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SALT LAKE CITY — With 17 days until Utah opens up the season against Florida at Rice-Eccles Stadium, head coach Kyle Whittingham is solely focused on getting his team ready for the Gators.
Not even the university's move to the Big 12 altered his singular focus on the season opener. It's August, and the only thing that matters to Whittingham and his program is the next football game on the schedule.
The game will come soon enough, but now the Utes have an official preseason ranking next to its name as the Gators travel west in the first-ever matchup against an SEC opponent at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Utah opens up the season ranked No. 14 in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 rankings that were released Monday morning.
Last week, Utah was ranked No. 14 in the preseason USA Today Coaches Poll.
With a spot in the rankings, it's just the seventh time in school history and the fifth straight season Utah has been included in the preseason AP poll. It ties the second-highest preseason ranking in school history set in 2019; Utah's highest preseason ranking was last season, in which the Utes opened up the season at No. 7.
Utah is also one of five teams from the Pac-12 ranked in the preseason poll.
Reigning Heisman winner Caleb Williams and conference favorite USC top the Pac-12 at No. 6, followed by No. 10 Washington, which returns expected Heisman contender Michael Penix Jr. at quarterback for a second season. Oregon checks in at No. 15 and Oregon State rounds out the conference selections at No. 18.
The five teams from the Pac-12 follows just behind the SEC, which has six teams included in the preseason rankings, and is tied with the Big Ten, which also had five teams ranked.
At the top of the rankings is two-time reigning national champion Georgia, with 60 of the 63 possible first-place votes, followed by No. 2 Michigan (2 first-place votes), No. 3 Ohio State (1 first-place vote), No. 4 Alabama and No. 5 LSU. The Bulldogs remain the team to beat, but the other four teams ranked inside the top five are worthy national championship contenders, too.
If you can't see the full poll below, click here.
