Predicting BYU Football’s Spot in the Preseason AP Poll

The preseason AP poll will be released on Monday - where will BYU land?

BYU RB LJ Martin against Utah | BYU Photo

The college football season is inching closer. On Monday, the preseason AP poll will be released, marking a major milestone before the start of the college football season. After finishing 11th in the 2025 AP poll and going 23-4 over the last two seasons, BYU will start the 2026 season in the top 25. In this article, we will predict where BYU will land in the AP poll.

The Best-Case Scenario

You could make an argument that BYU should be a top 10 team to start the season. The Cougars have been one of the most consistent programs in the country over the last two years. BYU returns a lot of players that played critical roles over the last two seasons, including reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year LJ Martin.

Meanwhile, BYU's recruiting has really improved over the last few years, and those high-level recruits have matriculated into the program. BYU is deeper and more talented than the teams that won a lot of games the last two years.

If voters prioritize teams that return proven production from winning teams, BYU should be in the top 10. Not all voters will see it that way, however. In the best-case scenario, BYU could start just outside the top 10 at no. 11

Best-case scenario: 11th

The Worst-Case Scenario

History suggests that BYU won't be given the benefit of the doubt by AP voters. A few big brands, namely Texas, LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma, and even USC could leapfrog the Cougars.

Still, BYU has won enough over the last two years to stay in the top 20. We don't foresee a scenario where BYU will be worse than 16th in the preseason poll. That would be five spots lower than where they finished in 2025.

Worst-case scenario: 16th

The Mostly Likely Scenario

The last time BYU started a season in the top 15 of the AP poll was clear back in 1985, one year after BYU won the national championship in 1984. It's rare for BYU to start a season in the top 25, let alone the top 15. However, we think BYU will start in the top 15, landing at no. 14.

BYU landed at no. 15 in the preseason coaches poll. The AP Poll voters were slightly higher on BYU than the coaches last year, so we predict BYU to be ranked a little higher in the preseason AP Poll.

Prediction: 14th

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