With the regular season down to its final month, BYU and Utah are both still sitting on a path to everything they want. The bigger question now is which side will carry the sharper edge into Saturday’s rivalry meeting in Salt Lake City.
The latest AP Top 25 gave both programs another boost, with Utah climbing into the top five and BYU inching up as well after a bounce-back win.
BYU checked in at No. 7, moving up one spot after surviving a tighter-than-expected battle with Arizona State on Saturday. Halloween turned into a little more trouble than the Cougars wanted, as the ground game was held in check. But BYU found enough from other spots - including Legend Glasker - to create the late separation it needed and improve to 7-1.
That win mattered even more because it came right after a road loss to UCF. The Cougars are now the No. 2 team from the Big 12 in the AP poll for a second straight week, though the official College Football Playoff rankings won’t come out until Tuesday.
Utah, meanwhile, made a much louder statement. The Utes wasted no time against Cincinnati, jumping on the Bearcats early and never letting up. They scored on every first-half possession and added two defensive touchdowns, including one that kept Utah’s 23-year pick-six streak alive, on the way to a 42-6 halftime lead.
That win pushed Utah to 8-0, its first 8-0 start since 2010, and sent the Utes up three spots to No. 3. It’s the highest ranking Utah has had since 2015, and it leaves the Utes as the top-ranked Big 12 team heading into Tuesday’s College Football Playoff rankings.
The rest of the Big 12 also saw movement. Texas Tech climbed to No. 13 after getting a lift from Thomas Castellanos, who rushed for 117 yards and a touchdown in a win over Arizona. The Red Raiders had been searching for answers on offense, and Castellanos gave them a much-needed jolt.
Houston moved up to No. 17 after its bye week, while Arizona slid to No. 24.
That gives the conference five ranked teams this week. Oklahoma State, which had been in the poll before, fell out after losing to Iowa State, though the Cowboys are still receiving votes.
In Other News...
BYU Win Over Arizona State Just Sparked A Big 12 Debate
The Big 12s acknowledgment of an officiating error in BYUs 27-20 win over Arizona State has added a fresh layer to a game that already carried plenty of weight in the conference race. The issue centered on a fumble recovery that was incorrectly ruled a touchdown, a call that immediately shifted the tone of the matchup and left one side feeling as if the moment had been decided on the spot.
For BYU, the result still stands, but the debate around how the play should have been handled is impossible to ignore because the awarded points matched the final margin. The correct ruling would have given the Cougars possession where the fumble was recovered, not a touchdown, and that distinction has turned a hard-fought win into one of the more talked-about officiating controversies in the Big 12 this season. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Win Draws Fresh Scrutiny After Another Big 12 Admission
The Big 12s latest officiating admission has put BYU back in an uncomfortable spotlight, this time over a touchdown in the win against Arizona State that the league says should never have counted. The conference said running back Sione Moas score was the result of an error, and the proper ruling should have left BYU with possession at the two-yard line instead.
For a program already dealing with the lingering frustration from a timing mistake in the Notre Dame game two weeks earlier, the back-to-back acknowledgments only deepen the sense that the Cougars have been on the wrong end of some major calls. BYU still has the victory in hand, but the latest statement adds another layer to a season in which the conversation around the team has too often drifted from the field to the replay booth. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Beat Arizona State But Utah Concerns Just Got Harder To Ignore
BYU got the result it needed against Arizona State, but the way it got there did little to quiet the questions around this team. The Cougars won 27-20 in a game that featured an early turnover, a quick touchdown off that takeaway and enough timely fourth-quarter plays to finish the job, yet the offense never looked fully comfortable for long stretches. The run game was especially sluggish, and the third quarter offered little relief as BYU spent much of the afternoon fighting for rhythm.
For a team still trying to sort out how sturdy it really is, the win came with some familiar warning signs attached. BYUs defense created an early edge, but it also had to absorb enough pressure to keep the game tight, and the offensive inconsistency left the Cougars leaning on situational execution instead of control. The victory counts, of course, but it also leaves the bigger concern hanging around as the schedule keeps moving. [Read more 🡒]