BYU football: Cougars make way to Top 10, thanks to upset-filled weekend

PROVO — For the first time since the 2001 season, BYU finds itself a top-10 football team.

In fact, after a weekend of upsets in the Top 25, the Cougars jumped from No. 11 in the Associated Press media and coaches poll to a lofty No. 8 ranking and an even better No. 7 in the USA Today coaches poll.

BYU, which holds the longest winning streak in the country at 14 games, was last ranked this high following the Dec. 1, 2001, week.

The Cougars (4-0) did not play last week and are still the highest-ranked team from a conference without an automatic BCS bowl berth.

And with a game Friday at Utah State, BYU is not expected to tumble in the rankings anytime soon.

Over the last 30 years, the BYU-Utah State rivalry hasn't been much of a rivalry. In the 24 meetings since 1978, the Cougars have won 21 games, which averages out to one loss per decade to the Aggies. BYU has won eight straight games in the series and the last time the Cougars fell to USU was in 1993.

But for BYU safety Kellen Fowler, Friday's game at Utah State holds special significance.

"It definitely does because it's an in-state opponent," said the senior from Kaysville. "We have a Wagon Wheel trophy in our locker room that goes to the winner of that game, so we definitely want to win that game. And it's one that goes toward local bragging rights. When I go home, there are Aggie fans from my hometown. I don't want them to be able to hold anything over me after this, my senior year. I have family that lives in Logan and a cousin who played at Utah State a few years ago. Maybe more than others, I definitely want to win this game."

When BYU travels to Utah State on Friday night — both teams are coming off of bye weeks — it will mark its first trip to Logan since 2002, when the Aggies seized a shocking 34-7 halftime lead before the Cougars rallied in the second half to claim a 35-34 victory. The two teams did not meet again until 2006, when BYU blanked Utah State, 38-0, in Provo.

After a hiatus from playing each other on a regular basis, the two teams are now scheduled to meet every year though 2012.

Cougar coach Bronco Mendenhall is a strong proponent of resuming the BYU-Utah State series.