BYU rises to No. 21 in AP Top 25

PROVO, Utah — Following a 50-21 win over USF on Sept. 3, BYU football moved up four spots to No. 21 in the AP Top 25 poll released on Tuesday.

BYU’s next opponent, Baylor, moved up a spot to No. 9 after a 69-10 season-opening win over Albany.

No. 8 Notre Dame and No. 16 Arkansas are also featured on the Cougars’ 2022 slate. The Fighting Irish fell to three spots after losing 21-10 at No. 3 Ohio State on Saturday, while Arkansas climbed three spots following a 31-24 win over Cincinnati.

BYU and Baylor are joined in the rankings by three other future Big 12 teams, with Oklahoma at No. 7, Oklahoma State at No. 11 and Houston checking in at No. 25.

This marks BYU’s 261st appearance in the AP poll and 28th in the last three seasons.

The matchup with No. 9 Baylor on Saturday will mark the 28th time BYU has faced an AP Top-10 ranked opponent, with ninth of the matchups played in Provo. The Cougars’ home wins over top-10 teams include 28-21 wins over No. 1 Miami (1990) and No. 4 Air Force (1985).

BYU is 2-0 all-time when hosting top-25 ranked Big 12 teams with wins over Texas and Texas A&M. The Cougars defeated the No. 15 Longhorns 40-21 in 2013 and handed No. 13 Texas A&M a 41-37 defeat in 1996.

BYU (1-0) opens its home schedule versus Baylor (1-0) on Saturday, Sept. 10 at 8:15 p.m. on ESPN. Fans can listen to live play-by-play of the Cougars and Bears on BYU Radio SiriusXM 143, BYURadio.org/BYU Radio App or KSL 102.7 FM/1160 AM.