Following 1st loss, BYU still has chance to clinch Big 12 title berth against Arizona State

PROVO (KSL.com) — Like many of his teammates, Isaiah Glasker sat in the locker room after then-No. 7 BYU’s 17-13 loss to Kansas with an unfamiliar feeling.

The first loss of the Cougars’ season sat with him for more than the drive home, too.

The Cougars were stunned by a 17-13 loss to Kansas that dropped them from No. 7 to No. 14 in the Associated Press Top 25. But BYU still has everything to play for, including a spot in the Big 12 conference championship game to whom the winner will almost assuredly receive a bid to the newly expanded 12-team College Football Playoff.

“It took me about a day,” said BYU linebacker Isaiah Glasker, who had five tackles, a tackle for loss and a pass breakup against the Jayhawks, who beat back-to-back ranked opponents for the first time since 1995. “I thought about all Sunday. But knowing the boys, we just need to come back and lock in again; put what’s in the past in the past, and focus on what we’ve got coming up — and that’s ASU.”

Head coach Kalani Sitake said Monday during his weekly media briefing with local reporters that adversity, including Saturday’s loss, can help reveal BYU’s ultimate identity for the 2024 season. How the Cougars bounce back will undoubtedly shape what kind of season ultimately falls on the team once ranked as high as No. 6 by the CFP selection committee after an unforeseen 9-0 start.

That response starts Saturday against newly ranked No. 21 Arizona State (1:30 p.m. MST, ESPN).

“When they swing first, we see how we respond,” Glasker said. “We knew going into this game that Kansas was going to be a good team, and we were going to have to bring everything. We feel short.

“This coming week, we’re just going to have to see how we respond. I believe in our boys, I trust our coaches, and I feel like this is going to help us stay on top of the little things, like Kalani emphasizes.”

Of course, Saturday’s matchup may be among the toughest of the year for the Cougars, and comes against another surprise former Western Athletic Conference team (from 1965-77) that was picked to finish last in the Big 12 preseason media poll.

The Sun Devils (8-2, 5-2 Big 12) have won five of their last six contests including a 24-14 road win over Kansas State where quarterback Sam Leavitt completed 21-of-34 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns and 73 of 123 yards on the ground from breakout running back Cam Skattebo.

“I like the way (ASU) plays the game,” Sitake said. “It’s going to be a cool matchup. And I hope it brings out the best in us. We are going to need that going into Saturday.”

A win for either team will all-but wrap up a spot in the Big 12 title game Dec. 7 in Arlington, Texas. BYU (9-1, 6-1 Big 12) can mathematically clinch a spot in the game with a win over the Sun Devils, and some help from rival Utah if the Utes beat Iowa State.

Colorado can also clinch a championship game berth with wins by BYU and Utah, and a win over Kansas in Boulder. A win by Arizona State would put the Sun Devils and Cougars even in conference play at 6-2 and the head-to-head tiebreaker with one games remaining against Arizona and Houston, respectively.

So despite the feelings suffered by BYU players, coaches and staff in the postgame locker room Saturday night, the Cougars control their own destiny and have everything yet to play for. Win out, and a spot at AT&T Stadium is guaranteed.

“We are still sitting at the top of the conference. But really, that stuff doesn’t matter,” Sitake said. “We explaind to them how we are focused on trying to win the next game. The system and process is still the same.

“We have to get ready for Super Bowl 11. Obviously, Super Bowl 10 didn’t go our way. We have to move on to the next one and find ways to get better. You can’t let the sting of a game affect the next week, and that’s what we have to get back to. I feel like this will be a good lesson for our guys and a moment for us to learn. It’s a really good position for us to be in, and that’s really why I love our partnership in the Big 12. There is still a lot to play for. That is going to be our focus.”