This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Wishing for a big mess in the Big 12 standings is a tough way to live.

The 2015 season has not played out favorably for BYU football fans who hope Big 12 administrators someday will be compelled to expand the 10-school conference by inviting the independent Cougars to join them. That's because Oklahoma is an apparent lock for the College Football Playoff — without playing in a conference championship game this week.

After last season, when Baylor and TCU were left out of the playoff, there was considerable logic in the idea that a Big 12 title game would have distinguished one of those teams enough to give the conference a CFP contestant. League administrators didn't overreact to one year's data.

Yet those circumstances created enough of an opening for BYU fans to hope that if the Big 12 were shut out of the playoff for multiple seasons, the conference might reconsider expansion. As of only two weeks ago, that possibility was in play for 2015, with the Big 12 standings potentially jumbled.

Oklahoma emerged, however. And the Big 12 actually is being rewarded for not making the Sooners (11-1) play another game. In contrast, the Atlantic Coast Conference could suffer if Clemson loses to North Carolina in the title game, possibly keeping any league member out of the top four. Even the Southeastern Conference is potentially in that situation, with Alabama needing to beat Florida in the championship game to secure a playoff berth.

So the Big 12 is looking good, and BYU is no further along in its push for membership in a Power 5 conference. The Cougars (9-3) have pretty much done their part on the football field this season, although it is evident that not even a bowl victory will get them into the final AP Top 25, a typical reward for a 10-win team and one of coach Bronco Mendenhall's annual goals.

BYU has lost three games to Power 5 schools after rallying to beat Nebraska in the season opener. The Cougars were very competitive in losses to UCLA and Missouri, with a blowout at Michigan in between.

The Cougars could get another shot at a Power 5 team in the Las Vegas Bowl, facing a Pac-12 opponent such as California. But when the playoff semifinals are staged on New Year's Eve with Oklahoma in the mix, the Sooners will symbolize the Big 12's success in 2015 — at the expense of BYU's ambitions.

Twitter: @tribkurt