BYU: Don't Play Ranked Teams

With BYU set to play Florida in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, this week, it seems like a decent chance the Cougars will win. Besides being ranked No. 17, there’s the fact the Gators are unranked – which is a big deal for BYU.

That’s because the Cougars’ all-time record against ranked teams is now 50-115, including two losses to New Mexico this season.

The bad news for BYU is if it wins, it is likely to be matched in the second round against No. 7-ranked Kansas State.

The Cougars have actually had years when they played far more ranked teams than this. Their 1990-91 team played six ranked teams – the highest being No. 8 Utah and No. 8 Arizona – and lost five of them. They also played six ranked teams a decade earlier, winning four of six. The highest ranked team that year was No.5 Virginia, which defeated the Cougars.

BYU played the most ranked opponents in 1951, the year the Cougars won the NIT. They went 5-2 vs. ranked teams. The highest-rated team they played that year was No. 4 Kansas State – a loss.

BYU once won nine straight games against ranked opponents (1949-51), but also lost nine in a row twice (1976-79 and 1995-1998).