Utah, BYU, Utah State Create History In Final AP Top 25 Poll Of 2021 Season
Jan 11, 2022, 12:51 AM | Updated: 1:01 am
All three of the FBS programs from the state of Utah finished in the final AP Top 25 of the 2021 season. (Photos courtesy of Getty Images)
(Photos courtesy of Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – For the first time, all three FBS programs in the state of Utah are in the final AP Top 25 poll.
Hours after the National Championship game between Georgia and Alabama, the Associated Press released its final rankings for the 2021 season. BYU, Utah, and Utah State all appear in the final rankings to cap off a historic season on the gridiron in the Beehive State.
For the first time ever Utah, BYU and Utah State all finish a season ranked in the final @AP_Top25
No. 12 Utah
No. 19 BYU
No. 24 Utah State@kslsports https://t.co/C0Xoit3JuR pic.twitter.com/av5sGeXuVN— Jeremiah Jensen (@JJSportsBeat) January 11, 2022
Pac-12 Champion Utah finished with the highest-ranking among the local teams checking in at No. 12. However, after falling to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, the Utes dipped two spots from No. 10 to 12.
Utah’s No. 12 ranking marks the fifth time in the Pac-12 era (since 2011) that the program has finished in the final AP Top 25. In addition, it’s the eighth finish in the AP Top 25 under the direction of head coach Kyle Whittingham.
BYU tied the Oregon Ducks for the biggest tumble in the final poll. After losing to UAB in the Independence Bowl, BYU dipped seven spots from No. 12 to No. 19. Despite the fall, the ranking gives BYU back-to-back seasons ranked in the final AP Top 25. It’s the first time that has happened at BYU since 2009.
The lone winner in the Bowl Season from Utah was the Utah State Aggies. Utah State was one of the nation’s best stories in 2021, going from one win in a COVID shortened 2020 season to 11 wins and a Mountain West Conference championship under first-year coach Blake Anderson.
The Aggies checked in to the Top 25 poll for the first time this season at No. 24. It’s the first final Top 25 ranking for the Aggies since 2018 and only the fourth season in program history.
The Aggies capped off the 2021 season with a victory over Oregon State in the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl. We recently got a great reminder after the Aggies’ social media department won Twitter for a day.
Georgia finished atop the final Top 25 poll of the 2021 season. The Bulldogs exercised some long-suffering demons taking down rival Alabama in the National Championship by a score of 33-18.
Final AP Top 25 Poll of the 2021 Season
1. Georgia (14-1)
2. Alabama (13-2)
3. Michigan (12-2)
4. Cincinnati (13-1)
5. Baylor (12-2)
6. Ohio State (11-2)
7. Oklahoma State (12-2)
8. Notre Dame (11-2)
9. Michigan State (11-2)
10. Oklahoma (11-2)
11. Ole Miss (10-3)
12. Utah (10-4)
13. Pitt (11-3)
14. Clemson (10-3)
15. Wake Forest (11-3)
16. Louisiana (13-1)
17. Houston (12-2)
18. Kentucky (10-3)
19. BYU (10-3)
20. NC State (9-3)
21. Arkansas (9-4)
22. Oregon (10-4)
23. Iowa (10-4)
24. Utah State (11-3)
25. San Diego State (12-2)
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.
