Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — If you're a fan of college football, the first full week of action lived up to the hype.
Now that the dust of the opening weekend has settled, the first Associated Press Top 25 poll has been released and we get the first look at where voters see teams after at least one game (some have already played two games thanks to Week 0).
Locally, both BYU and Utah remain in the rankings, though the two went in different directions after their first game of the season.
Coming into the season with the program's highest-ever ranking in the AP poll at No. 7, Utah dropped to No. 13 following a narrow loss to a previously unranked Florida team. The Utes were one play away from snapping the Gators' 32-game season opener win streak, but an interception in the end zone ended any hopes of a win.
For the "upset" win over Utah, Florida went from unranked all the way to No. 12. Much of that jump was in response to sophomore quarterback Anthony Richardson's dynamic play against the Utes. Richardson already had preseason hype surrounding his game, but he backed it up on the field against Utah and made a traditionally stout defense look average.
Utah, which opened the season as the top ranked from the Pac-12, now follows former South Division rival USC, which made some ground on the Utes and checks in this week at No. 10 — up four spots from its previous spot at No. 14.
Oregon, which entered the season ranked No. 11, dropped all the way out of the rankings Monday after a 49-3 drubbing by reigning national champion Georgia. Sure, the Bulldogs are loaded again, but Oregon was never close to making the game competitive Saturday. As a result, Georgia moved to No. 2 in this week's poll.
For BYU, a 2.5 hour lightning delay certainly put a damper to the start of the season. But the Cougars wasted little time scoring en route to a 50-21 win over South Florida. The Week 1 win lifted the Cougars from their spot at No. 25 in the preseason ranking to No. 21.
It appears the Cougars still have some work to do to convince voters they mean business this season. A Week 2 home opener against No. 9 Baylor should do the trick — for good or bad. The Bears remain one of the top teams ranked in the Big 12, and the game will serve as a precursor to what should be a fun recurring matchup when the Cougars officially join the conference next season.
Oklahoma remains the top team to beat in the Big 12. The Sooners moved up to No. 7 from its previous spot at No. 9. But it's a logjam of teams from the conference, with Oklahoma State checking in at No. 11.
Alabama, which breezed by Utah State 55-0, remains the No. 1 team in this week's rankings, though the Crimson Tide aren't nearly consensus favorites anymore. The Tide previously had 54 first-place votes in the preseason rankings but have seen that number drop to 44 first-place votes.
Georgia, which had only three first-place votes in the preseason, made ground this week and had 17 first-place votes. Ohio State, which dropped to No. 3 after a win over Notre Dame, had just two first-place votes after having six to start the season. Rounding out the top five in the rankings is No. 4 Michigan and No. 5 Clemson.
