BYU climbs to No. 2 in AP poll after beating Notre Dame in chaotic week 7

BYU moved to No. 2 in the Associated Press Top 25 released Sunday, October 18, 2026, after beating Notre Dame 28-24 at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo the night before. The Cougars, now 6-0 overall and 3-0 in Big 12 play, received 20 first-place votes and 1,675 poll points, according to figures reported by the Salt Lake Tribune. Miami took the No. 1 spot with 1,697 points and 40 first-place votes.

How BYU got here

BYU jumped 6 spots from No. 8 to No. 2 after defeating a Notre Dame team that had entered the game ranked No. 2 itself, according to BYU's official athletics website. The result marked the program's first-ever matchup between top-10 teams in Provo, the site said. BYU's win also extended its streak of 6-0 starts to a third consecutive season, which BYU Athletics described as a first in program history.

The Associated Press ranking is BYU's highest since the team won the national championship in the 1984 season, according to both BYU Athletics and the Salt Lake Tribune. It is only the third time in program history that BYU has cracked the AP top five, the Tribune reported.

A controversial finish

The Notre Dame game ended on an incomplete pass from Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr to Jaden Greathouse in the end zone, defended by BYU's Evan Johnson. The Big 12 conference, whose replay center oversees Big 12 venues, later issued a statement acknowledging that one second should have remained on the game clock when the pass was ruled incomplete, according to ESPN. Under the conference's account, Notre Dame should have been given one additional second-down play that could have changed the outcome.

The Big 12 said it would conduct a full review of its end-of-game officiating process ahead of the following week's games, ESPN reported. The admitted error did not change the final score or BYU's result in the polls.

A chaotic week across the sport

BYU's rise coincided with what CBS Sports described as the most losses by ranked top-seven teams in AP poll history in a single week: five of the poll's top seven teams lost. Notable results cited by CBS Sports included Auburn's 27-24 upset of previously top-ranked Georgia, Ohio State ending Indiana's 22-game winning streak 19-15, Florida beating Texas 27-24, and Tennessee defeating Alabama 26-10.

Notre Dame fell two places to No. 4 in the AP poll after its first loss of the season, according to the Salt Lake Tribune and BYU Athletics. Ohio State moved to No. 3, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.

Big 12 teams gain ground

BYU's win was part of a broader surge for the Big 12 conference. CBS Sports reported that three undefeated Big 12 teams reached the top 10 of its power rankings: BYU, Texas Tech and Utah, with the conference home to roughly half of the remaining unbeaten FBS teams. Utah itself also moved up in the AP poll, from No. 11 to No. 10, after defeating Colorado to reach 6-0, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. Utah is scheduled to host No. 14-ranked Houston the following week, with ESPN's College GameDay broadcasting from the game, the Tribune said.