Tempe, Ariz. • Kalani Sitake had to remind his team the season wasn’t over last week.

BYU wasn’t an Independent anymore, he told them. It could afford to drop a game and still control its own fate.

“There was a little bit of that feeling when we lost [the season was over]. Like when you lost to Coastal Carolina [in 2020], or when you lose a game early [as an Independent] and you are out of the mix for a New Year’s Six bowl,” the BYU head coach said after the Kansas loss.

Now, we’ll see what BYU does with its second chance.

The Cougars are on the road at Arizona State with an opportunity to clinch a Big 12 title game appearance.

Technically, it will need Utah to beat Iowa State to formally punch its ticket. But even if that doesn’t happen, a BYU win alone would make it nearly impossible for the Cougars not to go to Arlington.

But a loss could be equally detrimental. BYU would give up its tiebreaker with Arizona State and need plenty of help in the last week of the season to sniff a championship chance. So the objective essentially boils down to this: Win and you’re in. Lose and you’re out.

The Cougars should be fully healthy with the season on the line. Center Connor Pay and wide receiver Kody Epps both returned from injury last week.