BYU football moves up to No. 16 in national rankings

PROVO, Utah — Media and coaches rated BYU football higher in this week's national polls released Sunday, with the Cougars receiving a No. 16 ranking in both The Associated Press Top 25 and USA TODAY AFCA Coaches Poll. 

AP voters regarded the Cougars three places higher following BYU's victory over in-state rival Utah State on Thursday, while the coaches advanced BYU four spots in the AFCA poll this week. BYU, now 4-1 on the season after its 38-26 win over the Aggies, was ranked No. 19 by AP and No. 20 by the coaches in last week's polls.  

Oregon, BYU's lone defeat of the season, moved up one spot in AP and three rankings in the AFCA this week to No. 12 in both polls after defeating upcoming BYU opponent Stanford, 45-27, to improve to 4-1 on the season. Baylor, who BYU defeated in week two, is ranked No. 22 this week in the AFCA and fell just outside the AP Top 25 after suffering its second loss of the season against top-10 Oklahoma State in a Big 12 Conference battle in Waco. After the 36-25 victory, the Cowboys moved up two places to No. 7 in the AP while maintaining the same No. 7 ranking in the AFCA this week.

Arkansas, BYU's homecoming opponent in two weeks in LaVell Edwards Stadium, maintained a top-25 ranking with the final spot in the AFCA poll after dropping its second game of the year against the nation's new No. 1 team, Alabama. The Razorbacks, ranked No. 19 last week by the coaches and No. 20 by the media, fell out of the AP rankings this week, being listed 29th after losing their SEC battle with the undefeated Crimson Tide. 

Alabama reclaimed the top spot in both polls this week after its top-25 win over Arkansas, as voters dropped previously top-rated Georgia to No. 2 after a close come-from-behind 26-22 victory over unranked Missouri. Ohio State stayed at No. 3 in both polls while No. 4 Michigan, No. 5 Clemson and No. 6 USC also maintained their rankings from last week. After No. 7 Oklahoma State, the media and coaches agreed that Tennessee, Ole Miss and Penn State rounded out the top 10. 

This week's AP ranking marks BYU’s 279th overall appearance in the AP poll. The Cougars have been ranked in 14 consecutive AP polls and 35 of the last 38 dating back to 2020.

In its next game, BYU (4-1) travels to face Notre Dame (2-2) this week at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The Fighting Irish are coming off a bye week following their 45-32 road win at North Carolina. The Cougars and Irish kick off on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. PDT in a nationally televised Shamrock Series matchup on NBC.