Utah football continues ascension up coaches poll following Week 3 victory

Utes move into top-20 following 31-6 win over Cowboys

Utah Utes tight end JJ Buchanan (81) celebrates his touchdown reception with tight end Hunter Andrews (10) in the fourth quarter against the Wyoming Cowboys at Jonah Field at War Memorial Stadium. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

A third straight win to start the 2025 regular season moved Utah up the US LBM Coaches Poll's top 25 rankings.

Coming off a victory over Wyoming, the Utes climbed three spots to No. 18 in the most recent coaches poll released Sunday, marking the third consecutive week in which Kyle Whittingham's team ascended up the rankings.

Utah's latest jump in the poll followed its 31-6 victory over the Cowboys from Laramie, Wyoming, on Saturday. The Utes overcame a sloppy first half marred by miscues and penalties with four consecutive touchdown drives in the second half, as Devon Dampier racked up a combined 300 yards through the air and on the ground, while John Henry Daley spearheaded another strong performance on the defensive side of the ball with a pair of sacks.

"Kind of a weird game," Whittingham said after the game. "Very similar yardage total first half and second half, but very different results; just weren't finishing drives in the first half. And I'll tell you what, I got a lot of respect for that Wyoming team. They're tough players, well coached and they gave us everything they had."

Sep 13, 2025; Laramie, Wyoming, USA; Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham walks the sidelines in the second half against the Wyoming Cowboys at Jonah Field at War Memorial Stadium. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Utah received 510 points from the panel of voters, slotting the Utes in between a pair of 3-0 squads in No. 17 Indiana and No. 19 Georgia Tech.

The Utes' next opponent, Texas Tech, also moved up the rankings with a win over Oregon State in Week 3. That propelled the Red Raiders up to No. 16 in the poll and set up a top-20 matchup between them and the Utes for next Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

"We got to be up for the occasion," Whittingham said. "It's at our place, and our fans will be there in full force in the Muss, and it'll be a great environment."

One other Big 12 team was featured in the latest coaches poll, while another two dropped out, with Iowa State checking in at No. 13, while Arizona State and BYU fell out.

Here's a look at the rest of the coaches' top 25.

Coaches Poll Top 25 (post-Week 3)

1. Ohio State (3-0) [62 first-place votes]
2. Penn State (3-0) [3]
3. Georgia (3-0) [1]
4. LSU (3-0) [1]
5. Oregon (3-0)
6. Miami (3-0)
7. Texas (2-1)
8. Illinois (3-0)
9. Florida State (2-0)
10. Texas A&M (3-0)
11. Ole Miss (3-0)
12. Oklahoma (3-0)
13. Iowa State (4-0)
14. Alabama (2-1)
15. Tennessee (2-1)
16. Texas Tech (3-0)
17. Indiana (3-0)
18. Utah (3-0)
19. Georgia Tech (3-0)
20. Michigan (1-1)
21. Notre Dame (0-2)
22. Missouri (3-0)
23. Vanderbilt (3-0)
24. South Carolina (2-1)
25. Auburn (3-0)

Schools Dropped Out

No. 11 Clemson; No. 23 South Florida; No. 24 Arizona State; No. 25 BYU;

Others Receiving Votes

BYU 158; Arizona State 141; USC 117; Clemson 116; Tulane 107; Louisville 53; TCU 49; South Florida 48; Mississippi State 27; SMU 24; Nebraska 24; Navy 15; Memphis 14; Washington 13; North Carolina State 13; Baylor 8; Houston 5; Kansas 2; UNLV 1; Cal 1