BYU starts No. 25 in the AP poll and sixth in the Big 12 coaches poll. Both groups placed the Cougars behind the same five conference teams, giving this new roster a clear benchmark for November.

BYU entered Monday’s preseason AP Top 25 at No. 25 with 179 points. The five Big 12 teams above the Cougars were Arizona at No. 5, Houston at No. 10, Kansas at No. 17, Iowa State at No. 18 and Texas Tech at No. 19, according to the Associated Press poll. That is the exact order the league’s coaches chose when they placed BYU sixth in the Big 12 preseason poll.

That alignment matters more than the number 25 by itself. It says BYU is respected, but not being carried by reputation after AJ Dybantsa became the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. Two different voting groups see a tournament-caliber roster with enough uncertainty to remain outside the conference’s first tier.

For BYU, that is probably the fairest possible starting point.

Why the ballots agree

The Cougars have one proven offensive centerpiece. Robert Wright III averaged 18.1 points last season while shooting 46.7% from the field, 41% from three and 82.1% at the foul line, according to BYU Athletics. He was a unanimous selection to the preseason All-Big 12 team, placing him alongside established league names such as Arizona’s Motiejus Krivas and Texas Tech’s JT Toppin.

Around Wright, almost everything important is new or newly enlarged. Bruce Branch III is a five-star freshman. Collin Chandler, Tyler Betsey, Jaxon Kohler and Jake Wahlin arrived through the transfer portal. Those names create upside, but preseason ballots cannot measure how quickly a new rotation will defend together, share creation duties or respond when Wright is forced off the ball.

Friday’s 72-61 exhibition win over Nebraska offered one encouraging sample, not a verdict. Chandler scored 19 points, Wright had 17 with seven assists, Branch added 15 points, six rebounds and five assists, and Kohler posted 10 points and 10 rebounds. BYU forced 18 turnovers and turned them into 21 points, according to the official recap.

The rough edges explain why No. 25 feels honest. BYU shot 10 of 36 from three and 10 of 17 at the foul line. It trailed 32-28 at halftime after making only three of 19 first-half threes. The Cougars won because the defense created extra possessions and the second-half ball movement improved, not because a newly assembled offense already looked polished.

Kevin Young did not hide the intended identity. “We’re gonna be a high volume three point shooting team,” he said in BYU’s recap. He also pointed to second drives and the extra pass as the reasons BYU created better shots after halftime, when the Cougars recorded 12 assists.

What would move BYU up

That is where BYU can outperform its ranking. The roster does not need one player to replace Dybantsa’s production or gravity. It needs Wright to organize the offense, Chandler and Branch to punish tilted defenses, Kohler to control possessions around the rim and the collective shooting to turn extra passes into efficient points.

The conference context remains demanding. Arizona received 12 of 16 first-place votes from Big 12 coaches and 220 points. Houston received the other four and finished at 214. Kansas, Iowa State and Texas Tech were separated by only six points from third through fifth, while BYU sat at 148. The coaches see a clear top two, a crowded next three and then the Cougars.

Preseason polls do not award tournament seeds, but they do reveal the questions BYU must answer. Can Branch contribute against veteran defenders immediately? Can Chandler’s scoring travel? Can the Cougars defend without relying on turnovers? Can the frontcourt hold up when Big 12 games become slower and more physical?

The next exhibition at UNLV will not settle those questions either, but it moves the sample away from the Marriott Center. Watch BYU’s shot quality, defensive rebounding and turnover creation when the building is less friendly. If the Cougars generate good threes rather than merely taking many of them, No. 25 will begin to look conservative.

BYU is ranked because voters believe the talent is real. It is ranked last because they want proof that the pieces fit. That is not disrespect. It is a clear assignment for November.