Utah has maintained its position at No. 13 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings following a bye week. The rankings, which were disclosed on Tuesday night via ESPN, reflect the Utes” current record of 7-2 overall and 4-2 in the Big 12.
This marks the second consecutive week that Utah has been outside the top 12, with BYU taking the No. 12 spot despite suffering a 29-7 defeat against Texas Tech over the weekend. If the postseason were to commence today, both the Utes and Cougars would find themselves on the outside looking in, as no teams from the ACC or Group of 5 are among the top 12.
The selection committee has indicated that Miami and South Florida would claim the No. 11 and No. 12 seeds, respectively, to satisfy the requirement for conference champions. The playoff format includes twelve teams, with the top five ranked conference champions receiving automatic bids. The four highest-ranked teams, independent of conference championship status, will be awarded first-round byes.
In the current rankings, six teams from the SEC dominate the top 12, with Texas A&M, Alabama, and Georgia in the top five. Leading the rankings is Ohio State, followed by Indiana at No. 2 and Oregon at No. 8. Notre Dame holds the No. 9 position, while the Red Raiders have climbed to No. 6 after their victory over BYU.
The Big 12 also features a fourth team in the top 25, with Cincinnati coming in at No. 25. Notably, the Utes previously defeated the Bearcats 45-14 on November 1. With this latest ranking, Utah has now been featured in 46 College Football Playoff rankings since the system”s inception in 2014, finishing in the top 25 on seven occasions, including its highest ranking of No. 8 in 2022.
Looking ahead, Utah aims to continue its pursuit of a conference title and a potential spot in the College Football Playoff when they face Baylor in Week 12. This matchup is scheduled for Saturday at 5 PM MT on ESPN2.
The second College Football Playoff rankings for this season are as follows:
- Ohio State (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten)
- Indiana (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten)
- Texas A&M (9-0, 6-0 SEC)
- Alabama (8-1, 6-0 SEC)
- Georgia (8-1, 6-1 SEC)
- Texas Tech (9-1, 6-1 Big 12)
- Ole Miss (9-1, 5-1 SEC)
- Oregon (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten)
- Notre Dame (7-2)
- Texas (7-2, 4-1 SEC)
- Oklahoma (7-2, 3-2 SEC)
- BYU (8-1, 5-1 Big 12)
- Utah (7-2, 4-2 Big 12)
- Vanderbilt (8-2, 4-2 SEC)
- Miami (7-2, 3-2 ACC)
- Georgia Tech (8-1, 5-1 ACC)
- USC (7-2, 5-1 Big Ten)
- Michigan (7-2, 5-1 Big Ten)
- Virginia (8-2, 5-1 ACC)
- Louisville (7-1, 4-1 ACC)
- Iowa (6-3, 4-2 Big Ten)
- Pitt (7-2, 5-1 ACC)
- Tennessee (6-3, 3-3 SEC)
- South Florida (7-2, 4-1 AAC)
- Cincinnati (7-2, 5-1 Big 12)
Utah”s College Football Playoff resume highlights include:
- Strength of record: No. 19 (No. 3 in Big 12)
- Strength of schedule: No. 52 (No. 11 in Big 12)
- Remaining strength of schedule: No. 49 (No. 10 in Big 12)
- Notable wins: vs. Arizona State, vs. Cincinnati
- Losses: vs. Texas Tech, at BYU
