A win over a big-name opponent can mean a lot during a college football season, especially when teams are fighting for a place near the top of the rankings. But things can get complicated when the team that lost that matchup ends up ranked higher a few weeks later. That is exactly what has happened in the latest AP Top 25, despite both programs having the same number of losses.
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The ranking has raised questions about how voters are comparing the two teams. One has a head-to-head win to point to, while the other still holds the higher spot. The decision has caught the attention of a former Heisman Trophy winner, who believes the result on the field should carry more weight.
“There is no way in the Book of Mormon that BYU should be ranked behind Notre Dame when they both have 1 loss, and BYU beat them head to head,” Robert Griffin III shared his frustration after seeing BYU ranked below Notre Dame, he wrote on X.
Griffin’s reaction came after BYU suffered its first loss of the season against UCF on October 24. The Cougars fell 39-31 in double overtime, ending their unbeaten run and dropping from No. 2 to No. 8 in the AP Top 25. Notre Dame moved ahead of them, even though the Fighting Irish also had one loss.
The part that stands out is that BYU had beaten Notre Dame just a week earlier. The Cougars hosted the Irish on October 17 and came away with a 28-24 victory. That result pushed BYU to 6-0 and handed Notre Dame its first defeat of the season.
After the loss to UCF, both teams had a 6-1 record. But Notre Dame was placed above BYU in the rankings. Griffin questioned that decision, pointing to the game the two teams had already played. From his perspective, BYU had earned the better position by winning that matchup.
The November 1 AP poll has kept Notre Dame ahead. The Irish are ranked No. 4 with a 7-1 record, while BYU sits at No. 7 with the same record. The Cougars have since bounced back with a win over Arizona State, but they have not moved past Notre Dame.
Notre Dame’s position also brings back memories of its exclusion from the 2025 College Football Playoff. The Fighting Irish finished the regular season 10-2 but ended up at No. 11 in the selection committee’s final rankings, just outside the 12-team field. Miami received the final at-large spot instead.
The decision drew plenty of attention at the time. Notre Dame had won 10 straight games after starting the season with two losses, but that run was not enough to secure a playoff place. The program later declined a bowl invitation following the selection.
That previous season does not decide where Notre Dame should be ranked now. The AP poll is also separate from the College Football Playoff rankings, as media members vote in the former while a selection committee decides the latter. Still, the Irish’s recent playoff history adds context to the discussion around their place in the national rankings.
BYU had a chance to respond after its loss to UCF when it faced Arizona State on October 31. The Cougars came away with a 27-20 win, improving to 7-1. Notre Dame also moved to 7-1 after beating Navy 35-13, keeping the Irish three spots ahead in the AP poll.
The Arizona State game also brought an officiating controversy. Big 12 replay officials awarded BYU a first-quarter touchdown after a fumble recovery by Sione Moa. The conference later admitted the call was wrong, explaining that BYU should have received the ball at the two-yard line for third-and-goal instead.
Griffin, who was part of FOX’s broadcast, was frustrated with the decision. “This is three weeks in a row where we’ve had Big 12 officials just making up rules as they go,” he said during the game. He later criticized the conference on X, writing that its officiating had become “the biggest threat to College Football.”
BYU now turns its attention to a November 7 matchup against undefeated Utah. Notre Dame will also have a tough test that day when it faces No. 1 Miami.
Both teams still have important games ahead, but Griffin has already made his point about their current rankings. BYU has a win over Notre Dame, and he believes the AP voters should take that result into account when deciding which team deserves the higher spot.