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SALT LAKE CITY — Down two key starters on offense, Utah embodied the “next man up” mentality and defeated the visiting Oregon Ducks 32-25 Saturday. As a result, the Utes moved up in the weekly rankings Sunday.
And Utah State, again, dominated its opponent — this time the visiting San Jose State Spartans — to claim a 62-24 win and a boost in the rankings.
Behind the leadership of redshirt freshman Jason Shelley, Utah moved up to No. 21 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 Poll after falling out of the rankings last week. The Utes also moved up to No. 19 in the USA Today Amway Coaches Poll, jumping five spots from its previous ranking at No. 24. The Utes put up 494 yards of total offense against the Ducks and kept their Pac-12 South Division title hopes alive with the win.
Utah remains one of three teams from the Pac-12 ranked this season, but the only team to represent a wild and unpredictable South Division. Washington State, which got a 31-7 win over Colorado Saturday, moved up to No. 8 in the AP Poll and stayed put at No. 9 in the Coaches Poll; and Washington, which had a Week 11 bye, moved up to No. 17 in both polls.
Last week, following a loss to Arizona State, Utah dropped out of the Associated Press Top 25 Poll as well as the all-important and official College Football Playoff rankings. Utah, though, was unofficially ranked No. 26 in the AP Poll and the highest team in the “receiving votes” category.
The latest CFP rankings will be released Tuesday at 5 p.m. on ESPN.
As for the Aggies, their national profile continues to grow with every team they demolish in Mountain West Conference play. On Sunday, Utah State stayed at No. 14 in the AP Poll andd moved up to No. 13 in the Coaches Poll, but the Aggies are still trying to find a spot in the elusive CFP rankings, which continues to leave them out despite a 9-1 record and a team that averages 51.3 points per game.
The biggest factor keeping the Aggies out of the official rankings appears to be a weak schedule and no “quality” wins. Whether they’ll be ranked Tuesday remains to be seen, but a win over Boise State on the road in the final game of the regular season could be the win they need to get some love in the CFP rankings.
The AP voters and coaches, again, selected Alabama as the No. 1 team in the country after their shutout win over Mississippi State. The Crimson Tide were followed by No. 2 Clemson, No. 3 Notre Dame, No. 4 Michigan and No. 5 Georgia. The remaining Top 25 saw some shakeup after eight ranked teams lost over the weekend.
To view a complete list of the rankings, visit the AP Poll website and the USA Today website.
