BYU Makes a Jump Up the AP Poll After Win Over Arizona

The Cougars surpasses two teams that lost and leapfrogged two others

BYU safety Faletau Satuala against Arizona | BYU Photo

On Saturday afternoon, the BYU football program used a dominant second half to take down conference foe Arizona. It was a chaotic weekend for the teams ranked ahead of BYU, and the Cougars benefitted from the chaos.

The Associated Press unveiled the updated AP Top 25 poll on Sunday and the Cougars improved from no. 15 to no. 11. BYU surpassed two teams that lost on Saturday: Oregon and Oklahoma. They also leapfrogged two teams that were previously ranked ahead of them in Texas Tech and USC.

BYU is now the highest-ranked Big 12 team in the top 25. Other Big 12 teams in the top 25 include Texas Tech (13), Utah (16), and Houston (22). Oklahoma State is just outside the top 25 following an upset over Oregon. Houston and Texas Tech play each other on Saturday, so one of those two teams will have a chance to bolster its resume.

Below is the full AP Top 25.

Updated AP Top 25

1. Texas
2. Georgia
3. Notre Dame
4. Indiana
5. Miami
6. Ohio State
7. LSU
8. Ole Miss
9. Texas A&M
10. Alabama
11. BYU
12. USC
13. Texas Tech
14. Penn State
15. Tennessee
16. SMU
17. Utah
18. Iowa
19. Michigan
20. Missouri
21. Oregon
22. Houston
23. Louisville
24. Oklahoma
25. Virginia

For the teams ranked just ahead of BYU, at least one of them must lose on Saturday. No. 7 LSU takes on no. 8 Ole Miss in a game that could knock the loser below the Cougars in the rankings.

For BYU, the key is to continue taking care of business in games it is favored to win. BYU is favored by multiple scores over Colorado State this weekend. The Cougars will likely be favored over TCU in the first conference road game of the season, and they will certainly be favored over Iowa State.

If the Cougars can win the games they are favored to win, it will setup a top 10 matchup between BYU and Notre Dame in October.

Using ESPN FPI win probabilities, FPI gives BYU a 58% chance to go into the Notre Dame game undefeated. The Fighting Irish will be heavy favorites to come into that game undefeated as well, and they are already in the top three of the AP Poll. There is a chance that Notre Dame will be ranked no. 1 or no. 2 when they come to Provo.

If BYU takes care of business over the next three games, it will setup one of the biggest games, if not the biggest game, in the history of LaVell Edwards Stadium.

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