BYU football has surpassed preseason expectations with their 5-0 start, but that's not news to you. After wins over Kansas State, Baylor, and an increasingly impressive road W at SMU, Kalani Sitake's team is only one win away from bowl eligibility, which was viewed by many as the Cougars' baseline for a successful season.
Now, this scrappy team from Provo has more to prove.
After last week's triumphant night game victory over Big 12 contender, Kansas State BYU cracked the Top 25 rankings by securing the 22nd slot. This week, following the program's first conference road victory in the Big 12, BYU continues to rise. The win at Baylor wasn't always pretty, but the Cougars have shown resilience when teams in years past would have folded.
Meanwhile, at the top of the Big 12 standings, the Utah Utes lost their iron grip over the Big 12 realm as they fell to an Arizona team that had been fighting to keep their heads above water after a blowout loss against Kansas State. The 23-10 loss in Salt Lake City was a bad sign for a Utah team that is inexplicably still missing their starting quarterback.
The king is wounded, and the Big 12 is officially wide open.
Following Saturday's chaos, the college football world stood with baited breath as they awaited this week's top 25 rankings. As the AP Poll dropped, so did the Utes, with the Cougars leapfrogging their in-state rivals in the standings.
Current AP Poll Rankings:
— Lawless Republic (@LawlessRepublic) September 29, 2024
17: BYU
18: Utah pic.twitter.com/eJyZdZFbx2
You read that correctly. In this same season where Utah was supposed to "roll the Big 12" in their first year and BYU was expected to fight for relevancy in vain, the script has been thrown out the window.
Now, does this win mean that the Cougars are destined for a College Football Playoff berth? Slow your roll, pal. We're not there yet. Iowa State shares one distinction with their conference peers from Provo: an undefeated record and a shockingly unobstructed view of the Big 12 title.
While these teams won't face off in the regular season, BYU is like Doc Oc in Spider-Man: No Way Home. We've got some competition, boys.
The simple truth of BYU's situation is this: ready or not, the Cougars have shot to the top of the Big 12 standings, and they'll be expected to continue their run. Are the Cougars a playoff team? I'm not sure they're prepared to be among the very best in their sport, but a Big 12 championship isn't as far-fetched as it seemed in August.
Passing a conference favorite like Utah in the top 25 could be a symbolic moment, and though these two teams will have a chance to settle the score in November, BYU can see the light. Let's hope that light doesn't burn out too soon.