Is Kalani Sitake for or against the College Football Playoff expanding to 24 teams next year?

Two days after suffering one of the most devastating losses of his 11-year tenure at BYU’s head football coach, Kalani Sitake maintained his wry sense of humor Monday during his weekly press briefing as the heartbroken Cougars moved on from their 28-20 loss to rival Utah and began preparing for Baylor.

Asked if he is for or against the College Football Playoff expanding to 24 teams next year, Sitake quipped: “Yeah, I wish it were 24 teams this year.”

The Cougars (4-2, 7-2) certainly aren’t out of the CFP race this year, or out of contention to play in the final Big 12 championship game on Dec. 4, but Sitake’s response illustrates the precarious position BYU is in after coming up just short in the first BYU-Utah rivalry game pitting top-10 teams.

“Going back to last weekend, as I mentioned after the game, it was a really cool experience,” Sitake said Monday. “Obviously, we didn’t come away with the victory, but I am really proud of the way the guys played. We can build on things we saw on film, and I am looking forward to seeing how the team responds from that game.”

Two years ago, after a 22-21 win over Utah at Rice-Eccles, the Cougars lost their next two games — 17-13 to unranked Kansas and 28-23 to No. 21 Arizona State. Last year, they kept rolling after a 24-21 win over No. 23 Utah in Provo and beat Iowa State 41-27 in Ames.

Unranked Baylor (4-2, 6-3) rolls into LaVell Edwards Stadium for a 1:30 p.m. MST encounter on Fox on Saturday as one of the hottest teams in the country, Sitake said. A BYU loss would completely derail the Cougars’ postseason hopes.

“We can’t let the Utah loss linger into (this) week, but what we can do is use it as motivation to get better,” Sitake said. “We appreciate all the fans and everyone who supports us. We know we can play better, and it is my job to get these guys playing at a higher level.”

Earlier Monday, ESPN and the CFP announced they reached an agreement to expand the playoff to 24 teams, a move that was not unexpected but controversial nevertheless. Sitake called it a “good move” even though it will mean the end of the Big 12 championship game. The Cougars made it to Arlington, Texas, last year, falling 34-7 to Texas Tech.

“I think there’s a lot of interest in it, although there are plenty of people who were against it,” Sitake said. “Most of the coaches (were for it). People who are against it aren’t in the business. They are not coaching, or they are not talking to the teams. For the most part, most of the coaches I’ve talked to love the idea.”

Sitake said it makes sense to expand because “the numbers are now a little bit closer to what other sports are doing as well.”

Not that the coach is totally giving up on making the CFP this year.

Before the loss at No. 3 Utah, BYU was No. 9 in the initial CFP rankings released last week. A new batch of rankings will be announced Tuesday at 5 p.m. MST on ESPN, and it will be interesting to see how the committee handles BYU after the one-score loss on the No. 3 team’s home field.

How far will the Cougars drop? Notre Dame, Tennessee and possibly Texas Tech, despite the Red Raiders eking past West Virginia in Lubbock, could leapfrog BYU.

On the most positive side, several teams near BYU last week lost badly, including No. 6 Kentucky, No. 10 Ole Miss, No. 12 Ohio State and No. 14 LSU. Our best guess is that BYU lands at No. 12.

Sitake’s position is in line with the Big 12’s. Commissioner Brett Yormark issued a statement Monday afternoon saying the conference is on board with an expanded playoff.

“The Big 12 has consistently advocated for greater access to the College Football Playoff, and a 24-team format delivers more opportunities for programs to compete for a national championship,” Yormark said. “The 24-team format will also provide meaningful postseason experiences for universities, teams, student-athletes and fans.”

Sitake updates BYU’s injury situation

Sitake said a lot of players got dinged up and suffered various bumps and bruises against the Utes, but only reserve tight end Will Zundel suffered an injury that will probably keep him out of Saturday’s game vs. Baylor. He said running back LJ Martin “will be more available” this week than he was last week, when he got seven carries in his first game back since sustaining a high ankle sprain against TCU.

Neither running back Preston Rex nor tight end Roger Saleapaga played against Utah. Sitake said they are “hoping” Saleapaga can play this week but that Rex “should be good to go.”

He said cornerback Evan Johnson “will be closer to playing this week, too.”

Linebacker Isaiah Glasker and cornerback Tre Alexander “should be fine” after briefly leaving the Utah game, Sitake said.

“We’re getting toward the tail end of the season, so you’re seeing a lot of guys on the ground on both sides of the ball. It’s happening throughout college football. I don’t think there are many guys playing at 100%,” Sitake said. “We’ll probably have to tap into some depth to keep guys fresh.

“Guys are banged up, and you can see it. They’re wearing braces and all these things on their body, and they’re taped up and they’re dealing with different things physically. … But that’s college football. We’re no different than anybody else.”