PROVO, Utah — BYU earned higher placement in the national rankings released on Sunday after improving to 6-0 on Saturday night, landing at No. 15 in The Associated Press Top 25 and No. 14 in the AFCA Coaches Poll.
Coming off its 33-27 double-overtime road victory over previously 4-1 Arizona, the Cougars have achieved back-to-back seasons with a perfect 6-0 start for the first time in school history and for the third time overall under head coach Kalani Sitake. Historically, this season is BYU’s seventh-ever 6-0 start (1979, 1984, 2001, 2008, 2020, 2024, 2025).
The coaches jumped BYU four places from its prior No. 18 ranking in both polls last week while media voters advanced the Cougars three spots, with 4-2 Notre Dame (No. 13 AP/No. 15 AFCA) ranked ahead of BYU by AP and behind the Cougars according to the coaches.
BYU is again one of four Big 12 programs in the top 25, with Utah (5-1) and Cincinnati (5-1) entering this week’s top 25 with wins while Iowa State (5-2) and Arizona State (4-2) dropped out after losses. The Cyclones and Sun Devils join Houston (5-1) and TCU (4-2) as an additional four Big 12 schools also receiving votes in the AFCA poll.
Texas Tech, who joined BYU in improving to 6-0 with its win over Kansas on Saturday, moved up two places in both rankings, standing at No. 7 in AP and No. 8 in AFCA. After BYU among Big 12 teams, the voters ranked Utah (5-1) at No. 22 in the AFCA and No. 23 in AP and placed Cincinnati (5-1) at No. 24 in both polls.
This week the Cougars (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) host in-state rival Utah (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) in a top-25 conference matchup in Provo on Saturday. The Cougars and Utes will take the field at LaVell Edwards Stadium in a 6 p.m. MT kick that will be broadcast nationally on FOX.
The five highest-rated teams this week saw a new addition as Indiana (6-0) replaced Oregon (5-1) in that elite grouping after the Hoosiers defeated the Ducks in Eugene on Saturday. Ohio State (6-0) continues to maintain is stronghold on the top spot, while Miami (5-0) moved up one in the AFCA to now occupy the No. 2 ranking in both polls. Indiana jumped four places in both rankings to No. 3, while Texas A&M (6-0) and Ole Miss (6-0) flip-flopped spots to put the Aggies at No. 4 and the Rebels at No. 5. Oregon, meanwhile, fell five rankings to No. 8 in AP and seven spots to No. 9 in the AFCA.
With this week's AP ranking, BYU has been ranked 296 times overall in the AP poll since the program's first national ranking in 1974.
This season BYU owns a 3-0 record on the road and at home with home victories over Portland State (69-0), Stanford (27-3) and West Virginia (38-24) and away wins at East Carolina (34-13), Colorado (24-21) and Arizona (33-27).