BYU and Utah have spent plenty of Saturdays living in the AP top 10, but this week gave their rivalry something it had never seen before.
For the first time, both programs are ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press Top 25 poll at the same time. BYU sits at No. 2, while Utah checks in at No.
- The two teams are also part of a tiny unbeaten group in the FBS, with each entering the week at 6-0.
That combination puts the rivalry in rare territory. According to Sports Reference, there had only been three seasons before this one when both schools reached the top 10 at some point during the same year. Two of those seasons came within the last five years, and all three have happened in the last 18 years.
The first time both teams were top-10 programs in the same season came in 2008. BYU spent Weeks 6 through 8 inside the elite group, landing at No.
8, No. 9 and No. 9 before slipping out and finishing No. 25.
Utah, meanwhile, broke into the top 10 in Week 10 and stayed there the rest of the way, closing the year at No. 2 after beating Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.
The next overlap came in 2021, though it was brief. BYU appeared in the top 10 in Week 6, and Utah got there in Week 15.
By season’s end, Utah was No. 12 and BYU was No. 19.
The most recent prelude to Sunday’s milestone came in 2024. Utah spent one week in the top 10 at No. 10 in Week 5 and finished No. 16, while BYU cracked the group for three straight weeks from Week 10 through Week 12 before ending the season at No. 13.
This is the 15th season BYU has shown up in the AP top 10. For Utah, it is the 11th.
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 🡒]