BYU and Utah both stayed perfect in Week 6, and the AP Top 25 rewarded them in different ways.
The Cougars didn’t move after a convincing 24-10 win over Iowa State on Friday night, holding at No. 8 for another week. Utah, meanwhile, climbed one spot to No. 11 after pulling away from Kansas for a 41-24 victory on Saturday.
That leaves two undefeated teams in Utah, both still very much in the thick of the national picture as Week 7 approaches.
BYU leaned on Bear Bachmeier to keep the unbeaten run alive at LaVell Edwards Stadium. With LJ Martin unavailable, the sophomore quarterback carried the load in every sense, throwing for 329 yards and two touchdowns while adding a team-high 109 rushing yards on nine carries. Legend Glasker also played a big part, finishing with a team-high 99 receiving yards and a touchdown after a limited showing a week earlier in Fort Worth.
Even with that strong performance, BYU stayed at No. 8, still the top-ranked team in the Big 12. The Cougars now shift into one of the biggest games on their schedule, a home matchup against No.
2 Notre Dame. The Irish beat Stanford 58-7 on Saturday, and ESPN College GameDay will be on campus for the occasion.
Utah’s Saturday started cleanly enough. The Utes raced to a 14-0 lead coming out of their bye week and looked in control early. Kansas pushed back, and mistakes helped make the game uncomfortable for a stretch, but Utah took command in the second half and closed out the 41-24 win behind another strong outing from Wayshawn Parker.
It wasn’t Utah’s smoothest game, but it was still enough to keep the undefeated start intact - the program’s best since 2015. The Utes have also scored at least 30 points in every game so far, which is the first time that’s happened since 1994.
The ranking bump pushes Utah to No. 11, just one spot behind Texas Tech. The Red Raiders were on a bye and now sit at No. 10, but Utah has been closing the gap over the past few weeks. Next up for the Utes is a road trip to Colorado, where they’ll also see a familiar face at quarterback in Isaac Wilson.
The Big 12 continues to make noise in the national rankings. Three of the nine undefeated teams left in the FBS are from the league: Texas Tech, BYU and Utah.
Texas Tech sits atop the conference at No. 10, while Oklahoma State remains No. 18 after a 42-28 home win over UCF. Houston also moved up, climbing two spots to No. 20 after beating Kansas State 35-16 on the road.
In all, five Big 12 teams are ranked in the top 25.
In Other News...
Utah's Third Quarter Problem Is Starting To Feel Risky
Utah has kept winning, but the way its offense has drifted in the third quarter has started to feel like more than a small blip. The Utes have talked openly about the issue after recent games, with head coach Morgan Scalley and offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven pointing to execution and the need for a better balance in play-calling as the reasons momentum has been so hard to sustain once halftime ends.
Wayshawn Parkers usage against Iowa State fit right into that conversation. The junior running back was a major first-half force, then saw his role shrink after the break as Utah continued trying to spread the ball around and avoid leaning too hard on one player. That approach makes sense in theory, but if the third-quarter stalls keep showing up, it is the kind of detail that can start to matter a lot more when the schedule gets tougher. [Read more 🡒]
Utah's Win Raised A Bigger Question About How This Team Travels
Utah left Lawrence with a 41-24 win over Kansas, and Wayshawn Parker was the player who kept the Utes from spending the afternoon in a tight road game. Parker rushed for 171 yards and two touchdowns, giving Utah the kind of physical edge it wanted away from home, while Devon Dampier settled in after a difficult opening half and helped the offense find enough rhythm to pull away.
The bigger question now is what this group looks like when it leaves Salt Lake City and has to sort through the bumps that come with it. Utahs defense had trouble handling Kansas quarterback Isaiah Marshall, who threw for 333 yards and two touchdowns, and the win still came with enough uneven stretches to leave room for concern about whether the Utes can travel cleanly when the opponent can keep pace through the air. [Read more 🡒]
Utah Has A Big 12 Statement Chance Against Kansas
Utahs first Big 12 season has already given the Utes a chance to make an early impression, and Week 6 brings another one. No. 12 Utah is unbeaten through four games and back at home to face Kansas, a matchup that carries a little extra weight because it gives the Utes a stage to show they can handle league play while keeping their fast start rolling. Devon Dampier has been a steadying force for Utah at quarterback, and the Utes have also been rewarding bettors by playing well against the spread to open the year.
Kansas arrives with some questions attached, especially away from home, where the Jayhawks have had more trouble finding their footing. Their record in the losses has also made it harder to back them against the number, which only adds to the sense that this trip could tell us plenty about where both teams stand in the Big 12 pecking order. Utah already has one recent edge in this matchup, and another strong showing here would only deepen the Utes statement case. [Read more 🡒]