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BYU Football: Jump to No. 20 in AP Poll is big for the Cougars

By Shaun Gordon

MADISON, WI - SEPTEMBER 15: Adam Pulsipher #41 and Merrill Taliauli #54 of the BYU Cougars celebrate after a missed field goal in the fourth quarter of the game by the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on September 15, 2018 in Madison, Wisconsin. BYU won 24-21. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
MADISON, WI - SEPTEMBER 15: Adam Pulsipher #41 and Merrill Taliauli #54 of the BYU Cougars celebrate after a missed field goal in the fourth quarter of the game by the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on September 15, 2018 in Madison, Wisconsin. BYU won 24-21. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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BYU Football jumped five spots to No. 20 in the latest AP Poll. It’s a leap that could be important as the Cougars take on No. 11 Washington next Saturday.

The latest AP Poll is out, and BYU Football jumped five spots to No. 20 in the nation.

The Cougars got some help in a wild weekend of college football. Seven teams in the Top 25 lost on Saturday, and five of them were upsets:

  • No. 13 Virginia Tech lost to Old Dominion 49-35
  • No. 14 Mississippi State lost to Kentucky 28-7
  • No. 15 Oklahoma State lost to Texas Tech 41-17
  • No. 16 TCU lost to Texas 31-16
  • No. 20 Oregon lost to No. 7 Stanford 38-31 in Overtime
  • No. 22 Texas A&M lost to No. 1 Alabama 45-23
  • No. 23 Boston College lost to Purdue 30-13

Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas A&M, and Boston College all dropped out of the Top 25 completely, while Mississippi State fell nine spots to No. 23. Oregon actually moved up one spot to No. 19 after their overtime loss.

With so many team dropping, the Cougars jumped up. Their five-spot jump was tied for the highest in this week’s poll.

That jump is important for BYU. They’ll travel to Seattle to take on No. 11 Washington next weekend. If the Cougars win, they’ll see another big jump in next week’s poll, and if the Huskies blow them out, BYU will drop out of the poll altogether.

But because of BYU’s jump to No. 20, they’ve got some wiggle room for a close loss. Had the Cougars stayed at No. 25 or only moved up one or two spots, a close loss in Seattle would almost guarantee that they’d fall out of the Top 25.

Next. Takeaways From BYU's Win Over McNeese State. dark

Now if the Cougars play the Huskies close, a road loss to the No. 11 team in the nation may not be enough to drop BYU completely out of the rankings.

Although when it comes to the polls, anything can happen.

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