BYU is back in familiar company before the season even kicks off.
For the 13th time in program history, the Cougars are sitting in the preseason AP Top 25, landing at No. 14 in 2026. It’s also the first time in four years that BYU has shown up in the preseason rankings, and the first preseason AP ranking for the Cougars since joining the Big 12 Conference.
That kind of early attention has not always translated into the finish BYU wanted. In fact, the Cougars have ended up higher than their preseason spot in only two seasons: 1981 and 2009.
The 2026 team opens Sept. 5 against Utah Tech, and it arrives with some momentum attached. BYU has won 23 games over the past two seasons, which helps explain why the voters placed the Cougars so high before a snap has been played.
The last time BYU entered a season ranked in the preseason AP Top 25 was 2022, when the Cougars came in at No. 25 and finished 8-5 without a spot in the final poll. That year marked the only preseason AP ranking of the independent era, and it followed a 4-1 start before a four-game skid knocked the season off track. BYU did finish the regular season with three straight wins, including an upset of Boise State.
There have been a few other preseason years where the ranking looked better than the final result. In 2008, BYU opened at No. 16 with big expectations after top-25 finishes in 2006 and 2007. The Cougars still won 10 games, but they fell short of the “Quest for Perfection” buzz, and rival Utah’s undefeated run only sharpened the contrast.
The 2009 team gave BYU one of its best answers to preseason hype. Ranked No. 20 to start the year, the Cougars finished 11-2 and climbed to No. 12 in the final AP Top 25.
That squad, led by Max Hall, Harvey Unga, and Dennis Pitta, beat No. 3 Oklahoma in the first game at Cowboys Stadium, then added wins over ranked Utah and Oregon State.
Other preseason rankings have brought much rougher outcomes. The 1997 team entered at No. 19 after the program’s No. 5 finish the year before, but an inexperienced group quickly ran into trouble and lost 42-20 to No.
4 Washington in Provo on the way to a 6-5 finish. In 1993, BYU started 4-0 against WAC opponents before UCLA blew the game open 68-14 in Pasadena, part of a season in which the Cougars allowed 37 points per game and ended 6-6.
The 1992 team was ranked No. 25 in the preseason but stumbled to a 1-3 start and never got back into the national picture. A year later, BYU opened at No. 19, went 4-0, then ran into UCLA at the Rose Bowl and took a 68-14 loss before finishing 6-6.
Ty Detmer’s BYU teams were also a major part of this stretch. In 1991, the Cougars were ranked No. 19 and opened with nationally ranked Florida State, UCLA, and Penn State, all on the road from Provo.
BYU dropped the first three, then didn’t lose again, finishing 8-3-2 and No. 23 in the final poll. In 1989, Detmer’s sophomore season began with BYU at No. 19, and the Cougars stayed in the rankings for all but three games while finishing 10-3 and No.
The 1990 season brought one of the most memorable highs in program history. BYU started at No. 16, beat No.
1 Miami in what became the greatest win in program history, and reached No. 4 in the AP poll twice. But losses to Hawaii and Texas A&M in the Holiday Bowl knocked the Cougars down to No. 22 in the final rankings.
The 1986 team began the year at No. 18 but finished 8-5 and unranked, while the 1985 squad opened at No. 10 a year after the national championship and stayed ranked all season before a loss at UTEP cut into another potential title push. And back in 1981, BYU’s No. 16 preseason ranking signaled just how far the program had come under LaVell Edwards.
Less than a decade after he inherited a team stuck in mediocrity, Edwards had turned the Cougars into a force. Jim McMahon quarterbacked BYU to an 11-2 finish and a second straight Holiday Bowl win, with the Cougars ending that season at No.
Now the question is whether 2026 can join that short list of BYU teams that ended up climbing above their preseason spot.
In Other News...
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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
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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
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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 🡒]