Utah made a statement right from the beginning this season, breaking into the Top 25 after a 43-10 win over UCLA in Week 1.
A promising start continued in Week 2 with a dominant 63-9 win over Cal Poly. The Utes kept momentum alive this week with a 31-6 win over Wyoming, climbing to No. 16 as a result.
Utah now approaches its biggest test yet against a Big 12 contender, No. 17 Texas Tech – a matchup that could shake up the playoff race. The game will be FOX's "Big Noon Saturday" matchup, airing at 10 a.m. local time on FOX 13.
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Utes clash vs. Texas Tech set for early morning kickoff on FOX
AP Top 25 college football poll rankings
1. Ohio State
2. Penn State
3. LSU
4. Miami
5. Georgia
6. Oregon
7. Florida State
8. Texas
9. Illinois
10. Texas A&M
11. Oklahoma
12. Iowa State
13. Ole Miss
14. Alabama
15. Tennessee
16. Utah
17. Texas Tech
18. Georgia Tech
19. Indiana
20. Vanderbilt
21. Michigan
22. Auburn
23. Missouri
24. Notre Dame
25. USC
Here's the latest:
Ohio State, Penn State and LSU are still the top three teams in Week 4 of the AP Top 25 poll. Miami moved up to No. 4 after crushing USF and Georgia reached No. 5, despite needing overtime to beat Tennessee.
Texas A&M made a big jump into the top 10 after its dramatic win at Notre Dame, while the Irish became the first team since 1988 to stay in the Top 25 with an 0-2 record.
Oregon slipped two spots to No. 6 despite a 20-point road win against Northwestern and was followed by Florida State, Texas, Illinois and the Aggies.
SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 face Top 25 matchups to headline Week 4
The SEC, Big Ten and Big 12 each have matchups between ranked opponents to look forward to next week.
The action kicks off at noon with a Big 12 game likely to impact the playoff picture: No. 17 Texas Tech travels to No. 16 Utah. Both teams moved up four spots this week with 3-0 records.
SEC competition begins in the afternoon when No. 22 Auburn takes on No. 11 Oklahoma. The Sooners earned their first SEC win last September against Auburn, sailing ahead 27-21 after an impressive fourth-quarter comeback.
The Big Ten rounds out the weekend with a Saturday night showdown featuring No. 9 Illinois at No. 19 Indiana.
Why did Ducks slip to 6th?
It all goes back to strength of competition.
The Ducks have met expectations this season, but they haven’t had a chance to exceed them. Wins against Northwestern, Oklahoma State and Montana State were all expected of a talented Oregon team.
A win against Penn State in two weeks? Now that would certainly stir things up and give the Ducks a very strong chance at the top three.
As for this week, Georgia and Miami’s wins against ranked teams impressed voters more than Oregon’s win over Northwestern.
USC earns its first ranking of the season
A 33-17 win on the road against Purdue earned USC its first ranking of the season, coming in at No. 25.
The Trojans improved to 3-0 and have outscored opponents by wide margins, forcing voters to take notice. The Trojans are now tasked with a series of Big Ten challenges ahead.
Their sole nonconference test comes Oct. 18 against independent Notre Dame, a matchup that will carry heavy playoff implications for a USC squad on the rise and a declining Irish team.
Miami and Georgia move up, Oregon drops out of top 5
Miami moved up to its highest rank of the season, No. 4, after a dominant 49-12 win over South Florida.
It marked the end of a magical run for USF, which knocked off two Top 25 opponents in back-to-back weeks.
Voters valued Georgia’s overtime win against Tennessee over Oregon’s 34-14 win over Northwestern. Oregon moved down to No. 6 and Georgia moved up to round out the top five.
Alabama jumps five spots after its 38-14 win vs. Wisconsin
Alabama is gradually bouncing back from a tough Week 1 loss to Florida State.
The Crimson Tide followed up a 73-0 win over Louisiana-Monroe with a 38-14 victory against Wisconsin on Saturday. Quarterback Ty Simpson had the best performance of his career, completing 24 of 29 passes for 382 yards and four touchdowns. Receiver Ryan Williams accounted for 165 yards and two touchdowns.
The Tide moved up to No. 14, their highest ranking since the preseason.
Why is a winless Notre Dame ranked?
Notre Dame nearly fell out of the Top 25 this week after losing 41-40 to Texas A&M. Both of Notre Dame’s losses this season were by a field goal or less and came down to the final moments of the game.
Voters sometimes value a down-to-the-wire loss against a top opponent rather than a win against a lower ranked one. But the Irish are on thin ice moving forward with little room for error.
Conference breakdown
The SEC leads the AP Top 25 for another week with 11 teams earning rankings: LSU (3), Georgia (5), Texas (8), Texas A&M (10), Oklahoma (11), Ole Miss (12), Alabama (14), Tennessee (15), Vanderbilt (20), Auburn (22) and Missouri (23).
The Big 10 has seven teams, one more than last week after USC came in at No. 25. The rest are: Ohio State (1), Penn State (2), Oregon (6), Illinois (9), Indiana (19) and Michigan (21).
The ACC has three teams in the Top 25 after Georgia Tech took Clemson’s place: Miami (4), Florida State (7), Georgia Tech (18).
The Big 12 has three teams in the mix: Iowa State (12), Utah (16) and Texas Tech (17).
Notre Dame (24) is independent.
Vanderbilt knocks South Carolina out, ascends from unranked to No. 20
Vanderbilt put on a show against South Carolina, beating the Gamecocks 31-7 on Saturday night.
Momentum shifted when South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers went down with a concussion right before halftime. Vanderbilt opened the third quarter with a 44-yard rushing touchdown from Jamezell Lassiter, extending the lead to 21-7.
The Commodores kept piling on and South Carolina failed to respond with backup second-string Luke Doty at the helm. A once top 10-ranked South Carolina team now falls into unranked territory.
Meanwhile, Vanderbilt cracks into the Top 25, coming in at No. 20
Notre Dame falls from No. 8 to No. 24 after loss to Texas A&M
The Irish fell to 0-2 on Saturday night as their home opener against Texas A&M didn’t go quite as planned.
Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love ran the ball 12 yards into the end zone to break a tie with 2:53 remaining and put the Irish ahead 40-34.
Texas A&M responded with an impressive 13-play, 74-yard final drive ending with an 11-yard touchdown by Nate Boerkircher, solidifying a 41-40 win.
The game brought major changes in the Top 25. Notre Dame fell from No. 8 to No. 24, and the Aggies jumped from No. 16 to No. 10.
Georgia Tech breaks into the Top 25
Georgia Tech’s 24-21 upset victory over Clemson did the trick: the Yellowjackets have officially broken into the Top 25 after weeks of knocking on the door.
Georgia Tech put on a strong performance against Clemson on Saturday, setting the tone from start to finish. The Tigers tied it up at 21 apiece with 3:26 on the clock.
Quarterback Haynes King led a 10-play, 38-yard drive, setting up kicker Aidan Birr for a game-winning 55-yard field goal.
Ohio State, Penn State, LSU retain top three spots
No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Penn State and No. 3 LSU sit comfortably at one, two and three for another week.
Ohio State’s slow start against Ohio didn’t shake voters, as the Buckeyes built steam in the second half to win 37-9. Penn State beat in-state foe Villanova 52-6, and LSU outscored SEC opponent Florida 20-10.
