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SALT LAKE CITY — It was billed as one of the best games of the week between two ranked teams. But a top matchup turned out to be a lopsided affair for Oregon at home as the Ducks overwhelmed a BYU team coming off a physical battle against Baylor the week before.
The end result was a significant jump in the latest Associated Press Top 25 rankings for the Ducks, who jumped up from last week's spot at No. 25 to No. 15 with the win. After a Week 1 stumble to a tough Georgia team, Oregon has established itself as a contender on the national stage and in the Pac-12.
BYU, on the hand, dropped to No. 19, down seven spots from its season high of No. 12 last week, after suffering the program's first loss of the season. The Cougars dropped below Baylor, who checks in at No. 17 this week, despite a Week 2 win over the Bears. BYU now has an opportunity to right the ship in a matchup against a 3-1 Wyoming team this week.
Oregon is the third highest-ranked team in the Pac-12 this week, following behind No. 7 USC, which stayed put this week, and No. 13 Utah . The Pac-12 now has four teams ranked in the Top 25 after Washington dominated a ranked Michigan State team at home to remain undefeated on the season.
Utah started out slow in its final nonconference game of the season against San Diego State, but found an answer on offense in the second quarter, mixed with its stout defense, to overwhelm the Aztecs in a 35-7 win. The win moved Utah up one spot in the AP Top 25, though a Week 1 loss to Florida, who narrowly got past South Florida hasn't helped Utah.
The Gators dropped two spots to No. 20 this week. The Utes were jumped by No. 11 Tennessee and No. 12 North Carolina State.
Only three teams in the AP Top 25 from last week lost in Week 3, leaving much about the same ahead of Week 4 action at the top of the poll. The top seven teams remain unchanged in the rankings, with Georgia staying at No. 1 with 59 first-place votes, followed by Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan and Clemson.
