No. 2 BYU is receiving plenty of national attention following its biggest victory of the season, but coach Kalani Sitake has little interest in allowing the Cougars to get caught up in their lofty ranking.
BYU (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) will look to remain unbeaten Saturday when it visits UCF (3-3, 1-2) in Orlando for a conference matchup against a rested Knights team eager to deliver an upset on homecoming.
The Cougars climbed six spots in the Associated Press Top 25 after a dramatic 28-24 win over then-No. 2 Notre Dame last week, marking their highest ranking since winning the national championship in 1984.
“Never cared about it before, so why would I start now,” Sitake said Monday when asked about the ranking. “… Just keep the rat poison away from the boys.”
BYU has opened 6-0 for the third consecutive season, a first in program history, and has emerged as a contender for both the Big 12 championship and a College Football Playoff berth.
Quarterback Bear Bachmeier has been instrumental to the Cougars’ success, earning Associated Press National Player of the Week and Big 12 co-Offensive Player of the Week honors after accounting for four touchdowns against Notre Dame.
Bachmeier threw for 224 yards and a touchdown, rushed for 45 yards and two scores and caught a 15-yard touchdown pass in the victory.
BYU’s offensive line earned Big 12 recognition after allowing no sacks for the second consecutive game. The Cougars finished with 360 yards against a Notre Dame defense that entered the contest allowing a national-best 214 per game.
Linebacker Cade Uluave also shared Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors after recording nine tackles, three quarterback hurries and a tackle for loss.
UCF enters the matchup after a bye week that followed two straight losses to ranked opponents. The Knights fell 42-28 at Oklahoma State on Oct. 10 after being outscored 21-7 in the second half.
Knights quarterback Keyone Jenkins completed 30 of 42 passes for 265 yards and four touchdowns with one interception against the Cowboys, while running back Duke Watson added 79 yards on 21 carries.
UCF coach Scott Frost said the Knights prioritized recovery during the open week after dealing with injuries throughout the first half of the season.
“We kind of made the decision that the best way to help our team for the stretch run was to try to be fresh,” Frost said Monday.
Quarterback Alonza Barnett III, sidelined since September due to a hamstring injury, is making progress toward returning. ESPN reported Tuesday that Keyone Jenkins is expected to make his fifth consecutive start against BYU, although UCF had not ruled out Barnett being available.
The contest will bring the highest-ranked opponent ever to visit UCF’s home stadium. The previous highest-ranked visitor was No. 6 Texas in 2007.
Frost praised BYU’s depth and physicality while acknowledging the challenge of containing Bachmeier.
“They’re big and long and physical. They’ve got a really good quarterback. There’s no holes,” Frost said. “It’s an awesome opportunity for us on homecoming to go shoot our shot, and I think our kids will be excited.”