BYU Football Soars Up Latest AP Top 25 Poll After ASU Win
Sep 19, 2021, 12:31 PM | Updated: 2:15 pm
Brigham Young fullback Masen Wake (13) celebrates after winning against Arizona State during an NCAA college football game at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. (Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News)
(Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News)
PROVO, Utah – After three consecutive wins over teams from the Pac-12 Conference, BYU football is flying up the AP Top 25 poll.
The week four poll was released and BYU, now sitting at 3-0 on the 2021 season, was the biggest riser in the national rankings.
#BYU makes a huge climb up the @AP_Top25 poll.
Cougars are now up to No. 15. #BYUFootball @kslsports pic.twitter.com/ShROAbzeoQ
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) September 19, 2021
BYU’s 27-17 win over previously ranked Arizona State sent the Cougars up from No. 23 last week to now No. 15 in the latest poll. The eight-spot jump was the largest this week among teams in this week’s poll.
Last season, after starting 3-0, BYU jumped seven spots to the same No. 15 ranking. Nobody outside of the BYU football program envisioned the Cougars replicating the early season success from last year’s team, but they are on the same trajectory.
What’s different about this year’s group compared to 2020 is that BYU is beating Power 5 opponents. BYU is the only 3-0 team in college football, with all of their wins coming against teams from Power Conferences.
That streak will end this upcoming week when BYU takes on the USF Bulls from the American Athletic Conference. Still, any doubts about the validity of BYU’s success in 2020 have quickly been erased by the national pollsters with this climb up the rankings.
BYU Football climbs up AP Top 25
Week 4 rankings
1. Alabama (3-0)
2. Georgia (3-0)
3. Oregon (3-0)
4. Oklahoma (3-0)
5. Iowa (3-0)
6. Penn State (3-0)
7. Texas A&M (3-0)
8. Cincinnati (3-0)
9. Clemson (2-1)
10. Ohio State (2-1)
11. Florida (2-1)
12. Notre Dame (3-0)
13. Ole Miss (3-0)
14. Iowa State (2-1)
15. BYU (3-0)
16. Arkansas (3-0)
17. Coastal Carolina (3-0)
18. Wisconsin (1-1)
19. Michigan (3-0)
20. Michigan State (3-0)
21. North Carolina (2-1)
22. Fresno State (3-1)
23. Auburn (2-1)
24. UCLA (2-1)
25. Kansas State (3-0)
BYU climbs the Amway Coaches Poll
1. Alabama
2. Georgia
3. Oklahoma
4. Oregon
5. Texas A&M
6. Iowa
7. Clemson
8. Penn State
9. Cincinnati
10. Notre Dame
11. Florida
12. Ohio State
13. Ole Miss
14. Iowa State
15. Wisconsin
16. BYU
17. Coastal Carolina
18. Arkansas
19. Michigan
20. North Carolina
21. Michigan State
22. Oklahoma State
23. Auburn
24. UCLA
25. Fresno State
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12-3 pm) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.
