PROVO, Utah — BYU received a No. 8 ranking in both The Associated Press Top 25 and AFCA Coaches Poll on Sunday, moving up two spots in both national rankings following the the Cougars' second bye weekend of the college football season.
Poll voters in the media and among the coaches advanced idle BYU in the rankings following week 10 results that included previously top-10 ranked Georgia Tech (No. 7/8 AFCA/AP), Vanderbilt (No. 9 AP), and Miami (No. 9/10 AFCA/AP) all losing on Saturday. The Cougars (8-0, 5-0 Big 12) are ranked in the top 10 for the third straight week in the AFCA Poll and for the second consecutive week by AP.
BYU was last ranked this high in the two major polls when the Cougars were rated No. 7 by AP and No. 8 by the coaches in the rankings released Nov. 10, 2024, after a 9-0 start to the season. The Cougars have been ranked 299 times overall in the AP poll since the program's first national ranking in 1974.
Unbeaten Ranks
BYU is one of only four FBS teams still undefeated heading into week 11 of the college football season. No. 1 Ohio State (8-0) and No. 2 Indiana (9-0) of the Big Ten and No. 3 Texas A&M (8-0) of the SEC are the other teams with perfect records. The Cougars have achieved back-to-back 8-0 starts for the first time in BYU history and won their first eight games for the third time overall under head coach Kalani Sitake. Historically, BYU has started started 8-0 during six seasons (2025, 2024, and 2020 under Sitake; 2001 under Gary Crowton; and 1984 and 1979 under Hall of Fame coach LaVell Edwards).
Top 10 Peers
Poll voters argree on the top 10 this week. Ohio State (8-0) maintains its standing as the top-ranked team, followed by Indiana (9-0), Texas A&M (8-0), Alabama (7-1) and Georgia (7-1) to round out the top five. No. 6 Oregon (7-1) and No. 7 Ole MIss (8-1) are ranked just ahead of BYU, while fellow Big 12 member Texas Tech (8-1) moved up four places to enter the top 10 at No. 9, with Notre Dame (6-2) up two spots at No. 10.
Standing Tall in the Big 12
BYU sits atop the Big 12 standings heading into week 11 with a 5-0 conference record, followed by Texas Tech (5-1) and Cincinnati (5-1) with one loss apiece. Four teams—Arizona State (4-2), Houston (4-2), Utah (4-2) and TCU (3-2)— have two league losses. This week four Big 12 teams are ranked in the top 25. In addition to No. 8 BYU and No. 9 Texas Tech, Utah (7-2) moved up from No. 24 to No. 17 in AP and No. 19 in the AFCA after defeating previous No. 16/17 (AFCA/AP) Cincinnati (7-2), who dropped to No. 25 in both rankings. Formerly No. 22 Houston (7-2) fell out of the rankings after suffering its second losses of the season on Saturday and is listed among teams receiving votes outside the top 25 along fellow conference schools Arizona State (6-3) and TCU (6-2) .
Double-Digit Streaks
BYU and No. 1-ranked Ohio State are the only FBS programs with an active winning streak of 10 or more games. After improving to 8-0 on Saturday with a win over Penn State, the Buckeyes own the nation's longest active victory streak at 12 games dating back to last season's national championship run, followed by the Cougars with 10 consecutive truimphs over the past two seasons.
Top-10 College GameDay Matchup
ESPN College GameDay is headed to Lubbock, Texas, this week to highlight the Big 12's top-10 matchup between No. 8 BYU and No. 9 Texas Tech on Saturday. It is the first time BYU will face a top-10 team while being ranked in the top-10. The Cougars will be playing their fifth away game of the season when they take on the Red Raiders at Jones AT&T Stadium in an 11 a.m. CT kick nationally televised on ABC. This year the Cougars have road victories at East Carolina (34-13), Colorado (24-21), Arizona (33-27 2OT) and Iowa State (41-27) along with home wins over Portland State (69-0), Stanford (27-3), West Virginia (38-24) and then No. 23/22 Utah (24-21).