BYU sits alone at the top of the Hotline’s Week 8 Big 12 power rankings after the Cougars knocked off Notre Dame, a result that reshuffled the league’s front end and pushed Utah down a notch.
The rankings, published each Monday during the regular season, blend what teams just did with how they’ve looked over the full season. That puts BYU first, Texas Tech second and Utah third as the conference heads into another weekend of key matchups.
Utah’s slide from No. 1 to No. 3 comes with a pointed warning from the Hotline. The Utes have looked shaky against Kansas and Colorado, and their offense has sparked enough concern to make the upcoming stretch feel more revealing than comfortable.
As the commentary put it: “We aren't sure if boredom has taken root or opponents have figured out the offense or the Utes simply aren't as good as everyone thought. But wobbly performances against two second-rate opponents (Kansas and Colorado) should be mildly concerning for the folks in Salt Lake City with the heart of the schedule approaching.”
Arizona holds fourth after a week off, and the Wildcats’ earlier 11-point loss in Provo is now viewed in a better light thanks to BYU’s rise. Still, there’s a catch.
As the ranking note says, “The 11-point loss in Provo did not look bad at the time (Week 2) and looks even better now. But the Wildcats must keep winning to reap the full ancillary benefits of BYU's victory over Notre Dame.”
Houston is right behind Arizona at No. 5 after moving to 6-1. The Cougars now face a defining part of the schedule, with a trip to Utah on deck. The Hotline’s read is clear: if Houston gets through that game, the door to the conference championship opens wider, especially with a soft November waiting afterward.
Oklahoma State took one of the bigger hits of the week after losing 35-32 at Houston and falling from fifth to sixth. The Hotline’s assessment is blunt: the Cowboys are out of the CFP conversation unless they run the table and win the Big 12 title. The commentary also points to the loss at Tulsa as a major drag on their profile.
Baylor dropped to eighth after a 17-6 loss to TCU in Waco, and the Hotline didn’t mince words there either. “An inexcusable loss for the Bears considering the location, performance and opponent. Let's move Dave Aranda back onto the Hot Seat this week, shall we?”
Elsewhere in the middle of the pack, West Virginia sits seventh, Arizona State ninth and Kansas State 10th as both Big 12 programs prepare for a noon-to-late-morning style showdown in Tempe. UCF lands at 11th, though the Knights get an extra note of caution because they come off a bye before hosting BYU. The Hotline’s view: “We're sounding the upset alert for Orlando this week with the Knights coming off a bye and the Cougars coming off the biggest win of their lives.”
Cincinnati is 12th, Iowa State 13th and TCU 14th after the Horned Frogs’ win over Baylor. Colorado checks in at 15th, with Kansas still at the bottom at 16th.
In Other News...
Rece Davis Turns BYU Win Into Bigger Officiating Fight
The fallout from BYUs win over Notre Dame kept moving well after the final whistle, with ESPNs Rece Davis taking aim at the officiating mistake that ended the game with the Irish out of time for one last snap. The Big 12 later acknowledged the error, saying one second should have remained on the clock and promising a review of the replay officiating process, which only added to the sense that the finish was about more than just one result.
Davis also tied the episode into a broader conversation that has been simmering around the College Football Playoff expansion debate, using the clock mishap as another example of why the sport keeps getting pulled into bigger questions about fairness and control. For BYU, the win stands, but the way it ended has ensured the discussion will linger well beyond one Saturday night. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Just Got The Statement Win Fans Dreamed About
Bear Bachmeier gave BYU the kind of all-around performance that can change the way a season feels, helping the Cougars outlast Notre Dame in a 28-24 win that should resonate well beyond one Saturday. The sophomore quarterback was effective as a passer and a runner, and the offense found another steady presence in tight end Walker Lyons, who kept showing up as a reliable target when the game tightened up.
The result pushed BYU all the way to No. 2 in the Associated Press Top 25, a sign of how much national respect the Cougars earned with the victory. For a team trying to prove it belongs in the top tier, the bigger question now is how this performance carries over, because statement wins only matter if they become part of a pattern. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Just Turned The Big 12 Race Into Something Much Bigger
A wild Saturday across college football sent the AP poll into a spin, and BYU found itself at the center of it. Five of the top seven teams lost on the same day for the first time in the history of the poll, a shakeup driven by results all over the country as Miami moved to No. 1 after a double-overtime win against Florida State and the Cougars climbed to No. 2 after upsetting Notre Dame.
The bigger picture for BYU is how much larger its season has suddenly become. What had been a strong run inside the Big 12 now comes with national relevance, especially after a slate that also saw Ohio State beat Indiana, Tennessee knock off Alabama, Florida upset Texas and Auburn topple Georgia. The rankings changed fast, and with them the spotlight on a BYU team that has turned a conference race into something far more consequential. [Read more 🡒]