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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah and Utah State were on opposite ends of a wild weekend of the final week of the regular season. And while Utah escaped with a win and stayed put in the national rankings, Utah State dropped as they fell to Boise State on the road.
Avoiding a disastrous ending to the regular season, Utah pulled away from the BYU Cougars late to claim a 35-27 victory Saturday night. As a result, Utah moved up to No. 17 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll and stayed at No. 17 in the USA Today Amway Coaches Poll that was released Sunday.
Utah remains one of three teams ranked from the Pac-12; although there was some shakeup between the teams after Washington claimed an Apple Cup victory over Washington State in a snowy finale. Washington now leads the conference at No. 10 in the AP Poll and No. 11 in the Coaches Poll. Washington State dropped to No. 12 in the AP Poll and No.13 in the Coaches Poll, dropping from its previous spot at No. 7.
In the Mountain West Conference, Utah State dropped a pivotal game against Boise State to miss out on a conference championship appearance. The Aggies dropped out of the AP Poll and to No. 24 in the Coaches Poll. Meanwhile, the Broncos moved up to No. 19 in the AP Poll and No. 20 in the Coaches Poll to claim the top spot in the conference.
Also ranked from the Mountain West Conference is No. 25 Fresno State, who closed out the season with a 31-13 win over San Jose State. The Bulldogs moved to No. 23 in the Coaches Poll and will now face Boise State in the MWC Championship game.
Alabama remains the favorite in the country, closing out the season with a No. 1 ranking ahead of conference championship week. The remaining teams in the Top 5 saw some shakeup after Ohio State claimed a decisive win over then-No. 4 Michigan. The Wolverines dropped to No. 8 following the loss.
Clemson claimed the No. 2 spot, followed by No. 3 Notre Dame, No. 4 Georgia and No. 5 Oklahoma. Notre Dame likely clinched a spot in the College Football Playoffs with a win over USC in their final game of the regular season.
The official College Football Playoff rankings will be released on Tuesday at 5 p.m. on ESPN.
To view a complete list of the AP Top 25 Poll, visit their website, and to visit the complete Coaches Poll rankings, visit the USA Today website.
