Editor’s Note: The Athletic 134 is a weekly ranking of all FBS college football teams.
Now is the time to pay attention to BYU.
The Cougars are undefeated and have handed Kansas State and SMU their only losses this season. But BYU remains ranked in the top 10 in both the AP and Coaches polls. But not here. BYU is ranked No. 7 in The Athletic 134 this week.
I’m surprised the Cougars don’t get more love. They are undefeated at 7-0 and have had two really good wins. Both are better than the top wins by Iowa State and several other teams in the same position in the polls. They’ve actually been in my top 10 for a few weeks.
Maybe it’s because BYU played twice on a Friday night or because its game against Kansas State started at 10:30 PM on Saturday and won 38-9. Yes, the Cougars had a few close games and needed a late touchdown to beat Oklahoma State. But this team, especially this defense, looks legitimate and is now 13th in yards allowed per play.
You should be careful as you can handle the second half of the schedule as well. BYU and Iowa State University do not play each other in the regular season. The Cougars already beat K-State and won’t play Colorado at 5-2. If the Big 12 wants to get two teams to the College Football Playoff, BYU would likely be one of them.
deeper
AP Top 25: New Oregon No. 1; Vandy ends voting drought
More than halfway through the season, there are still surprising results shaking up the standings. Introducing this week’s edition of The Athletic 134.
1-10
| class | team | record | before |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
7-0 |
1 |
|
|
2 |
6-1 |
3 |
|
|
3 |
6-0 |
4 |
|
|
4 |
7-0 |
6 |
|
|
5 |
5-1 |
5 |
|
|
6 |
6-1 |
2 |
|
|
7 |
7-0 |
8 |
|
|
8 |
6-1 |
12 |
|
|
9 |
6-1 |
11 |
|
|
10 |
6-1 |
9 |
Georgia slipped to second after a win at Texas, and the Longhorns fell to sixth after slipping either Michigan or Oklahoma, who currently have the best wins. The Bulldogs’ loss to Alabama remains their top spot, especially after the Tide lost again, and they are currently ranked next to Boise State, which Oregon beat.
Miami jumped on Ohio State after its win at Louisville, but the Ohio State-Penn State game in two weeks will be another shake-up game.
The Vols beat Alabama, the Tigers beat Arkansas 34-10, and Tennessee and LSU cracked the top 10. Tennessee and LSU’s resumes are incredibly even, but Tennessee has a better Best Win, so the Vols have a slight edge.
deeper
Tennessee proved against Alabama that it was no one-hit wonder under Josh Heupel.
11-25
I was a little skeptical about Indiana’s ceiling after beating a bad team, but Saturday’s 56-7 demolition of Nebraska made me a believer and moved the Hoosiers to 11th. Bad news: Quarterback Kurtis Rourke is out indefinitely. Due to a thumb injury. But there is a path to 10 or even 11 wins. Iowa State fell two spots due to performances by Tennessee, LSU and Indiana on the same day the Cyclones had to rally late to stay alive at UCF.
Illinois is the only new team in the top 25 after a 21-7 win over Michigan to improve to 6-1.
deeper
Stewart Mandel predicts 12-team playoffs after Week 8
26-50
Teams outside the top 25 have suffered all kinds of losses this week. As a result, Syracuse, UNLV, South Carolina, Memphis, Army, Duke and Cincinnati made big jumps into the top 35. Michigan State also jumped to No. 39 after a 32-20 win over Iowa. Here’s a Michigan-MSU game that could have big implications for both.
Is it any wonder we stopped talking about Colorado once the Buffs became a solid team? Colorado is 5-2 and ranked 38th after a late loss to Kansas State, a win over UCF and a 34-7 win over Arizona. It would be shocking if Colorado didn’t bowl, which is another development for coach Deion Sanders.
No. 46 Florida and No. 47 Virginia Tech also entered the top 50, beating out Kentucky and Boston College, respectively. Utah continues to decline and is currently ranked in the top 50 after the loss to TCU.
deeper
Mandel’s final thoughts: Georgia’s defensive mayhem knocks Texas down, and more from Week 8
51-75
USC fell to No. 52 after blowing another 14-point lead and losing to Maryland in Big Ten play, falling to 1-4. No. 53 Rutgers fell out of the top 50 with a shocking loss to UCLA.
Louisiana continues to trail atop the Sun Belt, now ranked 60th, after beating Coastal Carolina to move to 6-1 overall, while Georgia Southern took control of the Sun Belt East with a win over James Madison and moved up to 63rd. 82nd place. Toledo defeated Northern Illinois and rose to No. 68.
No. 65 NC State and No. 66 Cal are the hardest teams to rank. NC State recently lost to Wake Forest, but beat Cal, which is 0-4 in ACC play, by a total of nine points. If the Golden Bears had made a field goal, their record would have been completely different.
deeper
Morales: USC has invested heavily in Lincoln Riley and his staff. Where are the results?
76-100
Baylor jumped to No. 76 after a stunning 59-35 win over Texas Tech. Texas State fell to No. 77 after losing to Old Dominion. Auburn blew a double-digit lead against Missouri and fell to 2-5 and ranked 80th.
No. 82 Western Michigan actually moved into first place in the MAC at 3-0 after beating Buffalo, which also defeated Toledo and NIU. Marshall jumped to No. 81 following the Herd’s win over WMU and win over Georgia State last week.
The bottom of the Power 4 is bunched together. Purdue is at the bottom of the group at 95th, but Florida State is ahead at 94th after losing to Duke for the first time. No. 93 Mississippi State has battled Georgia and Texas A&M in recent weeks, while Houston fell back to No. 89 after a 42-14 loss to Kansas.
deeper
Big 12, ACC will be happy if they receive multiple bids: College Football Playoff Bubble Watch
101-134
New Mexico has won three straight and moved to No. 106 in Mendenhall’s first year as a Bronco after a 50-45 barnburner win over Utah State. UTSA’s win over Florida Atlantic moved the Roadrunners back up to No. 110.
UTEP moved up to No. 129 with its first win of the season over FIU. That leaves only two teams in FBS without a tie: Kennesaw State and Kent State.
The Athletic 134 Series is part of a partnership with Allstate. The Athletic maintains complete editorial independence. Partners have no control over or involvement in the reporting or editorial process and do not review stories prior to publication.
(Photo: Chris Gardner / Getty Images)
