No. 12 BYU Passed the Eye Test in a Dominant Win Over TCU

BYU safety Tanner Wall returns an interception for a touchdown against TCU | BYU Photo

Over the last two years, BYU has been discounted by the College Football Playoff committee for not passing the "eye test". Close games, especially late in the second, had been used against BYU. BYU left no doubt on Saturday night in a dominant 44-13 win over TCU. It was BYU's first win over TCU since 2007 and their best performance in the month of November since joining the Big 12.

44 points was the most points TCU has allowed in a game this season. In fact, they had only allowed 30 or more points just twice before this game. The Horned Frogs are a much better team than BYU made them look. Remember, TCU was two blown leads away from being 8-1 heading into this game and in the hunt for the Big 12 championship. And BYU dominated TCU in all three phases.

The Cougars outgained TCU 447-298 even though the BYU offense took its foot off the gas in the fourth quarter. BYU's first seven drives ended in points. It wasn't until the fourth quarter - when the game was already out of hand - that the Cougars punted the ball back to TCU. BYU moved the ball effectively both through the air and on the ground. Bear Bachmeier was 23/33 for 296 yards and a touchdown through the air. He also had 10 carries for 59 yards and a touchdown.

The BYU defense got after Josh Hoover and limited the explosiveness of TCU's outstanding wide receivers. Hoover was 10/23 for 183 yards, no touchdowns, and 2 interceptions.

BYU has had to think about last year's November collapse for the last 12 months. Now that we're in November, national analysts have pointed back to last year's drop-off as a reason to pick against BYU this year. Kirk Herbstreit picked TCU to beat BYU for that exact reason. "BYU did lose after starting 9-0 last year. They lost two of their last three. I know it's on the road, but I like the speed at TCU," Herbstreit said.

Games like BYU's dominant win over TCU are the only thing that can change the perception surrounding BYU. If the Cougars continue to play like they did on Saturday night, the narrative will begin to change.

BYU is determined to learn from last season and close better than they did last November. And it looks like it will all come down to next week at Cincinnati. If BYU beats Cincinnati, the Cougars will very likely end up playing Texas Tech for the Big 12 championship in Arlington (assuming they handle a bad UCF team on Thanksgiving weekend).

And it looks like BYU will need to win its way into the College Football Playoff. The committee punished BYU for losing to a great Texas Tech on the road, knocking the Cougars out of the playoff picture. As of late Saturday night, BYU's at-large changes appear slim. BYU really needed Oklahoma to lose to Alabama. Instead, the Sooners pulled off an upset in Tuscaloosa.

But for now, that doesn't matter. BYU controls its own destiny. If the Cougars win out, there is nothing the playoff committee can do to keep them out.