Utah’s unbeaten run has finally pushed the Utes into the national spotlight they’ve been chasing all season.
After a 49-25 road win over Cincinnati, Utah climbed three spots to No. 3 in the latest AP Top 25, its highest ranking since 2015. It’s also the second-highest spot in program history; the Utes have reached No. 2 before, but never No.
- Utah earned one first-place vote in the new poll.
The rise comes with plenty of milestones attached. The Utes are 8-0 for the first time since 2010 and 5-0 in Big 12 play.
They also own the nation’s longest winning streak, now at 14 straight games dating back to last season. Morgan Scalley is still unbeaten as head coach, sitting at 9-0 when including last year’s Las Vegas Bowl victory.
Utah’s move up the rankings came at the expense of some familiar names. The Utes jumped over Notre Dame, Indiana and Ohio State to land at No.
- Ohio State fell to USC, while Notre Dame and Indiana both won, but voters still gave Utah a major bump after its latest statement win.
BYU, which Utah will face in the Holy War on Saturday, moved up one spot to No. 7 after beating Arizona State in Provo.
The rest of the Big 12 also held a strong position in the poll. Texas Tech stayed at No. 13 after beating Arizona, which dropped the Wildcats to No.
- Houston climbed one spot to No. 17, giving the conference five ranked teams heading into Week 10.
At the top, Miami remains No. 1 and heads to South Bend, Indiana, this weekend for a matchup with No. 4 Notre Dame.
The Hurricanes, like Utah, are one of only three unbeaten teams left. Georgia sits at No. 2 and travels to Ole Miss on Saturday, while UCLA rounds out the top five at 8-0 before a road trip to Minnesota.
The latest Top 10 features four SEC teams, two from the Big Ten, two from the Big 12, one from the ACC and Notre Dame as an independent.
Utah is No. 4 in the AFCA Coaches Poll, with Indiana still ahead of the Utes there.
The first College Football Playoff rankings will be released Tuesday, November 3, and then updated each Tuesday until the selection show.
In Other News...
Utah Just Sent A Clear Message Before The BYU Showdown
Utah walked out of Cincinnati with a 49-25 win and a performance that looked less like a tune-up and more like a statement. The Utes were sharp on both sides of the ball from the start, with Devon Dampier, Daniel Bray, Wayshawn Parker and Hunter Andrews all helping fuel an offense that kept the pressure on while the defense turned the game into a runaway early.
The first half was where Utah really separated itself, holding Cincinnati out of the end zone and piling up points in every direction. The Utes also kept their remarkable run of defensive scoring alive, extending an NCAA record that has become part of the programs identity, and they now head toward the BYU showdown with a little extra edge and a lot of momentum. [Read more 🡒]
Utah Heads Into A Massive Holy War With Everything To Lose
The buildup to this Holy War has a little more edge than usual, with No. 6 Utah and No. 8 BYU both arriving off wins and carrying plenty of momentum into one of the biggest games on the schedule. Utah has looked especially imposing when it leans on its ground game, while BYU has shown flashes of the kind of team that can win in a hurry, even if its performances have not always been clean from week to week.
For Utah, the stakes feel especially high because the Utes know how much this one can shape the rest of the season. The matchup brings together contrasting styles, and the margin for error figures to be thin if the Utes cannot keep dictating terms the way they have in recent dominant outings. BYU has had its own issues to sort through, and the rivalry setting only adds to the pressure on a game that already feels like it could carry real consequences well beyond Saturday. [Read more 🡒]
Utah Looked Like A Complete Team In This Halloween Blowout
Utah made the kind of road statement that travels well, overwhelming Cincinnati 49-25 at Nippert Stadium and turning the game into a rout before halftime. The Utes led 42-6 by the break, with the defense doing plenty of the early damage after Elijah Davis jumped a route for a pick-six and Rabbit Evans added a scoop-and-score to keep the pressure squarely on the Bearcats.
Devon Dampier helped make the rest of the afternoon feel routine, throwing for 260 yards and three touchdowns as Utah stayed in control throughout. Cincinnati did get a spark in the third quarter when Jacob Finley returned an interception for a touchdown, but by then the gap was too large to change the tone of a game that showed just how complete the Utes can look when both sides of the ball are rolling. [Read more 🡒]