Utah Moves Up In AP Top 25 After BYE Week

SALT LAKE CITY- Utah didn’t have a game in week eight, earning a well-deserved BYE week after a big matchup against USC the weekend before. Utah beat the Trojans in a thriller at home off a last-minute Cam Rising 2-point conversion, 43-42 on the night they honored fallen teammates Ty Jordan and Aaron Lowe. The break in play didn’t affect the Utes’ other than moving them up a spot in the latest AP Top 25 Poll to No. 14.

POLL ALERT: LSU moves back into AP poll at No. 18, No. 25 South Carolina enters rankings as top six holds firm.

See the AP Top 25 presented by @RegionsBank: https://t.co/7dTTUiB0CJ pic.twitter.com/wrszIZYt7A

— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) October 23, 2022

Despite the break, Utah will have a quick turnaround heading into week nine, playing the Washington State Cougars in Pullman on Thursday at 8 p.m. MT on FOX Sports 1.

Utah And The Pac-12

2022 might be the best season the Pac-12 has had in recent memory when it comes to the AP Top 25 Poll rankings. Currently the conference has four teams ranked with No. 8 Oregon, No. 12 UCLA, No. 10 USC and of course the Utes at No. 14.

14 in the AP Poll pic.twitter.com/kAbRpHL7UY

— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) October 23, 2022

With a solid top four in the Top 25 and the usual crazy nature of the Pac-12, it is sure to be a wild ride to the Pac-12 Championship game later in December. Utah will meet Oregon in Eugene and USC will meet UCLA in Pasadena on November 19th which will likely be the final games to shape who makes the top two in the conference and who doesn’t.

Making things more interesting is that the top four in the Pac-12 are currently 16-0 when playing at home, indicating Oregon and UCLA may have a distinct advantage in those late November games. The Pac-12 top four is also 7-5 when playing away from their home stadiums in 2022.

AP Top 25 Poll: Week 9

Week of October 23, 2022

1. Georgia (7-0)
2. Ohio State (7-0)
3. Tennessee (7-0)
4. Michigan (7-0)
5. Clemson (7-0)
6. Alabama (7-1)
7. TCU (7-0)
8. Oregon (6-1)
9. Oklahoma State(6-1)
10. USC (6-1)
11. Wake Forest (6-1)
12. UCLA (6-1)
13. Penn State (6-1)
14. Utah (5-2)
15. Ole Miss (7-1)
16. Syracuse (6-1)
17. Illinois (6-1)
18. LSU (6-2)
19. Kentucky (5-2)
20. Cinicinnati (6-1)
21. North Carolina (6-1)
22. Kansas State (5-2)
23. Tulane (7-1)
24. North Carolina State (5-2)
25. South Carolina (5-2)

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