Preseason polls usually mean nothing in the grand scheme of things.

I know that. You know that. And, as much as college football fans want to argue their team’s case, they all know it, too — especially when a single game has yet to be played.

Yes, it certainly helps build up college football’s ever-growing hype machine before the season. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said it best.

“I love the polls for college football fans, for the excitement, for the marquee matchups, for all those things,” Sarkisian said. “But the polls, internally, they just don’t matter. They’re really irrelevant.”

But, to be honest, I’ve always viewed them as a compilation of past results, offseason additions and coaching changes bundled into one poll. Utah (No. 21) and BYU (No. 14) both debuted in the AP Top 25 released Monday.

There was one thing that stuck out to me about both of them: the Utes and Cougars deserved to be higher in the first poll.

Maybe I am falling for the preseason hype machine after all. Or maybe both programs actually deserved to be higher based on the hubbub we’ve all been fed before the season.

So here’s my case for both the Utes and Cougars to be a tad bit higher in the polls.

Why BYU deserved to be in the top 11

BYU is coming off one of its best seasons in program history, and returned most of the players and coaches responsible.

The Cougars are led by quarterback Bear Bachmeier and running back LJ Martin, who finished 2025 as the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. Getting Martin back, along with another year for Bachmeier in BYU OC Aaron Roderick’s system, is a major reason I think the Cougars are a top contender to win the Big 12 and could finally break through in the 12-team College Football Playoff race.

Despite losing defensive coordinator Jay Hill (a massive loss, I know), the Cougars still look to have a good defense led by new playcaller Kelly Poppinga.

BYU finished No. 11 last season. They should have started this one there, too.

So what about the teams ahead of BYU in the poll?

Alabama is replacing its starting quarterback from a season ago in a competition between senior Austin Mack and sophomore Keelon Russell.

Texas Tech lost transfer quarterback Brendan Sorsby after a gambling scandal and had nine players selected in the 2026 NFL Draft (Yes, I know, the Red Raiders dominated the Cougars in their two matchups last season, but still ... there are questions.)

LSU? The team went 7-6 last season. Sure, the Tigers reportedly spent $40 million to upgrade their roster, but can we see it on the field first?

I just think BYU has more stability, a tenured and proven head coach in Kalani Sitake, and more proven depth at the core positions to put them ahead of LSU, Alabama and Texas Tech.

At least for now.

Making the case for the Utes

Compared to the Cougars, Utah has a lot more question marks heading into the 2026 season.

The Utes have a new head coach in Morgan Scalley. They replaced most of their staff after Kyle Whittingham pillaged the program as he left for Michigan. And Utah is replacing five starters on its offensive line.

Those things might have caused a bit of queasiness among the AP’s Top 25 voter pool, but then I looked at some of the teams ahead of the Utes.

Tennessee, SMU and Penn State? Utah had better records than those programs a season ago — and are we going to pretend those schools don’t have equally pressing question marks?

Utah returns quarterback Devon Dampier, and upgraded its wide receiver room with the additions of Braden Pegan and Kyri Shoels on the perimeter.

Wayshawn Parker is also back after he finished 18 yards shy of 1,000 rushing yards in 2025. As for the defense, well, there’s a reason Utah wanted Scalley to be its next head coach.

My take is Utah should have been at least No. 19 in the preseason poll — maybe even higher.