Utah jumps up to No. 18/17, Utah State at No. 14/15 in latest rankings


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SALT LAKE CITY — With division titles on the line, both Utah and Utah State got through the weekend with wins and another spot in the national rankings.

Coming off a dominant 30-7 win on the road over the Colorado Buffaloes, Utah moved up to No. 18 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll at No. 18 and to No. 17 in the USA Today Amway Coaches Poll Sunday. The Utes moved up three spots in the AP Poll and two spots from its previous ranking of No. 19 in the Coaches Poll.

Utah, which claimed its first-ever Pac-12 South Division title Saturday, will also likely move up in the College Football Playoff rankings, which will be released Tuesday.

Utah continues to be one of only three teams from the Pac-12 ranked in the Top 25 and the only team to represent the South. The conference is led by No. 7 Washington State, who claimed a 69-28 win over Arizona, and is followed by No. 16 Washington, who earned a 42-23 win over Oregon State. Washington and Washington State will play Friday for the right to represent the North Division in the Pac-12 Championship game.

Utah State, which narrowly defeated Colorado State 29-24, stayed at No. 14 in the AP Poll and dropped to No. 15 in the Coaches Poll rankings, down two spots from their previous spot at No.13. The Aggies lucked out against the Rams Saturday after Colorado State looked as if they claimed a last-second win on a Hail Mary touchdown. But after review, refs concluded the Rams’ receiver stepped out of bounds before catching the ball, securing the win for Utah State.

The Aggies are one of three teams from the Mountain West Conference included in the Top 25 this week. Boise State, which will face the Aggies Saturday in a Mountain Division showdown, enters the week at No. 21 in the AP Poll and No. 22 in the Coaches Poll. Fresno State, which is ranked No. 23 in the Coaches Poll, failed to be ranked in the AP Poll Sunday but is in the "receiving votes" category.

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The winner of Saturday’s matchup between Utah State and Boise State will represent the Mountain Division in the championship game. Fresno State is likely to represent the West Division in the championship game.

Atop the poll remains No. 1 Alabama, who was tied with FCS opponent The Citadel at halftime Saturday before claiming a 50-17 win. Behind the Crimson Tide continues to be No. 2 Clemson, No. 3 Notre Dame, No. 4 Michigan and No. 5 Georgia.

Over the weekend, five teams ranked in the Top 25 lost, with the biggest being then-No. 9 West Virginia falling to unranked Oklahoma State, 45-41.

To view a complete list of the AP Top 25 rankings, visit the the AP website, and to see the full Coaches Poll rankings, visit the USA Today website.

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Josh is the Sports Director for KSL.com and beat writer covering University of Utah athletics — primarily football, men’s and women's basketball and gymnastics. He is also an Associated Press Top 25 voter for college football.

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