BYU football social media goes at ESPN for CFP narrative

BYU will not tolerate any disrespect from fans who exclude it from the College Football Playoff picture. That includes ESPN, which received a sarcastic clapback from the Cougars’ social media for its portrayal of the current CFP landscape.

The worldwide leader in sports has expectedly shifted its focus to the College Football Playoffs with the regular season all but complete and conference championship games on deck. At one point on the show ‘Get Up,’ the program discussed BYU as an outside-looking-in team, much to the ire of Cougars play-by-play broadcaster Jason Shepherd. The crew made their predictions with the lower-third, “Could BYU steal a CFP berth from Notre Dame or Miami?”

Shepherd’s post quickly spread among BYU fans on social media, who criticized the network for its perceived bias. The Cougars then responded to the post with a screenshot from the same ‘Get Up’ episode that compared their resume to those of Alabama, Notre Dame and Miami.

“Stealing” https://t.co/XTkZo9fUuH pic.twitter.com/IKRZZTPV7P

— BYU Cougars (@BYUCougars) December 4, 2025

With a win over Texas Tech in the Big 12 Championship Game, BYU would secure an automatic College Football Playoff as a top-four team. However, they would fall to the outskirts with a loss, which is where the ESPN debate centered.

Another loss to Texas Tech would drop the Cougars to 11-2, matching the records of Alabama, Notre Dame and Miami. The decision would then come down to the strength of schedule debate, which does not figure to favor BYU.

BYU’s stance in College Football Playoff picture

BYU would be the Big 12 runner-up, which is more than either of the other three bubble teams can bargain. Yet, the general competition in the SEC and ACC is objectively a level above the Big 12.

However, the Cougars have two wins over teams currently in the top 25, matching Alabama and besting Notre Dame and Miami. The judgment would come down to how much the committee values the Crimson Tide’s wins over Tennessee and Missouri, which were both ranked for most of the year before falling out of the latest CFP rankings update.

Notre Dame’s profile could also receive a boost depending on the Mountain West Championship Game result. The Irish’s 21-point win over Boise State will look much better on paper if the Broncos beat UNLV on Friday to win their third consecutive league title.

The post BYU football social media goes at ESPN for CFP narrative appeared first on ClutchPoints.