BYU enters national rankings after win over Boise State

PROVO, Utah — Coming off a 35-24 win over No. 20 Boise State Saturday night, BYU has entered the national rankings released Sunday, receiving a No. 19 ranking in the Associated Press Top 25 and a No. 22 placement in the USA Today Amway Coaches Poll. The Cougars are also No. 18 in the latest NCAA College Football Power Rankings.

The Cougars are off to a 2-0 start with wins at Nebraska (33-28) and over Boise State (35-24). BYU engineered dramatic come-from-behind victories in both contests, with the Cougars’ triumph in Lincoln ending Nebraska’s nation-best season-opening victory streak that spanned three decades.

BYU has now received a national ranking during nine of 11 seasons under head coach Bronco Mendenhall. The Cougars received 349 points in the AP voting and 204 points in the Coaches’ poll to enter the rankings for the first time this season. BYU was ranked as high as No. 18 in last year’s national polls. 

The Cougars join Notre Dame (No. 8 AP, No. 10 Coaches) as independent teams in the national rankings. The SEC boasts seven ranked teams in this week’s top-25 polls, followed by the Pac-12 with five, Big Ten and Big 12 with four apiece and the ACC with three ranked teams. Boise State (1-1) is receiving votes but dropped out of both polls after its loss to BYU on Saturday.

Ohio State, Alabama, TCU, Michigan State and Baylor occupy the top-five spots in both major polls. This week’s BYU opponent UCLA is ranked No. 10 (AP) and No. 12 (Coaches), respectively, with a 2-0 record. The Bruins have opened with wins over Virginia (34-16 at home) and UNLV (37-3 away).  UCLA is No. 7 in the NCAA College Football Power Rankings, which boasts a top five of Ohio State, Alabama, Michigan State, TCU and USC.

BYU takes on No. 10/12 UCLA on Saturday in the Rose Bowl with live coverage of the 7:30 p.m. PT matchup being broadcast on Fox Sports 1. Live pregame coverage airs nationally on BYUtv with Countdown to Kickoff getting underway at 6:30 p.m. PT.