BYU football moved up to No. 7 in the Associated Press Top 25 and No. 8 in the US LBM Coaches Poll, administered by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), according to a November 1 statement. The Cougars moved up one spot in both polls following a 27-20 home victory over Arizona State on Saturday.
The Cougars (7-1, 4-1 Big 12) enter their seventh consecutive week ranked in the top 10 this season. They are scheduled to face No. 3/4 Utah this Saturday at 10 a.m. MT on ABC for their second top-10 matchup of the season.
In the AP Top 25, No. 1 Miami (8-0) remains unbeaten after a 38-35 win against North Carolina. Georgia (7-1) moved to No. 2 in both rankings after Ohio State (6-2) fell to No. 11 in the AP and No. 10 in the AFCA following a 30-18 loss to unranked USC. Utah (8-0) rose three places to No. 3 in the AP poll after a 49-25 win at Cincinnati, while the coaches ranked the Utes No. 4. Notre Dame (7-1) moved to No. 4 in the AP, and unbeaten UCLA (8-0) climbed to No. 5 in both polls.
The Big 12 features two teams in the top 10 and five teams in the top 25 of both major polls. Following Utah and BYU, Texas Tech is ranked No. 13 in both rankings. Other Big 12 teams in the top 25 include Houston (No. 17/18) and Arizona (No. 24/22). Oklahoma State (5-3) fell from the AP rankings after a 51-49 loss at Iowa State, though it continues to receive votes in both polls. Cincinnati also received a vote in the AFCA poll.
BYU entered the 2026 season with a preseason AFCA ranking of 15th and a tie for No. 14 in the AP poll. This marked the program's second-highest preseason AP ranking, following a No. 10 ranking in 1985. Historically, the Cougars have been ranked 314 times in the AP poll since their first national ranking in 1974 and have held a 45-12 record when playing as an AP Top 25 team.
