No one "plays" their way into the P5. Everyone who has been invited to that club did so by virtue of politics and positioning not on the field performance.
This is where BYU falls short in its approach. From bronco Mendenhall to Greg wrubel is they talk about playing their way into the P5. It doesn't hurt to have a good football team, the reality of The situation is that relationships are more important than performance
We suck at relationships