Utah football climbs coaches poll following win over Baylor

Utes move up one spot after 55-28 win over Bears

Utah Utes safety Tao Johnson (5) in action during the second half against the Baylor Bears at McLane Stadium. | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

A third consecutive win helped the Utah football team steadily rise up the US LBM Coaches Poll.

The Utes (8-2, 5-2 Big 12) climbed one spot to No. 14 in the coaches poll following a 55-28 victory over Baylor on Saturday, their sixth win in their last seven contests and their eighth of the season by a double-digit margin.

Another decisive outcome for Utah helped it achieve its highest ranking in the coaches poll through the first 13 weeks of the 2025 campaign. The Utes were previously at No. 15 coming off their Week 11 bye.

In the latest poll, Utah earned 748 points from the panel of voters, slotting the Utes in between No. 13 Vanderbilt (777) and No. 15 Miami (707).

Why it matters

Though the coaches poll doesn't have a direct impact on the College Football Playoff, the selection committee's perception of the landscape sometimes reflects what the coaches and media think of it. In fact, the only major difference between the top 12 of the latest CFP rankings and the current coaches poll was how the No. 12 spot was seeded (coaches poll had Georgia Tech, while the selection committee put BYU in that spot prior to Week 13).

Several results from this past weekend will inevitably shake up the top order of the CFP rankings on Tuesday, including No. 11 Oklahoma's road win over No. 4 Alabama. The Sooners moved up to No. 8 in the coaches poll, while the Crimson Tide dropped to No. 10 following its first SEC loss of the season.

Utah probably would've preferred a different outcome out of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, as well as in Pittsburgh, where No. 9 Notre Dame thumped No. 22 Pitt; and in Los Angeles where No. 17 USC kept its College Football Playoff hopes alive with a ranked win over No. 21 Iowa.

Here's a look at how those pivotal matchups shaped this week's coaches poll.

Coaches Poll Top 25 (post-Week 12)

1. Ohio State (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) [61 first-place votes
2. Indiana (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten)
3. Texas A&M (10-0, 7-0 SEC) [2]
4. Georgia (9-1, 7-1 SEC)
5. Oregon (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten)
6. Ole Miss (10-1, 6-1 SEC)
7. Texas Tech (10-1, 7-1 Big 12)
8. Oklahoma (8-2, 4-2 SEC)
9. Notre Dame (8-2)
10. Alabama (8-2, 6-1 SEC)
11. BYU (9-1, 6-1 Big 12)
12. Georgia Tech (9-1, 6-1 ACC)
13. Vanderbilt (8-2, 4-2 SEC)
14. Utah (8-2, 5-2 Big 12)
15. Miami (8-2, 4-2 ACC)
16. USC (8-2, 6-1 Big Ten)
17. Michigan (8-2, 6-1 Big Ten)
18. Texas (7-3, 4-2 SEC)
19. Virginia (9-2, 6-1 ACC)
20. Tennessee (6-3, 3-3 SEC)
21. Missouri (7-3, 3-3 SEC)
22. James Madison (9-1, 7-0 Sun Belt)
23. North Texas (9-1, 5-1 AAC)
24. Houston (8-2, 5-2 Big 12)
25. Tulane (8-2, 5-1 AAC)

Schools Dropped Out

No. 21 Louisville, No. 22 Cincinnati, No. 23 Pitt

New to the poll this week

No. 23 North Texas, No. 24 Houston, No. 25 Tulane

Others Receiving Votes

Navy 56, SMU 42, Illinois 34, Washington 28, Iowa 24, Arizona 23, Louisville 21, San Diego State 19, Arizona State 16, Pitt 13, Nebraska 12, East Carolina 3