AP preseason poll: BYU has been the most underranked team in last 12 years
On3’s Brett McMurphy recently analyzed preseason and postseason Associated Press polls since 2014 and found that the Cougars were the nation’s No. 1 underrated preseason team in that time span
Brigham Young University's Cougars head coach Kalani Sitake found his team to be the most underrated preseason pick in the past twelve years, according to a recent analysis by On3's Brett McMurphy. The Cougars have opened the season at No. 14 in the Associated Press poll, marking their first appearance in the preseason poll since 2022.
Despite this, the team has consistently finished in the top 10 during the year-end AP poll in four of the past six seasons. McMurphy's research revealed that BYU was the team with the greatest preseason ranking discrepancy from their final spot between 2014 and 2024. The Cougars didn't enter the AP poll until Week 2 in 2020, but ended the season at No. 11 after an 11-1 record.
The next season, they weren't ranked until Week 3 but finished at No. 19 with a 10-3 record. In 2024, it took until Week 5 for BYU to be ranked, and they concluded the season at No. 13 with an 11-2 mark. Despite finishing 12-2 and securing the No. 11 spot in the final AP poll this year, the Cougars once again started the season unranked, requiring an additional five weeks to earn a ranking.
This year, the Associated Press voters have not made the same error, giving the Cougars their highest preseason ranking since 1985, when BYU opened the season at No. 10 following their national championship victory.
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