How Utah benefited from wild weekend of upsets in college football

Utes climb five spots in the coaches poll following wild weekend of college football

Utah Utes wide receiver Ryan Davis (9) reacts to a first down against the Cincinnati Bearcats during the second quarter at Rice-Eccles Stadium. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

As if beating a top-25 team by 31 points wasn't enough, an upset-filled weekend around the country certainly helped Utah move up the national rankings following its win over Cincinnati.

The Utes (7-2, 4-2) climbed to No. 19 in the US LBM Coaches Poll that was released Sunday, less than 24 hours after they knocked off the previously-ranked No. 17 Bearcats in a pivotal Big 12 showdown from Salt Lake City.

Utah's five-spot advancement from its previous spot at No. 24 came with a bit of a shakeup near the top of the order, as seven losses from ranked teams opened the door for others to move up the ladder.

How it happened

Utah ascended the coaches poll in back-to-back weeks following its second consecutive wire-to-wire victory over a conference foe, crushing a nationally-ranked Cincinnati squad in a 45-14 final from Rice-Eccles Stadium.

After demolishing Colorado the previous Saturday, the Utes kept it rolling in all three phases of the game against the Bearcats, starting with another stout performance from defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley's unit.

From the front seven to the secondary, the Utes made life difficult for Bearcats quarterback Brendan Sorsby and company. Sorsby, who hadn't thrown an interception since Week 1, was picked off and lost a couple of fumbles, including one near the red zone, while completing a season-low 33.3% of his pass attempts against Blake Cotton, Don Saunders, Tao Johnson, Smith Snowden and the rest of Utah's deep defensive backs group.

Nov 1, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback Brendan Sorsby (2) runs against Utah Utes defensive tackle Jonah Lea'Ea (91) and linebacker Johnathan Hall (7) during the second half at Rice-Eccles Stadium. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

"Secondary did an outstanding job," said Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham after the game. "[Cincinnati] did get a few things on us here and there, but for the most part, we were in position on just about every deep ball."

Meanwhile, the Utes' offense maintained the status quo, controlling the time of possession battle behind its potent run game. Wayshawn Parker posted his second straight 100-yard day on the ground, finishing with 104 rushing yards and a touchdown as Utah tallied 267 rushing yards.

Converting seven third-down attempts and a pair of fourth-down tries, Utah managed to have the ball for over 40 minutes, limiting Cincinnati to just under 20 minutes of possession time in the process.

Factor in a 75-yard punt return for a touchdown from Mana Carvalho, and Utah had full control over every aspect of Saturday's top 25 matchup.

"I would say that we're playing very well, and we've got a lot of good players," Whittingham said. "We had the two disappointing losses, but guys responded, bounced back and didn't miss a beat. So yeah, lot of good things going on, just got to keep things rolling."

Utah's climb up the ladder was also due, in part, to other teams in the top 25 losing over the weekend. Three teams in the top 11 of last week's coaches poll — No. 7 Georgia Tech, No. 9 Miami and No. 11 Vanderbilt — fell victim to upsets, while No. 14 Tennessee, No. 16 Cincinnati, No. 22 Houston and No. 23 Navy also lost during a wild weekend of college football.

US LBM Coaches Poll (post-Week 10)

1. Ohio State (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) [60 first-place votes]
2. Indiana (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) [1]
3. Texas A&M (8-0, 5-0 SEC) [3]
4. Alabama (7-1, 5-0 SEC)
5. Georgia (7-1, 5-1 SEC)
6. Oregon (7-1, 4-1 Big Ten)
7. Ole Miss (8-1, 5-1 SEC)
8. BYU (8-0, 5-0 Big 12)
9. Texas Tech (8-1, 5-1 Big 12)
10. Notre Dame (6-2)
11. Virginia (8-1, 5-0 ACC)
12. Oklahoma (7-2, 3-2 SEC)
13. Texas (7-2, 4-1 SEC)
14. Georgia Tech (8-1, 5-1 ACC)
15. Louisville (7-1, 4-1 ACC)
16. Vanderbilt (7-2, 3-2 SEC)
17. Missouri (6-2, 2-2 SEC)
18. Miami (6-2, 2-2 ACC)
19. Utah (7-2, 4-2 Big 12)
20. Michigan (7-2, 5-1 Big Ten)
21. USC (6-2, 4-1 Big Ten)
22. Tennessee (6-3, 3-3 SEC)
23. Memphis (8-1, 4-1 AAC)
24. Iowa (6-2, 4-1 Big Ten)
25. Cincinnati (7-2, 5-1 Big 12)

Dropped out

No. 22 Houston, No. 23 Navy

New to the poll

No. 21 USC, No. 23 Iowa

Others receiving votes

Washington 82, North Texas 60, James Madison 44, San Diego State 30, Pitt 29, South Florida 21, Houston 18, Navy 16, TCU 12, Illinois 8, SMU 6, Arizona State 2, Tulane 1, Minnesota 1, LSU 1