BYU Drops, Utah State Jumps In To AP Top 25 Basketball Rankings
Jan 12, 2026, 1:53 PM | Updated: Jan 13, 2026, 10:46 am
SALT LAKE CITY – The latest AP Top 25 has a pair of local men’s basketball teams in the rankings.
BYU, which has been in the poll since the preseason, fell outside of the Top-10 for the first time this season, dropping two spots to No. 11, while Utah State jumped into the rankings for the first time and is at No. 23.
BYU basketball drops in AP Top 25 after a pair of Big 12 victories
The 15-1 BYU Cougars crushed Arizona State 104-76 in Provo last Wednesday, then defeated rival Utah 89-84 in Salt Lake City. It was a margin closer than prognosticators expected in the rivalry game.
BYU basketball drops out of the Top 10 of the AP Top 25 for the first time this season.
BYU falls two spots to No. 11 after a pair of victories over Arizona State at home and Utah on the road.
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) January 12, 2026
The teams that leapfrogged BYU are Nebraska and Vanderbilt, both undefeated.
Nebraska defeated BYU in an exhibition game back in October. The Cornhuskers have the nation’s longest winning streak at 20 games, dating back to last season. Nebraska stormed back from a 16-point deficit to defeat Indiana over the weekend.
Vanderbilt won a pair of home games last week, which included a victory over nationally-ranked Alabama. The Commodores are 16-0 to open the year.
Utah State makes debut in rankings for the 2025-26 season
Utah State is currently on a seven-game winning streak after hammering Boise State on the road, 93-68.
The AP Top 25 pollsters are finally catching up with what the predictive ratings have long indicated: the Aggies are a top-25 team.
𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗡𝗢. 𝟮𝟯 𝗨𝗧𝗔𝗛 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗔𝗚𝗚𝗜𝗘𝗦 📈#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/bHCzjSYr8E
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) January 12, 2026
Utah State is 13-1 this season and currently rated No. 13 in the NET, and No. 20 in KenPom.
The Aggies have a pair of Quad Two opportunities to bolster their NCAA resume this week, with a home game against Nevada on Wednesday and a road trip on Saturday to Mountain West newcomer Grand Canyon.
Meanwhile, BYU will prepare to host TCU on Wednesday at the Marriott Center, then return to the road to face No. 15 Texas Tech in Lubbock.
AP Top 25 Men’s Basketball Rankings: Week 10
January 12, 2026
1. Arizona
2. Iowa State
3. UConn
4. Michigan
5. Purdue
6. Duke
7. Houston
8. Nebraska
9. Gonzaga
10. Vanderbilt
11. BYU
12. Michigan State
13. Illinois
14. North Carolina
15. Texas Tech
16. Virginia
17. Arkansas
18. Alabama
19. Florida
20. Louisville
21. Georgia
22. Clemson
23. Utah State
24. Tennessee
25. Seton Hall
Others receiving votes: Saint Louis, Kansas, Iowa, Miami (Ohio), Villanova, Wisconsin, Miami (FL), Texas A&M, UCF, Saint Mary’s, SMU, Auburn, George Mason, NC State, USC, St. John’s.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.
Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.
