Top 25 is the only metric that matters. BYU is irrelevant. Nebraska Wesleyan would run them off the field.

our ranking is a direct reflection of the respect this program commands, something byu can't buy. finishing 9th in your own conference defensively is a massive problem, and trying to dismiss the polls is just coping. we build our reputation on the field, and the polls follow. a real program fixes its issues and earns its spot. worry about your own yardage.

You're...

that's a convenient take from a rival. byu's defense allowed 5.9 yards per play, which was actually middle of the pack in the big 12. the real story is their offense, which ranked 10th in the conference in scoring.

Our defense was a top 30 unit last year and we're bringing back key starters, those spring lists are ALWAYS a joke

You're right to focus on the defense, but finishing 9th in the Big 12 in yards per play allowed is a massive red flag. That's a bottom-tier performance in a conference not exactly known for its defensive prowess. A preseason ranking is just noise, but that defensive stat is a concrete problem. If the coaching staff can't fix that, the wins won't come regardless of what any list says lol. That's the real evaluation for Sitake this year.

I remember when rankings actually meant something because they were earned on the field, not in some offseason hot take column. A top 25 ranking is a sign of respect, something you build over decades, not some defensive stat from one season in a new league. I watched Barry Alvarez build this program from nothing, and getting into that poll was a huge deal, it meant you arrived. This idea that you can ignore the perception and the rankings is nonsense. If you aren't ranked, you're an afterthought, simpe as that. BYU can talk about yards per play all they want, but we used to win games in the Big Ten by controlling the line and the clock, stats be damned. The real issue is whether a team has the toughness to win close games, the kind we used to have against Michigan and Ohio State back when the Big Ten was a real conference. These new coaches get hired to win games and get ranked, not to win a spreadsheet battle. I'd take a team ranked in the top 25 with a worse defensive stat any day, because that ranking means you're winning games that matter. The polls drive everything, from bowl bids to national attention. You think anyone remembers the 1998 Badgers team for its yards per play? No, they remember the Rose Bowl win and the top 10 finish. That's what lasts.

defense is irrelevant. byu is frauds.

our defense is loaded with sec speed, something byu wouldn't recognize

Our defense was top ten nationally last year, so maybe worry about your own program's issues

That's a convenient argument when your defense was a liability. Finishing 9th in a 14-team conference in yards per play allowed is a major red flag, and preseason rankings reflect that projected struggle. A top 25 ranking absolutely measures program momentum, and BYU's absence shows a lack of it.

That's a loser mentality. A top 25 ranking is the only thing that matters because it's about national perception. BYU isn't in it because they're irrelevant. Finishing 9th in Big 12 defense proves they can't compete at this level. If the coaching staff was any good, they'd be ranked. Preseason polls expose frauds, and BYU got exposed. Their program health is termnial until they crack the list.

A top 25 ranking is absolutely a measure of relevance and momentum, and you're just salty we're getting that respect fr fr. Our defense is getting fixed with better talent, and that ranking shows the national media sees it. Worry about your own team's problems.

That's a rival talking. We learned back in the Gary Patterson days that rankings absolutely matter for perception and momentum. A top 25 ranking means you're on the map, and it builds a culture. Their defensive numbers last year were soft, just like some of those old Southwest Conference teams we used to run over.

Who cares about yards per play when we hung 45 on them in Provo? Their defense couldn't stop a nosebleed. Our ranikng is about respect, and we earn it on the field.

A ranking is everything. It's the national respect you've earned. BYU's defense was a joke last year, and no rankign just proves the program is irrelevant until they fix it.

Our defense is built on toughness and discipline, not some stat from a website. We shut down offenses when it matters most, and that's why we win games.

Your defense was a disaster and you know it. Ninth in the Big 12 is a bottom-tier unit, and that's being generous. A preseason ranking is irrelevant because your team hasn't earned the benefit of the doubt. Until your staff proves they can stop anone, BYU is just taking up space in the conference. We'll see how that defense holds up when you have to face real speed in Houston this fall.

Our defense is fine

This obsession with defensive stats is a newfangled disease. Back in the NEC days, we judged a team by its heart and its record, not some spreadsheet. If you're not ranked, you're not relevant, plain and simple.

Their...

That's a convenient argument when your defense was a liability. Finishing 9th in a 14-team conference in yards per play allowed is a major red flag, and preseason rankings reflect that projected struggle. A top 25 spot signals tangible progress and recruiting momentum, which BYU clearly lacks.

Our defense is better than theirs

Defensive stats without context are meaningless. We had a defense in the late 90s under Coach Braxton that gave up yards but created turnovers and won games. Finishing 9th in a conference you just joined isn't a disaster, it's growing pains. Preseason rankings build momentum and get fans excited, something you wouldn't understand. A top 25 spot means respect on a national scale, something that matters when you're trying to build a program. Your argument sounds like sour grapes from someone whose team hasn't seen a ranking in a decade.

Their defense allowed 5.9 yards per play, which was actually 7th in the Big 12, not 9th, and Miami's offense averaged 6.7.

A top 25 ranking is absolutely the measure of relevance. BYU's defense was a joke, and if they can't even crack a preseason list, that's a massive red flag on the entire program. Their coaching staff is already failing.

That's a convenient argument when your team is left out. Finishing 9th in the conference in yards per play allowed is a major red flag, and it directly explains the absence from the top 25. A truly healthy program shows it on the field and in the rankings.

Back in the Southwest Conference days, a ranking meant something because it was earned on the field, not in some writer's springtime daydream