Both BYU and Utah will start the 2025 college football season just outside the top 25.
The Cougars and Utes received the most votes of teams not ranked in the preseason Associated Press rankings, which were released Monday morning.
BYU, following an 11-2 season in 2024, received 156 points, 35 fewer than No. 25 Boise State and the most among teams outside the top 25.
Utah, which went 5-7 last year, had 144 points and the second-most among teams who didn’t make the top 25.
Essentially, both the Cougars and Utah are ranked No. 26 and No. 27, respectively.
The Cougars were considered a strong candidate to make a run at the Big 12 title this season, until quarterback Jake Retzlaff faced a reported seven-game suspension for an honor code violation and subsequently transferred to Tulane.
The Utes retooled their offense this offseason, bringing in new offensive coordinator Jason Beck and quarterback Devon Dampier to try and help rectify the team’s obvious weakness the past couple of years.
Which Big 12 teams are ranked in the preseason Associated Press top-25 rankings?
There are four Big 12 teams ranked in the preseason top 25.
That starts with defending league champion Arizona State, which is No. 11 with 791 points.
Other ranked Big 12 teams include Kansas State at No. 17, Iowa State at No. 22 and Texas Tech at No. 23.
In addition to BYU and Utah, other Big 12 teams that received votes but aren’t in the top 25 include Baylor (132), TCU (4) and Colorado (1).
Who are the top 10 teams in the preseason Associated Press top rankings?
Texas starts the season at No. 1, followed by Penn State at No. 2, defending national champion Ohio State at No. 3, Clemson at No. 4 and Georgia at No. 5.
The rest of the top 10 includes Notre Dame at No. 6, Oregon at No. 7, Alabama at No. 8, LSU at No. 9 and Miami at No. 10.