Big wins on the national stage matter.

tOSU was a top 5 team and perennial playoff contender. They don't lose at home. They had just beaten MSU 56-7 at home when Oregon reached its peak in the rankings.

Oregon beat them while at full capacity in a high profile game.

From there, the committee had a hard time overlooking head-to-head and moving tOSU ahead of Oregon. By beating a blue blood playoff caliber team on the road at full capacity, the sense was Oregon could compete at that level. (That's a big concern for the CFP committee. They don't like the perception of having blowout games in the first round.)

Oregon had also been playing without their high profile top 3 draft pick.

BYU had a great win against Utah. Nothing to take away from BYU. I think BYU had the maturity and poise of having the team prepared and knew who they were.

But I think the perception from the committee and writers who rank teams now see that game more as Utah, after losing a rock star RB, trying to plug in new talent at the skill positions and figuring out identity. Losing to a great team on the road. Forgivable loss.

The way Utah played and beat Oregon late in the season in the most watched games of any two west teams, in addition to how Utah was beating other P12 schools, created a more lasting impression.

Like I said, big wins on the national stage matter.