BYU football coach Kalani Sitake wasn't interested in talking much about the hot topic of the day — his apparent interest in the Penn State coaching opening, and the Nittany Lions' reported interest in him — at a news conference Monday designed to bring attention to Saturday's Big 12 championship game in Arlington, Texas.
But the 10-year BYU coach did open up a little bit more about what he believes should happen if the No. 11 Cougars (11-1) lose to No. 5 Texas Tech (11-1) in the 10 a.m. MST rematch at AT&T Stadium of Tech's 29-7 win last month.
That game in Lubbock still stands as BYU's only loss this season. Texas Tech's only loss was at Arizona State when starting quarterback Behren Morton wasn't available due to injury.
Sitake, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark and Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said both teams should be in, regardless of the outcome, and Yormark even mentioned that No. 13 Utah (10-2) "deserves strong consideration" as well.
Two times on Monday Sitake called Texas Tech "the best team in the nation" and he also said the Red Raiders have "one of the best defenses in the nation," led by Heisman Trophy candidate linebacker Jacob Rodriguez .
"I (was) not much of a campaign guy for us during the season, but after the season, and looking at it, at everything, I do believe that what Commissioner Yormark, and what Joey McGuire said, that we are a playoff-contending team," Sitake said. "I'm looking forward to both teams representing the Big 12 in this playoff, and doing it the right way."
Yormark said "limited tickets are available" but that the league does "expect a sellout" and wants to show why it is "truly a different league." Country star Jon Pardi, who said a few words in the news conference via Zoom, will perform at halftime.
Yormark said the Big 12 is the only conference in America that has a "big-time halftime show" in its conference championship game.
"Both programs are not only worthy of competing for the Big 12 title, they both deserve to be in the CFP based on their resumes and their bodies of work," Yormark said. "…. As I said last Friday (during the Arizona-Arizona State game on Fox) BYU is being undervalued by the CFP committee at No. 11 in the rankings. Let's not look at logos. Let's look at resumes."
Yormark said blind resume comparisons put BYU in the top 10, "no question about it."
Doubling down on his statement Friday that BYU should be in over 10-2 Notre Dame — which will not be playing in a conference championship game — Yormark said the Cougars "have a better overall record, better strength of record, and better strength of schedule," than the Irish.
"I am confident that the CFP will get it right for BYU," he said. "… The depth of this conference is unprecedented. Twelve of our teams have top-25 wins, and the best two teams are certainly playing in our championship (game). So let's see what happens this week and next Sunday, but I feel good about our chances."
McGuire also said Monday that "the two best teams in the conference are playing this weekend," then expressed his love and admiration for Sitake.
Having watched all three of BYU's games since the Cougars were blown out by his team in Lubbock, McGuire noted: "They just keep getting better and better. I think Kalani's got one of the best freshmen ( Bear Bachmeier ) at quarterback and he's got an incredible coaching staff.
"Without a doubt, we should both be in the playoffs, no matter what happens on Saturday," McGuire said. "I think we've earned the ride. … We are as good as anybody in the country, and we're going to put on a great game."
Four of the five questions put to Sitake on Monday focused on the aforementioned rumors about the Penn State opening and replacing James Franklin, which the Big Ten school fired on Oct. 12. However, the first question was a general one about how he handles it with his team when his name surfaces for job openings.
"I've asked our team to be focused on what we can control, and what we're doing as a team, and not worry about all the distractions," he said. "This is a great distraction to have. Let's be honest. But right now we need to be focused on making sure that we're giving our best shot in this game against Texas Tech."
Asked directly about a FootballScoop.com report that talks between Sitake and Penn State have heated up, Sitake said he "already commented on it before" and reiterated that they were going to "avoid all the distractions."
Asked by the Deseret News if he is happy about how he and his staff have been treated "financially" by BYU, he opted to make light of the situation.
"Yeah. I mean, I've gained weight. You can tell. I'm living the good life," he said. "So the more Joey buys dinner for me, the better my life will get."
Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire gestures for a timeout during an NCAA college football game against BYU, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, in Lubbock, Texas. | Annie Rice
