BYU, Utah appear in preseason Coaches Poll Top 25
Aug 4, 2026, 12:34 PM
SALT LAKE CITY – The college football season is almost here when the Top 25 polls for the preseason begin rolling out.
On Tuesday, the U.S. LBM Coaches Poll for the 2026 season was released, and the two Power Four programs in the Beehive State cracked into the rankings.
BYU at No. 15, Utah at No. 21 in preseason Coaches Top 25 Poll
BYU was ranked at No. 15 in the preseason poll, while Utah checked in at No. 21.
There are 72 coaches who vote in the poll. The only in-state FBS coach with a ballot is first-year Utah head coach Morgan Scalley.
BYU is riding high entering the 2026 season after winning 23 games the past two seasons. They return a bulk of their key players after a season that saw them reach the Big 12 Championship Game before falling to Texas Tech.
Speaking of the Red Raiders, Tech is the highest-ranked Big 12 team in the poll at No. 12.
The preseason ranking for BYU marks the second consecutive year where the Cougars enter a season ranked in the Coaches Top 25 Poll.
It’s a new era on the hill for the Utes as Morgan Scalley looks to build on the success of what Kyle Whittingham established over the past two decades.
Scalley brings back star power in the backfield with Devon Dampier at quarterback and Wayshawn Parker at running back. The Utes won 11 games last season.
It’s the first time since 2024 that Utah enters the season ranked in the preseason Coaches Top 25 Poll.
The last time both BYU and Utah appeared in the preseason Coaches Poll was in 2009.
2026 Coaches Poll preseason Top 25 rankings
1. Ohio State (38 first-place votes)
2. Oregon (6)
3. Georgia (7)
4. Texas (2)
5. Notre Dame (5)
6. Indiana (14)
7. Miami
8. Texas A&M
9. Oklahoma
10. Ole Miss
11. Alabama
12. Texas Tech
13. LSU
14. USC
15. BYU
16. Michigan
17. Penn State
18. Tennessee
19. Washington
20. SMU
21. Utah
22. Iowa
23. Clemson
24. Houston
25. Missouri
Others receiving votes: Louisville; Florida; TCU; Illinois; Arizona; South Carolina; Virginia; Vanderbilt; Auburn; Georgia Tech; Boise State; Oklahoma State; UNLV; Florida State; North Carolina State; Nebraska; Virginia Tech; Memphis; Arizona State; James Madison; New Mexico; Pittsburgh; Navy; Western Michigan; San Diego State; California; Hawaii; Jacksonville State; Kansas State.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSL 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.
