Utah beats Washington State, moves up to No. 12 in latest AP Top 25 rankings

SALT LAKE CITY — Bryson Barnes' first collegiate start couldn't have been more shocking and dramatic.

The walk-on backup quarterback found out he would be starting against Washington State on Thursday about 30 minutes before kickoff — after starting quarterback Cam Rising ruled himself out of the contest due to a lingering injury.

The shakeup to the offensive game plan was jarring at times without its dynamic quarterback under center, but Barnes handled the situation and led Utah to a 21-17 win on the road and to keep the team's Pac-12 championship aspirations alive.

The win also helped Utah move up to No. 12 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 rankings that were released Sunday morning, the last rankings from the news outlet before the official College Football Playoff rankings are released on Tuesday (5 p.m. MDT, ESPN).

Utah moved just two spots up from its previous spot at No. 14 last week and remains the top team in the country with two losses.

The Utes are one of five teams ranked from the Pac-12 this week, of which four rank inside the top 12 teams in the country. Oregon State, which was on a bye week, jumped into the Top 25 at No. 24 for the first time since 2013 when the Beavers opened up the season at No. 25.

Oregon remains the top team in the conference at No. 8, followed by No. 9 USC and No. 10 UCLA.

At the top of the AP Top 25 remains Georgia at No. 1 with 30 first-place votes following their 42-20 win over Florida. Behind the Bulldogs is a tie for No. 2 with Ohio State (15 first-place votes) and Tennessee (18). At No. 4 remains Michigan and No. 5 Clemson. Georgia and Tennessee will play next week, which should shake up the top five for the first time in a couple weeks.

Related topics