BYU re-enters national rankings at No. 25

PROVO, Utah — After improving to 6-2 with a road win at Washington State, BYU has returned to the national rankings after a one-week hiatus, re-entering The Associated Press Top 25 ranked No. 25.

The Cougars are just outside the top 25 in the USA Today AFCA Coaches Poll, listed 26th overall along with Louisiana among others receiving votes. 

BYU has been ranked during six of the last seven weeks this year since first entering the national rankings in the second poll of the regular season following its win over then nationally ranked Utah. The Cougars reached No. 10 in both polls at 5-0 before falling to No. 19 in AP and No. 20 by the coaches after a setback to Boise State. BYU dropped out of the polls last week following a loss at Baylor, who is now ranked No. 16 and No. 18 by AP and the AFCA, respectively. 

The Cougars are coming off their fourth win over a Power 5 conference opponent this year with its 21-19 victory at Washington State on Saturday. BYU has a 4-1 record against Power 5 opponents this year with Virginia of the ACC and USC of the Pac-12 still on the schedule. The Cougars are 4-0 against the Pac-12 this year, including wins over ranked Utah and Arizona State. 

This week's rankings feature the same six teams atop the polls with Georgia (7-0), Cincinnati (7-0), Alabama (7-1), Oklahoma (8-0), Ohio State (6-1) and Michigan (7-0) receiving the most votes by both the media and coaches. 

This week BYU will host 6-2 Virginia on Saturday at LaVell Edwards Stadium. The Cavaliers, who have qualified for a bowl for the fifth-straight year under former BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall, are listed 30th and 31st, respectively, in the AP and AFCA polls among other teams receiving votes. Saturday's game will kick at 8:15 p.m. MDT on ESPN2.