The preseason AP Top 25 Rankings have been released, and BYU football will finally be ranked at the start of the season. This is the first time the Cougars have entered a year with a number by their name since 2022, when they opened the year ranked 25th overall. It's the first time BYU has started 14th or better since 1985, when they were ranked 10th following the 1984 national championship season.
BREAKING: Preseason College Football AP Poll🚨https://t.co/JL3USE6MnT pic.twitter.com/wImUOmUUg5
— On3 (@On3) August 17, 2026
So yes, BYU football finds itself in a very favorable position by their own standards. But they also stand on unstable ground in the greater picture, considering their objective of breaching the CFP by season's end.
BYU was the first team out of the rankings last season, and was deadlocked outside the rankings until week five, when the undefeated Cougars were finally granted a shred of respect coming off an 11-2 season in 2024. From there, BYU climbed into the top 10 after jumping to an 8-0 start for the second consecutive season, before ultimately derailing after a blowout loss to Texas Tech in Lubbock.
BYU is also tied with USC for the 14th spot -- a coincidence, not a choice -- which is the first time any two teams have been tied in the preseason rankings in 17 years when Oklahoma and Penn State were knotted at 9th.
One cautious step forward for BYU football in the preseason AP Poll
The 14th spot is great for BYU football, and ultimately a rare hat-tip from the AP voters in the Cougars' direction. It's also, however, a clear message that the general college football public does not view BYU as a likely participant in the upcoming College Football Playoff.
In a 12-team bracket that includes 7 at-large bids, BYU's path to the postseason demands the Cougars exceed preseason expectations. They'll need to win against their relatively straightforward Big 12 Conference regular-season slate (which graciously doesn't include a meeting with Texas Tech), and can only afford at most one non-Notre Dame loss to impress voters. That's what happened to last year's Cougs, who lost just one game in the regular season, but were still denied access when the final bracket was set.
Fortunately, BYU will get a chance against one preseason ranked team, Utah, during the year in what will likely be the toughest game on the Cougars' calendar. It's a 9th-game rivarly on the road, and though BYU has both momentum and continuity on their side, that could be a pivotal result for BYU in their quest for relevance.
Ranking anchoring bias is a real phenomenon in the world of college sports. The Cougars will be struggling against their 14th ranking for the first few weeks of the season, and possibly through to the year's end assuming they don't run the table and go unbeaten through week 12.
The College Football Playoff rankings are what truly matter for at-large hopefuls, of course, but it'll be up to BYU to prove their worth to the committee -- it won't be handed to them no matter their merit earned over the past two seasons.
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