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SALT LAKE CITY — Following Utah’s tough 38-20 loss on the road to the Arizona State Sun Devils, the Utes dropped in the national rankings released Sunday. Meanwhile, the Utah State Aggies, again, moved up after defeating Hawaii on the road 56-17 in a late-night finish.
Utah dropped to No. 24 in the USA Today Amway Coaches Poll, falling eight spots from its previous ranking of No. 16 last week, and completely out of the Associated Press Top 25. The drop from the Utes is the biggest fall in the rankings this week. The Aggies, though, moved up to No. 14 in the AP Poll and to No. 16 in the Coaches Poll in another dominant performance in Mountain West Conference play.
The Utes are one of three Pac-12 teams ranked Sunday, with No. 10/9 Washington State leading the conference. Also ranked from the Pac-12 is No. 20/18 Washington, who rebounded from a loss last week to claim a 27-23 win over Stanford.
The Cougars were locked up in a tie with Cal late in the game, but quarterback Gardner Minshew orchestrated a quick, late-game drive to score a touchdown for the win.
The Aggies, who continue to dominate conference play with big-time scores and quick drives, replaced Utah in their Coaches Poll spot in the rankings and now leads the state. The Aggies also lead the Mountain West Conference, beating out No. 16/17 Fresno State, who is the only other team from the conference ranked. The two teams could be on a course to meet up in the conference finals.
Although the Aggies continue to rise in the weekly rankings, they haven’t yet been included in the College Football Playoffs, which is what matters for Utah State come bowl selection. The College Football Playoff rankings will be released Tuesday at 5 p.m. on ESPN.
Leading the nation is No. 1 Alabama after shutting out LSU in a big-time SEC matchup. The Crimson Tide look to be in a league all of their own and are the favorite to win it all. Behind the Crimson Tide in the Coaches Poll is No. 2 Clemson, No. 3 Notre Dame, No. 4 Michigan and No. 5 Georgia.
A full list of the AP Poll rankings can be found on their website and a full list of the Coaches Poll rankings can be found on the USA Today website.
