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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah is going to the Rose Bowl after it erased a 17-3 USC lead in the Pac-12 championship game to earn their second straight title.
The Utes reeled off 24 straight points before USC eventually scored again in the fourth quarter, but the damage was already done and Utah had all the momentum to end the Trojans' College Football Playoff aspirations. So when the final rankings of the regular season were released on Sunday, Utah had the advantage.
Utah moved up to No. 8 in the final CFP rankings on Sunday, which is the highest-ever ranking from the selection committee for the Utes since the playoff debut. Previously, the highest Utah finished was No. 11. Utah will meet up with No. 11 Penn State in the 2023 Rose Bowl.
The Utes also moved up to No. 7 in the Associated Press Top 25 rankings that were released Sunday morning ahead of the official College Football Playoff rankings. They moved up five spots in the rankings as the largest mover for the week.
The Pac-12 kept six teams in the final CFP rankings, but USC fell from No. 4 and a chance at a playoff spot to No. 10 with its second loss of the season to Utah. As such, Utah finished with the top ranking from the Pac-12.
Behind the Trojans in the rankings is No. 12 Washington, who dropped three spots this week, No. 14 Oregon State, No. 15 Oregon, and No. 18 UCLA.
On Sunday morning, the College Football Playoff selection committee released its playoff bracket, with Georgia claiming the No. 1 spot, Michigan at No. 2, TCU at No. 3, and Ohio State at No. 4. On the outside looking in was No. 5 Alabama and No. 6 Tennessee. The complete College Football Playoff rankings can be seen below.
