SALT LAKE CITY — Another record in a banner year for the Utah Utes: they moved up to No. 5 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, the highest placement in school history.
The news, though, didn’t mean a lot to Utah coach Kyle Whittingham as the Utes prepare for Friday night’s Pac-12 championship game against Oregon.
“We’ve still got work to do this week and there’s a lot of teams that are playing each other,” he said. “So a lot of movement that can happen, but we’re not concerned with that. We’re just concerned with getting ready for the Ducks.”
Utah could have even bigger things on the horizon. The Utes are now just one spot out of a berth in the national semifinals. Running back Zack Moss said it was “pretty cool” to move up in the rankings.
“It’s just a testament to the hard work that we put in and things that we continue to want to do each and every day,” said Moss, who added that the team just needs to keep working hard.
Undefeated Ohio State (12-0), Louisiana State (12-0) and Clemson (12-0) continue to hold the top three spots in the rankings. Georgia (11-1) is fourth, but will likely need to defeat LSU in the SEC title game to remain in position for a spot in the final four.
Then comes Utah (11-1) at No. 5, followed by No. 6 Oklahoma (11-1), No. 7 Baylor (11-1), No. 8 Wisconsin (10-2), No. 9 Florida (10-2) and No. 10 Penn State (10-2).
Oklahoma and Baylor meet in the Big 12 championship Saturday, which could lead to a late shakeup.
“It’s just a testament to the hard work that we put in and things that we continue to want to do each and every day.” — Utah running back Zack Moss
The rest of the rankings this week include: 11. Auburn (9-3), 12. Alabama (10-2), 13. Oregon (10-2), 14. Michigan (9-3), 15. Notre Dame (10-2), 16. Iowa (9-3), 17. Memphis (11-1), 18. Minnesota (10-2), 19. Boise State (11-1), 20. Cincinnati (10-2), 21. Appalachian State (11-1), 22. USC (8-4), 23, Virginia (9-3), 24. Navy (9-2) and 25. Oklahoma State (8-4).
In years past, there have been changes between the second-to-last CFP rankings and the ultimate placings on Selection Sunday.
2014: TCU was third with a 10-1 record before defeating Iowa State 55-3. Despite the lopsided win — there was no Big 12 championship game that year — the Horned Frogs fell to sixth in the final rankings. Ohio State, meanwhile, moved from sixth to fourth following a 59-0 victory over Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game. The Buckeyes went on to win the national championship.
2015: Michigan State jumped from fifth to third with a 16-13 victory over previously unbeaten Iowa in the Big Ten championship. The Hawkeyes fell from fourth to fifth with the loss, and idle Oklahoma dropped from third to fourth.
2016: The final four — Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson and Washington — stood pat over the final two rankings with just one move. Clemson shifted from third to second after a 42-35 win over Virginia Tech in the ACC game. Ohio State didn’t reach the Big Ten finale and went from second to third.
2017: Alabama claimed the national title after getting in as a No. 4 seed. The Crimson Tide moved into the last spot after being fifth in the second-to-last rankings, following a 26-14 loss to Auburn in the Iron Bowl. Clemson maintained the No. 1 spot, and Oklahoma jumped from No. 3 to No. 2. Georgia went from sixth to third with a 28-7 triumph over Auburn in the SEC title game. Wisconsin’s 27-21 setback to Ohio State in the Big Ten championship proved quite costly, knocking the Badgers from fourth to sixth in the CFP rankings.
2018: The first three spots remained intact over the last two weeks with Alabama, Clemson and Notre Dame leading the pack. There was some movement at No. 4 and No. 5, however. Georgia and Oklahoma switched spots after conference championship games. The Bulldogs dropped a spot after a 35-28 loss to Alabama in the SEC game, while the Sooners reached the playoff following a 39-27 decision over Texas in the Big 12 title tilt.
Pac-12 championship game
Oregon (10-2, 8-1) vs. Utah (11-1, 8-1)
Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California
Friday, 6 p.m. (MST)
TV: ABC, Ch. 4
Radio: ESPN 700AM