SALT LAKE CITY – The University of Utah Utes fell a full 10 spots in the Week 9 AP Top 25 poll following their 42-24 loss to USC in Los Angeles Saturday.
The Utes were ranked No. 3 ahead of their game at USC, but following their first defeat of the season they fell to No. 13 in Sunday’s AP Top 25 Poll.
While one might expect to see a team that beat the No. 3 squad in the nation moved up to the Top 25, with their 4-3 record the Trojans remain outside that upper echelon.
Ohio State remains at No. 1, with by Baylor, Clemson, LSU and TCU rounding out the top 5.
In the Coaches poll, Utah fell from their prior spot at No. 7 to No. 14, showing a lower overall ranking but a less dramatic slide.
Utah remains in the lead of the Pac-12 South, something Britain Covey noted after Saturday night’s loss at USC.
“Our main goal right now is to win the Pac-12 South, and we’re still in the driver’s seat right now, so, going into Monday that’s going to be huge for us to have that as motivation,” Covey said. “And I think it’s really important that we keep sight of what’s most important, you know, this is just going to be a bump in the road when we look back at things.”
All of other teams in the Pac-12 South have at least two conference losses, including USC, meaning the Utes 3-1 conference record (6-1 overall) leaves them, as Covey said, in the driver’s seat.
Utah plays next on October 31, when they will host Oregon State at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. That game is scheduled for 5 p.m.
