BYU is opening the season with some real respect from the Associated Press.
The Cougars came in at No. 14 in Monday morning’s preseason AP poll, which makes them the second-highest ranked Big 12 team behind only Texas Tech at No. 12.
It is also BYU’s best preseason spot since the 1985 season, when the Cougars were coming off a national championship. BYU is tied with USC at No.
The Big 12 placed four teams in the preseason top 25: Texas Tech at No. 12, BYU at No.
14, Utah at No. 21 and Houston at No. 23.
Among those ranked Big 12 teams, BYU’s only regular-season matchup is with Utah. The league’s other teams getting votes were Arizona at 29th, TCU at 30th and Oklahoma State at 34th.
BYU will face Arizona and TCU to begin conference play.
Arizona is expected to sit just outside the top 25 when it travels to Provo in Week 2. Notre Dame, meanwhile, opens inside the top five, and there is a real possibility the Fighting Irish will be No. 1 or No. 2 when they visit Provo in October.
BYU finished the 2025 season at No. 11 in the AP poll, which means three schools moved ahead of the Cougars in the preseason rankings. Those three are all bluebloods, the kind of programs that usually get the benefit of the doubt before the games start.
Texas, for one, climbed into the top five despite losing three games in the 2025 regular season, including a rough defeat at Florida. The Longhorns ended last season 12th in the AP poll, one spot behind BYU, but still rose well ahead of the Cougars to start this year.
Oklahoma also jumped into the top 10 after a shaky finish to last season, when it squeezed into the College Football Playoff and then lost to Alabama at home in the first round. Alabama then reached the quarterfinals before getting blown out by Indiana.
LSU is the third team that passed BYU in the preseason rankings. The Tigers were not good last season, but they made the loudest coaching move of the offseason by hiring Lane Kiffin from Ole Miss. AP voters are clearly expecting LSU to be in the College Football Playoff conversation in Kiffin’s first year.
In Other News...
Former BYU Defender Is Suddenly Giving Jets Fans A Reason To Watch
The first full weekend of NFL preseason games gave Utah-connected players a chance to make some noise, and one former BYU defender did exactly that for the Jets. Mory Bamba logged significant snaps on defense and broke up four passes, putting himself in the middle of a crowded competition as New York sorts through roster battles before the regular season.
Bamba was one of roughly 50 players with ties to Utah who took the field over the weekend, but his outing may have been the one that most clearly caught attention in New York. For a Jets team looking for young defensive backs to separate themselves, preseason performances like this can matter, and Bamba now has at least given the fan base a reason to keep an eye on the tape. [Read more 🡒]
BYUs Early Lineup Projection Comes With One Clear Camp Concern
BYU is two weeks into camp and less than three weeks away from its season opener against Utah Tech, which makes this a good time to start sketching out where the depth chart appears to be settling. Based on what has been observed so far, the Cougars have a clearer picture on several offensive, defensive and special teams spots, while a few jobs still feel very much up for grabs as camp moves into its final stretch.
The biggest concern hanging over the projected lineup is health, especially up front and in the secondary. The coaching staff has already pointed to some injuries among the offensive linemen, and safety Faletau Satuala remains a player to monitor as the defense sorts through its rotations. Even with some roles looking more defined, BYU still appears to be weighing several combinations on defense, which leaves the final shape of the first-game lineup far from settled. [Read more 🡒]
LJ Martin Is Making BYU Look Dangerous On The National Stage
LJ Martins rise has become one of the more notable offseason developments around Provo, and the attention keeps widening. The BYU running back was recently tabbed by Pro Football Network as a Top 100 NFL Draft prospect, landing third among running backs and 53rd overall, a spotlight that fits with the preseason buzz he has already picked up after being named Big 12 Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and earning preseason All-America recognition.
For BYU, Martin is only part of a larger national conversation. Pro Football Network also placed seven other Cougars among the top 25 at their positions, a sign that this roster is drawing real respect well beyond the league footprint. For a program trying to prove its place on a bigger stage, that kind of recognition matters, and Martin is one of the names helping make the Cougars look like a team opponents will need to prepare for in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]