The Big 12 was one of the biggest beneficiaries of a chaotic Week 7 across college football. The latest AP Top 25 Poll was released Sunday, and BYU made the biggest statement for the conference, soaring from No. 8 to No. 2 following its 28-24 win over Notre Dame. The Cougars received 20 first-place votes and now sit behind only No. 1 Miami.
It’s BYU’s highest ranking since its 1984 national championship season and comes after the Cougars entered Saturday’s game as 10.5-point underdogs against the Fighting Irish. BYU is now 6-0 for the third consecutive season.
But BYU isn’t alone near the top for the Big 12.
Texas Tech moved up two spots to No. 8 after dismantling Arizona State 53-25. The Red Raiders also received one first-place vote and remain undefeated.
Utah also moved up one spot to No. 10 after surviving a scare at Colorado, 27-24. That gives the Big 12 three teams inside the Top 10 with BYU, Texas Tech and Utah.
Houston was another big winner, jumping six spots from No. 20 to No. 14 after beating Oklahoma State 35-32. The Cougars are now 6-1 and have their highest AP ranking since reaching No. 11 during the 2016 season.
Oklahoma State wasn’t as fortunate. The Cowboys fell completely out of the Top 25 following their loss to Houston after spending three consecutive weeks ranked.
However, the Big 12 replaced Oklahoma State with another team, as Arizona entered the poll at No. 25. The Wildcats were idle this weekend but have won four straight games since losing to BYU.
The Big 12 now has five ranked teams: No. 2 BYU, No. 8 Texas Tech, No. 10 Utah, No. 14 Houston and No. 25 Arizona.
And Week 8 will immediately put those rankings to the test, with No. 14 Houston traveling to face No. 10 Utah in another massive Big 12 showdown.
