Party like it’s 1984, BYU fans. Or close to it.
The Cougars surged to No. 2 in the latest AP Top 25 after their historic win over Notre Dame, climbing from No. 8 and landing just behind No. 1 Miami. The gap was tight, too: Miami finished with 1,697 points, while BYU had 1,675 and picked up 20 first-place votes.
It’s a landmark spot for BYU in the poll. This is only the third time the Cougars have ever cracked the top five, and the first since the 1996 season. That year, quarterback Steve Sarkisian helped guide BYU to a 14-1 record and a No. 5 ranking.
The Cougars have been here before in a different era, too. BYU climbed into the top five in 1990 after beating No.
1 Miami at home and got as high as No. 4.
But the only other time the program has been ranked this high was 1984, a year Cougar fans know well.
Utah joined the rise near the top of the poll. The undefeated Utes moved from No. 11 to No. 10 after beating Colorado on Saturday night, giving the Beehive State two top-10 teams.
Utah now gets a bigger stage next weekend, with ESPN’s “College GameDay” coming to town before its matchup with No. 14 Houston.
The poll shakeup was fueled by a wild Saturday around the country, with five of the top seven teams falling. That opened the door for the Big 12, which now has three teams in the top 10: BYU, Utah and No. 8 Texas Tech.
AP Top 25
Miami
BYU
Ohio State
Notre Dame
Georgia
Indiana
Ole Miss
Texas Tech
UCLA
Utah
Tennessee
Kentucky
Alabama
Houston
Iowa
USC
Wake Forest
LSU
Texas
Florida
Boise State
Missouri
SMU
Northwestern
Arizona
Others receiving votes: Oklahoma State 128, Oregon 79, Auburn 61, James Madison 52, Mississippi State 30, New Mexico 6, Oregon State 3
In Other News...
Utah Gets A Huge Stage With Far More Than Hype At Stake
College GameDay is headed back to Utah, this time landing in Salt Lake City on Oct. 24 before the Utes host Houston at Rice-Eccles Stadium. It will be the shows second straight week in the state after last weeks stop in Provo, another sign of how much national attention the Big 12 race is drawing to this corner of the conference.
For Utah, the stage comes with plenty more than just the usual pregame buzz. The Utes enter the matchup unbeaten, Houston brings a strong record of its own, and both teams have a real say in the league picture. The crowd will be there for the atmosphere, but the game itself could carry far more weight than the broadcast lead-in. [Read more 🡒]
Utah's Perfect Start Suddenly Comes With A Concern Fans Can't Ignore
Utah is still perfect, but Saturdays 27-24 win over Colorado came with a jolt the Utes hadnt felt much this fall. The Buffaloes briefly moved in front late in the third quarter on Elliot Arnolds field goal, and Utah had to answer with key plays from quarterback Devon Dampier and receiver Braden Pegan to keep its unbeaten season intact at 6-0.
Even with the comeback, head coach Morgan Scalley had enough to nitpick afterward, and that is part of what makes this stretch so interesting for Utah. The Utes found a way to survive in a tight game, but the performance left open questions about how cleanly theyre finishing drives and how sustainable the offense will look if the margins get even thinner. [Read more 🡒]
Utah Escaped Colorado With A Bigger Concern Still Looming
Utah left Boulder with a 27-24 win over Colorado, and for most of the afternoon the Utes had to squeeze every bit of production out of an offense that found its rhythm only in spurts. Devon Dampier threw for 278 yards and three touchdowns, and Creed Whittemore came through with the kind of catches that kept drives alive and helped Utah keep pace in a game that stayed tight into the final minutes.
The defense then did its part in the fourth quarter, making the timely stops Utah needed to survive Colorados push and bring the trip to a close with a victory. Even so, the escape came with a reminder that the Utes are still searching for cleaner finishes, because a game that was there to be controlled instead had to be saved late. [Read more 🡒]