SALT LAKE CITY — It didn't take Utah very long to climb back into the national rankings.
The Utes were out of the AP Top 25 for all of three weeks between a loss to Oregon and their return Sunday at No. 24.
Coach Kyle Whittingham said that it's an encouraging sign that the Utes (4-1) made a quick return, but he doesn't want his players to get carried away.
Utah finished last season at No. 2, so being ranked 24th in October isn't cause for a grand celebration.
"We really don't pay a lot of attention to that at this point in time," Whittingham said Monday. "It gives you a little more time on the screen, which is a big positive, but we still have a lot of football left."
The last time Utah got knocked out of the rankings during a season was 2003. The 24th-ranked Utes fell out after a loss to New Mexico in late October and didn't return to the poll until the end of the regular season at No. 25.
But after going unbeaten in 2004 and last season, the Utes have some more name recognition when voters cast their ballots on Sundays. Whittingham said the carry-over certainly helps, but so has Oregon.
The Ducks have won five straight since losing their season opener and are ranked at No. 13.
"I think there's probably some different factors involved there. Our one loss was to Oregon, who is proving to be a pretty good football team. I think that lent some credibility to what we're doing," Whittingham said. "Obviously last year and what we were able to do, there's still some lingering effects of that as well."
Utah had to rally from a 14-point deficit on the road Saturday to beat Colorado State 24-17 on a frigid day. It wasn't exactly a convincing victory, but was enough to take the Utes from the "Others receiving votes" area below the poll into the Top 25.
"We're in a great position," said receiver David Reed, who had nine catches for 140 yards and a touchdown against Colorado State. "Everybody thought that loss was going to kill us. We've just got to keep fighting and we'll be all right."
Utah is on the road Saturday against UNLV (2-4), which has lost three straight and has coach Mike Sanford fielding questions about his future. Sanford, Utah's offensive coordinator in 2004, fell to 13-40 at UNLV after a 59-21 home loss to No. 18 BYU on Saturday.
The Rebels have allowed 1,384 yards of offense in their last two games.
Utah will be favored Saturday and in three straight at home after that against Air Force, Wyoming and winless New Mexico. As long as the Utes avoid an upset, they have a lot of time to keep moving up in the rankings before visiting No. 12 TCU on Nov. 14.
"Of course it means something, but it's not our final thing — where we want to be," linebacker Stevenson Sylvester said. "We've still got a lot to do."