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SALT LAKE CITY — With a renewed effort on offense and three consecutive weeks of blowing out Pac-12 opponents, Utah football is now ranked in the Top 25.
Following Utah’s 41-28 dismantling of the USC Trojans Saturday, the Utes jumped into the Associated Press Top 25 at No. 23, and No. 24 in the USA Today Amway Coaches Poll when rankings were released Sunday. It’s the first time the Utes have been ranked in the Top 25 this season, despite early projections naming Utah as a strong contender for the South Division title.
The Utes had previously received votes in both the AP and Coaches Poll prior to Sunday and would have sat at No. 33 had the rankings been extended. As a result, Utah jumped ten spots in the AP Poll and nine spots in the Coaches Poll to be the week's "biggest mover."
Utah (5-2, 3-2) used a balanced offensive and defensive attack to defeat the Trojans Saturday, who looked outmatched in nearly every facet of the game against the Utes. The win over the Trojans was Utah’s third-consecutive game where the offense scored more than 40 points in the outing.
The Utes join four other Pac-12 programs ranked in the Top 25, with Washington State as the highest-ranked team from the conference at No. 14 in the AP and No. 15 in the Coaches Poll after defeating Oregon in a North Division showdown. Other teams from the conference include No. 15/13 Washington, No. 19/21 Oregon and No. 24/23 Stanford.
With the Washington Huskies sitting at No. 13, the Pac-12 remains on the outside looking in to the College Football Playoffs race. Unless the teams ahead of the Huskies suddenly start losing, the Pac-12 appears to be destined to be out of the playoff conversation for another season.
Utah travels to Los Angeles on the short week to take on a now-surging UCLA team that holds a 2-5, 2-2 record. The Utes and Bruins are in a four-team tie with USC and Colorado for the top spot in the South Division; however, Utah would own the tiebreaker with USC should the season end today. A win against the Bruins at the Rose Bowl Friday would be a big step to Utah claiming its first-ever division title and Pac-12 Championship appearance.
“We all know our backs are against the wall,” head coach Kyle Whittingham said Saturday, speaking about the tight conference race. “Just about everyone in the South has two losses at least. It’s exciting. That’s Pac-12 football at its finest”
Alabama remains No. 1 in the rankings after handily defeating Tennessee 58-21 in an SEC matchup to go 8-0 on the season. The Crimson Tide continue to put up gaudy numbers on offense and remain the favorite to return to the playoffs as the No. 1 team in the country. Behind the Crimson Tide in the rankings is Clemson, Notre Dame, LSU and Michigan to round out the top five.
A full list of the AP Poll ranking can be found on the AP website and the Coaches Poll rankings can be found on the USA Today website. The first College Football Playoff rankings will be released on Tuesday, Oct. 30.
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