BYU drops on bye week as Utah moves up in latest AP Top 25 rankings
Sep 27, 2026, 12:10 PM | Updated: 12:22 pm
AMES, IA - SEPTEMBER 26: Wide receiver Braden Pegan #7 of the Utah Utes celebrates with teammate quarterback Devon Dampier #4 of the Utah Utes after scoring a touchdown in the first half of play against the Iowa State Cyclones at Jack Trice Stadium on September 26, 2026, in Ames, Iowa. (Photo by David Purdy Photography)
(Photo by David Purdy Photography)
AMES, Iowa — With six games featuring two ranked teams facing off against each other, it was inevitable to see changes within the Associated Press Top 25 rankings.
And those changes impacted both BYU and Utah in the latest poll for another week.
Here’s a look at where the two teams landed after Week 4 action.
BYU Cougars
With so many ranked-on-ranked games surrounding BYU, there was potential for the Cougars to jump in the rankings. The only problem was the Cougars got jumped instead.
Sitting on the sidelines, BYU entered the bye week at No. 9 in the top 25 rankings, and dropped to No. 10 as Florida jumped the Cougars following a dominant win over Ole Miss. The Gators moved up from the bottom of the poll to No. 8 this week, pushing back the Cougars.
The challenge for BYU moving forward, however, is a nine-game slate without a break, but the opportunity to continue to lead the Big 12 remains as the top-ranked team from the conference.
BYU returns to action this week against a two-loss TCU team, who dropped a game to UCF on Saturday.
Utah Utes
Wayshawn Parker could not be denied Saturday afternoon in a career performance for the Utah running back who amassed 239 all-purpose yards in a win over Iowa State on the road. Parker took the first handoff of the game 54 yards to score a touchdown and never looked back.
Utah’s offense relied on Parker, but ran into some troubles in the third quarter before pulling away from Iowa State in the fourth quarter — again on the back of Parker.
The game was a good test for the Utes, who went on the road for the first time this season, and helped add to voters’ support of Utah in the rankings. The Utes moved up to No. 13 in the rankings for a two-spot jump.
Utah moved up but still remains the third-highest ranked team from the Big 12 for another week. The Utes now enter its bye week before welcoming Kansas into Rice-Eccles Stadium on Oct. 10.
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Big 12 teams
Welcome to the rankings, Oklahoma State! The Cowboys enter this week’s rankings as the Big 12’s fifth team included, while landing at No. 19, after a 41-24 win over West Virginia.
BYU remains the highest-ranked team from the conference, while Texas Tech stays as the second-highest ranked team at No. 12 following a slow-building win over Sam Houston. The Red Raiders, however, continue to lose ground and dropped one spot.
Houston also remains ranked for another week at No. 20 following a 42-28 win over Georgia Southern — a five-spot move up from last week.
Beyond the five teams from the conference included inside the top 25, the Big 12 also has two teams receiving votes this week, including Cincinnati and Arizona.
