State defeated Arizona 49-7 and Iowa State defeated Kansas State 29-21 in Ames.

BYU was officially eliminated from the Big 12 Championship Game pool in the second quarter against Houston.

The outcome of the BYU/Houston game will still impact who plays in the Big 12 Championship Game next week. If BYU beats Houston, Iowa State will play Arizona State next week in Arlington.

Should Houston pull off an upset against BYU, Colorado, not Iowa State, would advance to the Big 12 title game against Arizona State.

BYU football lost two games

BYU started the 2024 season with a 9-0 record and was ranked No. 6 in the College Football Playoff rankings. But they lost their last two games against Kansas and Arizona State, which put them in a situation where they needed help heading into the Big 12 title game last week.

The Cougars will play in a bowl game for the first time since the 2022 season. Representatives from the Alamo Bowl and Pop-Tarts Bowl were in Provo Saturday night to watch the BYU/Houston game.

The 2024 Big 12 Championship Game will be played at AT&T Stadium on Saturday, December 7 at 10 a.m. (MST) on ABC.

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12-3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.

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