Dave Portnoy‘s Michigan Worship needs no introduction. However, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t root for other conferences and programs, especially if they are coming up undefeated and haven’t received the due recognition. Throw in Kalani Sitake‘s BYU into that list as well.

“There is a conference out there that I think folks should be giving a little bit more love and respect.” That question was sent across to Portnoy, and he was already equipped with a rant. The crux of the whole frustration? AP Poll rankings. “I mean the top 10 rankings,” Portnoy said. “If you look at what we got, six teams with a loss in it, and you got BYU, sitting there undefeated in the Big 12. Not the top 10.”

Despite coming off as 4.5-point underdogs, the then No. 15 Cougars beat 24-21, and jumped up to No. 11 on the post-week 8 AP Top 25 polls. But Portnoy is not content. He argues that Kalani Sitake’s program should be a top 10 roster after going 7-0 so far in the Big 12. “It’s disgusting,” he calls it.

Portnoy added. “I don’t know why the Big 12 doesn’t get any respect. Their teams can play with any of the teams in the SEC or Big 10, the top of the conference; they get absolutely no respect on a national scale.” Out of the 10 teams, six have faced one defeat over the weeks, including Vanderbilt, Miami, Ole Miss, Oregon, Georgia, and Alabama, while Sitake’s program remains undefeated at 7-0.

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Among the factors that are considered by the 60 voters, the strength of the schedule, common opponent, and championship wins also play a part.

Cougars sitting atop the Big 12

Over the past weeks, Sitake’s program has defeated all of its opponents so far. Starting off with a smooth win against Portland State Vikings, a 69-0 win in the season-opener, followed by Stanford, East Carolina, Colorado, West Virginia, Arizona, and last week’s Utah Utes. As the Barstool founder opined, the game on the field matters. Who has more points at the end of the game, not the hypotheticals and the hype.

Even some of the Cougars’ faithful are not satisfied with the updated poll rankings. On the Cougar Board, an individual going by the name ‘Preppy’ had a lot to say. “So, yes…BYU plays well when disrespected, and BYU can hopefully get into that biased stratosphere of preseason hype if they just keep winning,” he wrote on October 24. He added, “BYU needs to get there: a couple B12 championships in order to turn the national perception around.”

Presently, with the latest rankings, BYU sits just one spot shy of coming under the top ten. In the last 20 games, the program has won 18 of those, and 14-4 against Power Four opponents.

Last year as well, BYU recorded 11 wins, along with a No. 1 defensive unit in the Big 12, as they led the nation with 22 interceptions. Similarly, they are aiming to keep that momentum fresh in the 2025 race as well.

Presently, they are giving up 15.6 points per game, with an overall stop rate of 69.8% per ESPN. In addition to that, they rank No. 4 in red-zone defenses. Sitake’s QB1, freshman Bear Bachmeier, has been giving impressive results. With 1,386 yards, he has thrown nine touchdowns and eight scores on his resume, with three interceptions, churning out a QB rating of 76.0.

“So, I’m shouting out the big 12 this week right now, who got disrespected in the rankings? No way BYU should be a top 10 team,” Dave Portnoy concluded.