BYU Cracks the Top 25 in 2022 SP+ Preseason Rankings

The Cougars came in at no. 23 in the initial SP+ rankings

On Wednesday morning, ESPN's Bill Connelly released the first edition of the 2022 SP+ college football rankings. BYU cracked the top 25 at no. 23. The SP+ rankings consist of three major factors: returning production, recent recruiting, and recent history.

Yesterday, BYU ranked second nationally in returning production. The Cougars return nearly the entire defense in 2022, and most starters on offense. From a returning production perspective, BYU is in a great spot heading into next season.

In Connelly's own words, SP+ is a "tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency. It is a predictive measure of the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football, not a résumé ranking, and, along those same lines, these projections aren't intended to be a guess at what the AP Top 25 will look like at the end of the year. These are simply early offseason power rankings based on the information we have been able to gather to date."

Below is BYU's 2022 schedule and where each opponent ranks in the SP+ rankings.

2022 BYU Football Schedule

September 3rd - @ USF Bulls - 94th

September 10th - vs Baylor Bears - 30th

September 17th - @ Oregon Ducks - 32nd

September 24th - vs Wyoming Cowboys - 85th

September 30th - vs Utah State Aggies - 91st

October 8th - vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish (neutral site in Las Vegas) - 8th

October 15th - vs Arkansas Razorbacks - 28th

October 22nd - @ Liberty Flames - 69th

October 29th - vs East Carolina Pirates - 81st

November 5th - @ Boise State Broncos - 43rd

November 19th - vs Dixie State Trailblazers - N/A (FBS)

November 26th - @ Stanford Cardinal - 68th

On the Cougars, Connelly said, "BYU is merely the slightest of underdogs against the Irish and at Oregon. Either team [Notre Dame or BYU] could have a huge year." In other words, SP+ preseason projections will have the Cougars either favored or in a tossup in 10 out of 12 games next season. 

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