BYU Football cracks the top 50 in S&P+ Rankings

After finishing outside of the top 100 in a disastrous 4-9 season in 2017, BYU bounced back to finish 46 in Bill Connelly’s latest S&P+ Rankings. The ratings are through the New Year’s Day bowl games, with only the National Championship game remaining this season.

If you’re reading this and wondering what the S&P+ even is, it’s an advanced stats measures per-play performance adjusted for pace and opponent (unlike a metric like, total rushing yards).

The S&P+ Rankings had BYU at 76 in the first preseason rankings of 2018, so BYU managed to well outperform preseason projections.

For comparison’s sake, BYU’s 46 ranking would place them at sixth in the Pac 12 and seventh in the Big 12. Not bad for a rebuilding season.

Here is how BYU’s 2018 season compares with past seasons.

2018:

Overall Ranking: 46

Offensive Ranking: 74

Defensive Ranking: 30

Special Teams Ranking: 85

2017

Overall Ranking: 101

Offensive Ranking: 121

Defensive Ranking: 45

Special Teams Ranking: 78

2016

Overall Ranking: 37

Offensive Ranking: 64

Defensive Ranking: 29

Special Teams Ranking: 20

2015

Overall Ranking: 31

Offensive Ranking: 43

Defensive Ranking: 31

Special Teams Ranking: 43

2014

Overall Ranking: 44

Offensive Ranking: 41

Defensive Ranking: 51

Special Teams Ranking: 26

A 46 ranking is a major improvement over the 2017 season, but with Zach Wilson and a promising young core returning for the 2019 season, expectations and optimism will be increased heading into the offseason.