How BYU Can Make Moves in AP Poll: Week Five
BYU's two dominant victories earned them a spot in the AP top 25 for a third week in a row. This week, let's look at the teams surrounding BYU in the AP poll to see where BYU can improve in the polls.
It's important to remember that all of this will go away if BYU doesn't beat Louisiana Tech and the teams they are favored to beat - something the Cougars have struggled to do consistently over the past few seasons. In the words of Al Davis, "Just win, baby."
#11 UCF: UCF hosts Tulsa on Saturday night. A lost against the Golden Hurricane would probably put UCF below BYU in the eyes of the voters. UCF has a 91% chance to win on Saturday according to ESPN FPI.
#12 North Carolina: North Carolina travels to Boston College on Saturday. The Eagles have a 26% chance to upset the Tar Heels according ESPN FPI.
#13 Texas A&M: Texas A&M travels to Alabama on Saturday. How far would the Aggies drop in the rankings with a loss to the Crimson Tide?
#14 Oregon: Oregon won't play for at least another month.
#15 Cincinnati: Cincinnati will host South Florida on Saturday. Can USF overcome a blowout loss to Notre Dame and upset Cincinnati?
#16 Mississippi State: Mississippi State will look to repeat their first performance under head coach Mike Leach. Mississippi State hosts Arkansas on Saturday.
#17 Oklahoma State: Oklahoma State plays Kansas on Saturday. The Jayhawks are 0-2 and will probably be 0-3 by Saturday night.
#18 Oklahoma: The Sooners will look to rebound against Iowa State on Saturday.
#19 Wisconsin: Wisconsin won't play for a few more weeks. BYU could jump in front of the Badgers with a few more dominant victories.
#20 LSU: The 2019 national champions will look to rebound at Vanderbilt on Saturday.
#21 Tennessee: The Vols host Missouri on Saturday. A loss would certainly drop the Vols below the Cougars in the rankings. The Vols have a 65% chance to win according to ESPN FPI.
#22 BYU: BYU needs to win and they need to look good doing it.
BYU is also in danger of being leapfrogged by a teams that win big games on Saturday:
#23 Michigan: Michigan doesn't play for a few more weeks.
#24 Pitt: Pitt could leapfrog BYU with another win this weekend. Pitt hosts NC State on Saturday.
#25 Memphis: Memphis travels to SMU on Saturday. At this point, the Tigers probably wouldn't be ranked in front of BYU if both teams win this weekend.