Utah football moves up in AP Top 25 poll after Week 2 win

Utes climb five spots in latest AP poll following big win over Cal Poly

The Utah Utes hold a moment of loudness between the third and fourth quarter of the game against the Cal Poly Mustangs at Rice-Eccles Stadium. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Utah kept its momentum rolling Saturday against Cal Poly, and subsequently, its spot in the latest rankings from the national media.

Fresh off a 63-9 thumping of the Mustangs in their home opener, the Utes checked in as the No. 20-ranked team in the country in the most recent Associated Press Top 25 poll, which was released Sunday after Utah's second straight wire-to-wire win to open the 2025 college football season.

While earning 361 votes from the 60-person panel, the Utes moved up five spots from their previous position in the poll; tied for the second-largest jump of any team featured in the top 25 behind Tennessee, which climbed seven spots to No. 15. Oklahoma also advanced five spots with its win over Michigan.

Five of the top seven teams in the poll didn't change from last week, including No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Penn State and No. 3 LSU. No. 4 Oregon and No. 6 Georgia flipped spots, while No. 9 Illinois and No. 10 Florida State cracked the poll's upper-echelon courtesy of 2-0 starts. Clemson, meanwhile, dropped out of the top 10 to No. 12 following a shaky home win over Troy.

Arizona State, previously at No. 10, suffered the biggest drop of any team in the poll following its 24-20 loss on the road to a Mississippi State team that entered the season coming off a 2-10 campaign in 2024. The Sun Devils were on the outside looking in after the loss, alongside BYU, TCU and Baylor from the Big 12.

Sep 6, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Utes running back Wayshawn Parker (1) runs for a touchdown against the Cal Poly Mustangs during the second half at Rice-Eccles Stadium. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

South Florida crashed the poll after walking into Gainesville, Florida, and coming away with an 18-16 victory over then-No. 13 Florida, knocking the Gators out of the top 25 and subsequently earning a spot at No. 18. Alabama came in at No. 19, followed by Utah and Texas Tech from the Big 12.

The Utes cracked the AP poll last week with their 43-10 victory over UCLA, which was then followed up with another dominant performance on both sides of the ball in their home opener Saturday against Cal Poly. Utah capitalized on all five of their redzone trips with touchdowns on offense, in addition to holding the Mustangs to below 4.0 yards per play while forcing a pair of turnovers defensively.

As Utah prepares to head out to Laramie, Wyoming, for a Week 3 matchup with the Cowboys (Saturday, 5 p.m. PT/6 p.m. MT), here's a look at where the Utes stand among the rest of the top teams in the country.

AP Top 25 poll (post-Week 2)

1. Ohio State (2-0) [57 first-place votes]
2. Penn State (2-0) [5]
3. LSU (2-0) [2]
4. Oregon (2-0) [1]
5. Miami (2-0)
6. Georgia (2-0)
7. Texas (1-1)
8. Notre Dame (0-1)
9. Illinois (2-0)
10. Florida State (2-0)
11. South Carolina (2-0)
12. Clemson (1-1)
13. Oklahoma (2-0)
14. Iowa State (3-0)
15. Tennessee (2-0)
16. Texas A&M (2-0)
17. Ole Miss (2-0)
18. South Florida (2-0)
19. Alabama (1-1)
20. Utah (2-0)
21. Texas Tech (2-0)
22. Indiana (2-0)
23. Michigan (1-1)
24. Auburn (2-0)
25. Missouri (2-0)

Others receiving votes:

Arizona St. 94, BYU 92, Georgia Tech 78, Florida 70, Southern Cal 64, TCU 58, Mississippi St. 52, Louisville 49, SMU 26, Nebraska 10, Tulane 9, Baylor 7, UNLV 5, Pittsburgh 3, Navy 2, Memphis 1, Vanderbilt 1.