Deseret News | East Carolina Pirates storm Top 25; BYU drops and Utes stay at 22

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East Carolina Pirates storm Top 25; BYU drops and Utes stay at 22

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KM | 5:36 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

Quit whining. If they keep winning, it will all be sorted out in the end. At this point, their ranking is based on last year's finish anyway. If they'd started the season unranked, those two wins wouldn't have done anything to put them in the rankings, so you can consider yourself ahead of the game.

BCS fraud | 5:39 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

So, at the end of the year, when Fresno State, East Carolina and the winner of the Utah/BYU game are
each undefeated, only one will be in a BCS game while an unranked ACC team and 2+ loss teams from the SEC and PAC-10 get in.

Unfortunately, the six conferences run the BCS system to keep the money not to reward the best teams or to crown a true champion.

to mark(THE BYU FAN) | 5:41 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

just for your information byu should not have even won yesterday so dont get all teary eyed just be thatnkful your in the top 25 unlike my aggies.

unfortunatley i think utah is going to hammer usu by a score of 68-10.

but ill still be there cheering the ags on
GO AGGIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Comments continue below

Rick | 5:50 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

BYU was fortunate not to drop farther as Washington is considered the doormat of the PAC 10 and BYU struggled to beat them by 1 point.

I don't know why people are complaining about PAC 10 officials...they are blatently biased and everyone who plays against a Pac 10 school knows it. This why in the days of the Big 10 - PAC 10 Rosebowl they had to us officials from another conference.

magical | 5:56 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

BYU got the blocked kick because they are magical. Everything about BYU is magical. Remember, it's becasue they are doing what they should. When they do the Lord blesses them...it's magical.

Too bad BYU fans have to live in that magical world. What will they do when the curtian is pulled? When last minute/second plays fall together.

Riverton Ute | 6:00 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

I think the rankings have it about right. BYU was less than impressive in their win and Utah did what it should in beating UNLV. East Carolina deserved the big jump after dominating West Virginia. Early season rankings are going to have big jumps for the first weeks.

Both Utah and BYU just need to keep winning, and maybe running up the score a little, and the rankings will take care of themselves. Fans of each school should at least hope that the rival school continues to win. It will make the victor of the November game that much more impressive. Go UTES!!!

Ronald A. Young | 6:04 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

Not that I really care on a scale of 1 to 10, maybe a 2. However I have seen No Mention in either Nation, Utah, or Sports, Of the Nationwide Tour Pro Golf Event going on in Sandy Utah. I have been watching it for background on the Golf Channel, It is/was a good event and the winner is going to receive some where in the Neighborhood of $100 thousand dollars, with things going sharply down hill from there. With the guy at the bottom getting a little more then Bus Fare. I know that it is early Football Season and Hope Springs eternal but still a line or two would have been nice. After all these are the future PGA Pros of Tomorrow and sometimes the PGA Pros of Yesterday. Average Journeymen giving it their all, some making a decent living in the process. Vastly mostly White men but with enough Mix to make a difference. This Board is so through and complete I am just wondering why the apparent lapse. You should not drop in the Polls if you win. However Polls do not mean much, wins do, ask UH about 12 and 0 seasons.

Information | 6:13 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

It all comes down to information. Pollsters know very little about BYU, and a squeaker against a bad Pac-10 team gave pollsters additional information about the Cougars. Teams like USC can get away with a 3 point win and not budge because the rest of their schedule indicates that narrow win was an anomaly. And Ohio State was penalized for winning, even though the score would have been 33-14 if Tressel didn't pull back the reins on their final drive. Moreover, remember, Ohio State was without Beanie Wells and most definitely was caught looking ahead. Given all those factors, I would say a 3 place drop is appropriate. I think they should be ranked between 7 and 8, and at the end of the season, I think they will be.

Parity | 6:38 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

I am surprised no one is talking about what is becoming one of the biggest issues in college football. There continues to be increased parity among college football teams, and subsequently, the importance of playing at home cannot be overstated. Both of East Carolina's wins have been home games. They appear to be a great football team, but playing at home is a tremendous advantage in today's college football. That is why Utah's win over a mediocre Michigan and BYU's win over a mediocre Washington are big wins, they were road wins! To date I think pollsters are failing to give enough credit to teams that win on the road.

Take A Breath Cougs | 6:45 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

1. Only one other comment recognized the reality that the AP poll does not have any bearing on the all-important BCS poll. The USA Today poll (which does go into the BCS formula) kept us at 15 and had ECU below us at 20.

2. It's too bad UCLA fell out after a bye week as a top 25 win Saturday would have helped our cause.

3. Let's ease back on our famous persecution complex Cougs - we stayed at 15 (USA Today) and dropped in the same way Ohio State did (AP) after what in reality was an unimpressive first 2 games. We were lucky to stay at 15.

4. Our offense could move against ANY team in the nation. But our offense still needs to score more points to keep a step ahead of a young and growing defense. Just like last season, our scoring lags behind our offensive statistical domination thanks to penalties and untimely turnovers.

5. Our preseason ranking reflected respect for our program. But the success of East Carolina, Fresno State, Utah and TCU means we can't continue to just squeeze out a win (Washington) or play below what we should (NIU). Dominate UCLA!!

Rules are Rules | 6:58 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

Are you kidding me, there was no way that tossing the football in the air and hugging your team mates is an unsportsman like penalty. FUI VAKAPUNA'S MUSCLE FLEX is more of a penalty than tossing the football. HOW DID HE NOT GET PENALIZED??? BYU fans are upset that they dropped in the polls, my thought is HOW DID THEY NOT DROP MORE? Your team is simply put, slightly above average. You have deffinatly done absolutly nothing to impress us. An okay win against Northern Iowa High School, and a lucky one point win over a bottom tier PAC 10 team. Get real Cougs pre season hype will only get you so far. I just can't wait until next week, you are NORM CHOW MEAT! I bet he watched your game Saturday and can't wait to pick apart your SOFT and SLOW DEFENSE!

Red Flag | 6:59 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

Look at the offensive stats nationally and BYU dominates. We lead the nation in 3rd down success by a wide margin - almost 80%, we are the 16th best total offensive team and Hall (#2) and Pitta (#1) are at the top individually. BUT, just like last season, our scoring lags way behind what it should given our offensive statistical domination. We are in a 5-way tie for the 37th best scoring team in the nation. For some reason, we continue to be able to move the ball almost at will and yet cannot convert that into scores like we should. The amazing third down conversion rate is especially frustrating in that we move the chains at the most important times and yet are not getting into the endzone like we should be. It's the reason our first non-conference road win in years actually caused us to drop in the AP poll. Let's go Cougs - keep moving the ball but we have to get into the endzone too!!

AP means nothing | 7:07 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

Remember that the AP poll, a couple of years ago, dropped from being a part of the BCS so now, their ranking means nothing with the BCS stadnings. After beating UCLA at home, BYU will begin moving forward again.

X BYU X | 7:17 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

Funny thing BYU dropped 3 in the AP top 25 but stayed the same in the U.S.A. today poll. East Carolina is 14th in the AP top 25 but 20th in the USA today poll. just a thought.

Nathaniel | 7:20 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

Talk about BCS bias. UCLA didn't score a single point against "bye" (whatever team that is!) and only dropped three places in the poll!

BSC...a total joke | 7:20 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

This article would have no posts on it if we had a real playoff system instead of voting which teams are the best. How sweet it would be to actually have teams play each to see who is better. I know this has been said before but the BCS has got to go! This football bowl division is the only sport that is some how surviving without a playoff.

AL | 7:26 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

Someone stated that when the YEWTS beat Utah St they will be in the top 10. Lets don't be completely stupid here.....

Progress | 7:34 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

BYU is making progress. At least they won ugly on the road in the PAC 10 and there is reason to believe that the defense will improve with time. They do seem very vulnerable to a spread offense and to deep routes (no speed).

U of WA should win 3 or more games this year (look at their schedule). U of WA also was not a good match up for the BYU Defense as it spread them out and took away the team aspect of the Defense. Further, Locker had no one with direct coverage for just him.

MI looks weak and no reason to believe that UT is better than BYU. There are a lot of teams ahead of both schools in the polls who will lose 2 or more games.

BYU almost always starts slow. They do not seem to be dominating like the some of the Edwards teams but they are managing to win. Consistently winning will carry you a long ways in the polls.

Further, parity tends to make it very hard to consistently win. A lot of Big Name teams lack depth and will lose as they get injuries.

Lest we forget... | 7:35 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

BYU started dominating in the 3rd quarter. Remember that BYU stopped Washington when tied 21-21. Remember that thmarched 97 yards down the field only e next drive after that stop BYU to lose the ball at the 1 yard line? Remember the next drive Washington had to punt again? Remember that BYU drove again this time scoring a touchdown to lead the game 28-21? Remember that Washington had to pull out all the stops (coverting 4 down, scoring with only 2 seconds) to get back in the end zone? Even if the game went into over time, BYU still would have won.

What's the big deal | 7:39 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

ECU and Fresno State still have to win out in order to have a chance at being BCS-buster as well as BYU. It's going to come down to who does it and i doubt all 3 of them will.

FL UTE | 7:47 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

BCS Fraud you are Right ON! The 6 conferences and NotryDame control the B(crap)S system, and don't want to share their $$$$$ with anyone else.

I watched a so-so So. Florida demolish WVa and Pat white last year, so why should WVa be ranked 8th this year?? And now, why should theeee OH-state-U be ranked 5th if they barely beat a crappy school that U-Wyoming throttled the week before??

Go UTES (figure the consistency thing out, pleeeeze) and Go Cougs until Nov22!

Hmmm... | 7:48 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

ECU is the media's new BCS darling. BYU will be hard-pressed to move up in the rankings now. If BYU doesn't beat UCLA by more than 60 points, they'll probably move down another three spots.

BCS BS | 7:58 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

According to the BCS, a win is a win. The only exception is when it is deemed a "quality" win. Over the years the argument was supposed to be that it didn't matter if you won by 1 or 100 points, a win is a win. They were trying to stop Nebraska type teams scheduling so many cup-cakes and winning by 70 and moving up in the polls. Strength of schedule was supposed to be the factor, not that you won by 70. A win is a win.

So much for that high and lofty goal. BCS is simply BS.

bigtime fan | 7:55 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

I can't believe there are actually BYU fans on this board arguing that BYU did not deserve the drop. Take off your blinders and get a reality check. We barely beat a very bad team. Who cares if it was on the road or a BCS school. Our offense was awesome except for a couple of key mistakes, but our defense is as porous as swiss cheese. If we played any of the top 15 teams (except maybe Ohio State) we could get completely blown out with that defense. UW is TERRIBLE. Now I will also be the first to say if it weren't for some lucky breaks for UW, we would have won by 2 or 3 TDs. But the voters don't watch every single game and really only see the final score and news headlines.

Let's take take care of business and take it to UCLA next week. Ohio State will have to prove itself on the biggest stage yet.

GO COUGS!!! | 8:03 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

I agree with all of those who have posted here that BYU's defense left something to be desired yesterday. I mean, how many times does it take to realize that the QB is probably going to run the ball!? I must say, Utah is looking pretty good. I think they will get their first test in a week against Air Force. As for BYU, they had better play better against UCLA or they will be 2-1. I think BYU will beat UCLA by a score of 31-17.

We all have to realize that at the end of the day, in order to be a BCS buster, you have to go undefeated. So far BYU, Utah, and Fresno St., are on their way. We will have to see if Utah can get past the month of October without losing a game (since they usually lose atleast one in October). I think that with each game BYU's defense will improve. They are young on that side of the ball. Definately their offense needs to carry them.

BYU GUY | 8:07 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

Hey If the Cougars Beat UCLA by 30-40 points they should drop to 22 or 23 in next weeks polls!

Hey, Utes! | 8:11 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

Good grief, stop claiming that all BYU fans do is whine. I've been around long enough and read enough posts over the years to know that when you guys lose close games that you guys tend to whine too.

So, give it a rest!

BYU DROPS! | 8:15 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

Sorry Cougar fans, but there is more than just a win. The UW was an ugly win, and that's why you dropped. Obviously an ugly win is better than an ugly loss, but still, nothing to be too happy about.

BOO HOO BYU!!!!!!!!!!! | 8:27 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

BOO HOO BYU.....You guys are never ever satisfied. NEVER!!!!!!!!!! You just went to the wire against a cellar dweller in Washington!!! You got what you deserved. Your offense is talented and does well but your defense isn't that great. Could be a loss once you face someone talented on offense like TCU or UTAH.

BUU HUU HUU | 8:27 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

Utah fans keep talking cuz it will only hurt worse when you lose.

You have beaten nobody. Michigan could barely pull of a win against Miami of Ohio and you could only score three points against them in the second half. Then you stunk in the 1st half against....UNLV?!!! You haven't put a "top 25" game together yet.

At Washington that ball was launched so high, Locker had time to chest bump one player and hug another before it came down and hit him on the shoulder. What's so funny is that exact celebration is spelled out in detail in the rules, Lockers celebration was a model for what the rule book was warning against. The real lesson is that Locker made an inexperienced error and cost his team a chance at overtime.

I don't think the Y should have moved up but definitely not down. But keeping yapping utes, saying stuff like after you beat USU you'll be in the top 10. Man you guys get full of your selves fast. And you haven't even won the conference title in three years. You really stink.

Re: random thoughts | 8:30 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

Your utah team stinks. You haven't played a full game yet. And you've beat two terrible teams. Your dream world will come crashing down on you soon. There is no way you can call the utes better than the cougs when you have played two horrible halves in each game. That's not "top 25" football.

NevadaCoug | 8:33 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

Re: BYWHO?

Um, why would the Utes get invited to the B(S)C dance if BYU runs the table? How would a selection committee ever justify taking the Utes over the undefeated team that beat them in the last game of each school's season? That makes zero sense, wouldn't you think?

BYU moved up last week because some of the teams ahead of them lost. This week they move down because a lot of media types don't understand the rule book and the difficulty of playing in front of 75000 screaming fans. I was listening on the radio and I could tell before the announcers said anything when something good happened for Washington. It was that loud. Playing on the road is always tough in college football. The media types forget that and get too focused on the "superiority on paper" stuff. Good teams find ways to win. BYU did that on Saturday; and, if they keep doing that, the polls will take care of themselves.

RE: BYU | 8:43 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

I have two issues:

1st: BYU just barely beat Washington, so a little drop may in in order
2nd: I don't like the announcers saying BYU won by a penalty. If the PAT fell short, then you could make that call. The PAT was blocked! If it was made from the 1 inch line, the result would've been the same unless the kicker moved up some for fear they couldn't make the kick. As that kick is still pretty much a "chip shot", I'm betting he was just as far back from the line of scrimmage as he normally is. BYU won the game fair and square.

I'm a Ute fan by the way. I like to see the MWC do good. I do think BYU should've made a more convincing win. They probably had their "heads in the clouds" thinking it was going to be a "walk in the park". Better luck on UCLA.

UCLA | 8:51 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

This game with UCLA is sooooo important because it will represent the best opponent that either Utah or BYU will play this entire year until they play each other. When we look back at all the teams played by the two schools, I think time will show that Michigan, Oregon St, and Washington will be horrific. The Bruins will be the only team with at least a .500 record of all these schools. BYU must win to restore its presence, otherwise they will just be working for another conference championship. I think Utah has an easier schedule and is far more likely to be undefeated at the game in November. The two teams look about as equal, Utah maybe a little better but much less disciplined and way less consistent which probably puts them at equal...I can't wait for the USC OSU game. College football is just incredible!

TrooBloo | 8:57 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

Can't argue that BYU didn't deserve to drop. Their defense looked less than impressive, and we still had problems taking care of the ball.

The thing that mystifies me, however, are the Ute fans posting on this thread. One major difference I've noted over the years between Ute fans and Cougar fans: Cougar fans recognize that it's in our best interest for Utah to win every game up until the big one, climbing in the rankings the whole time--that way when we beat them, we climb higher in the polls. I cheer for Utah every game and love to see them stomp their opponents until they come to us--then it's pure rivalry. In that sense, I don't discriminate between them and any of our opponents--I want them to win every game both before and after BYU. It's in the Cougars best interest.

Most Ute fans, on the other hand, would rather cut off their nose to spite their face. They allow their hatred for anything BYU to get in the way of boosting their rankings. How dumb is that? (And what a sour way to live your life--go figure...)

get real | 9:02 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

Stop whining cougets. When you play UCLA you will have your chance. You need to step it up and beat an unranked PAC-10 soundly. You know why PENN STATE moved up and you didn't? Because their game was over at halftime. If you are up on the Bruins 35-7 at the half you may move up. Oh and try beating the spread. Try exceeding expectations for once!
The Utes have beaten the spread in both games. Thus, they've done more than expected. That's why they are climbing and you are falling. Get used to it.

JT | 9:10 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

I am obviously in the minority here (I haven't heard ANYONE with this opinion yet), but I suspect BYU's defense is not nearly as bad as what a lot of people have surmised after playing Washington. The reason for this is that Bronco has admitted before that mobile quarterbacks give his defense problems. That admission is not to be equated with saying he doesn't have a decent defense. What it means is that he can't have his defense play at full-tilt against a quarterback that, if he had better coaching, would be the second coming of Steve Young. I remember only once when they sent linebackers into the backfield that they caught Locker; every other time they got burned. That means they were forced to play a very plain-vanilla defense against Washington and bend but not break. It also means they weren't going to beat Washington as badly as they would have if UW started a pocket passer. I will be highly surprised if they do not have considerably more success against Kevin Craft and UCLA next week than they did against the Huskies yesterday.

Here come the Wah birds | 9:25 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

BYU needs to stop whining. They barely beat the worst PAC10 team. Yea, yea, we know, the officials were terrible. They always are when BYU struggles. When they win, it is because BYU can't be beat. When they lose or struggle, it is all because of the officials.

Last week all we heard was that BYU would dominate and that Locker wasn't anything special. Blah blah.

The fact is, the best team with a shot at BCS is East Carolina. They have a very weak schedule the rest of the season and are the highest in the rankings.

BYU fans better start cheering for Utah to do very well the rest of the year and hope they can beat the Utes on the road. That is their only chance for BCS this year.

Of course, after they lose to UCLA this week, it won't matter and all we will hear is how the Mountain West officials were awful and cost them the game.

Golf?? | 9:28 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

Ronald--boy are you on the wrong board!! I think that's what the Golf Channel is for (and a 100 other golf Internet sites).

GoodGuyGary | 9:33 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

To nope: You think Utah can get into top ten by beating Utah State???

Um....should I act shocked or should I laugh?

GoodGuyGary | 9:38 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

Anyone who thinks Utah State can do something is asking for insults here. I would have put a brown bad to cover my head instead of say something like "Go Yukiees" here if I am a USU fan.

BYU professor | 9:39 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

Anyone who watched or listened to the game can't honestly say the cougs had no offense. They punted 2 whole times, for goodness sales and performed well against a team that was so disciplined it never got called for holding the entire game (how realistic is that?)Their D was another story, though and ahwoed the same weakness as last week-- slow inthe secondary. At first I was upset at the drop ( although I expected it), but I'm glad now b/c I hope it motivated the couga to fight hard as they van next week against UCLA. that'll be their roughest test yet--and don't think UCLA isn't also as hungry after last year's blocked PAT.

On a side note, I hope they do something to honor Norm Chow at the game next week. He's as legendary as LE here and should be the person to carry the flag with this new tradition, methinks.

someone in WA | 9:42 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

how can everyone be saying that washington is an 8 or 9 team in the pac10????? they have only played 1 game in conference, first game of the season no less. get over it people. I bet washington finishes better than what you say it will. guarantee.

Not Surprised | 10:20 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

That the Cougs dropped. However, with a win against UCLA next week, they go back up. They keep on winning and others drop a game here and there, the Cougs will keep on rising. Don't sweat it, just keep on winning and the BCS will have to take the Cougs seriously!! Short of USC, the west coast teams always get overlooked.

What?? | 10:23 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

BYU was two stupid plays away from winning this game by 15 instead of 1. (I'm talking about the Unga fumble in the end zone, and the 3rd and 23 conversion from their own 5 that the Huskies converted for an eventual touchdown.) Yet all the media can focus on is blaming BYU for Washington being unable to make a 35 yard field goal attempt straight on in good weather. No credit is being given to Jan Jorgansen for his great block. And how about all the crappy calls that went against BYU? Or the no calls on a couple of Washington pass interferences? Of course none of that gets talked about.

booo-hooo | 10:48 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

Hello zoobs,
Reading these posts is like listening to the game on 1160, hearing those whiney ex-zoobes cry about no-calls and bad calls.

I am sooo glad that this call was on Washington and did not go against the zoobes. You guys would have been calling your congressmen, crying in your funeral potatoes...

Anonymous | 10:52 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

All you can worry about is winning games.

Control the things you can control, and let the rest of the world talk about them.

BYU held onto 14 in USA today.

It's still nice to be in the top twenty.

tj | 11:53 p.m. Sept. 7, 2008

I am not surprised that BYU dropped. I said in a different comment board that I thought they should drop to 18 and Oregon and Penn State should be up above them. I thought Oregon and Penn should be higher but honestly how can you think that BYU shouldn't drop? Oregon beats Washington 44-10 and then BYU barely beats Washington and you expect BYU to be ranked higher? Never. Oregon is better and BYU better watch out because if East Carolina runs the table and BYU runs the table BYU does not have any chance at going to a BCS bowl.

I do not like the call against Locker. I do agree that it should have been called because it is pretty clear in the rule book but I think it is a stupid rule and should be taken out. Why would throwing a ball into the air be unsportsmanlike? What if the guys runs to the stands and throws the ball to a fan? Is that a penalty? I don't think so. The call needed to be made but the rule needs to be changed. Great block on the PAT though!!!

BYU Drops-very fair | 12:03 a.m. Sept. 8, 2008

BYU dropping the ball and not representing will hurt the MTN in the end especially with the emergence of East Coast ECU who I must admit looks much better than the Y. So kudos on the 2-0 but a loss to either of these first two teams would be unacceptable as they are both crap. BYU was actually gifted by the pollsters to be as high and hyped as they were, they have looked very beatable and their defense is quite possibly their slowest ever. They need to get some athletes out there who can help take BYU to next level, on D that is. Offense looks like it is hitting stride although their lack of points per yards gained is troublesome.

In the Stands | 12:12 a.m. Sept. 8, 2008

BYU should have dropped slightly in the polls. As a program, BYU still has a lot to prove. The winning percentage against ranked teams of any kind is abysmal for the entire decade. That being said, there are a few things to consider:

1. Lou Holtz had plenty of reason to talk down BYU's squeaker on ESPN as it benefits his son Skip at ECU. Lou won a national championship at Notre Dame and played for two at Arkansas (The voters skipped Notre Dame past him once and he lost in the Sugar Bowl to Alabama) so he has real gravitas. Lee Corso can't make any similar claims. That being said, Lou is still biased against BYU.
2. BYU's win was a milestone, you have to start winning non-conference road games somewhere, sometime, and this win, while it was far from perfect, qualifies.
3. BYU fans shouldn't worry about Ohio State ranking - the pollsters know that the Buckeyes' measure will be taken in full next Saturday.
4. UCLA was penalized for not playing - BYU gets a shot at them. If BYU wins, it will likely make up lost ground in the polls.

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