Utah's College Football Playoff hopes strengthen with latest rankings reveal

Utes continued to climb the latest CFP rankings

Utah Utes quarterback Byrd Ficklin (15) earned Big 12 Freshman of the Week honors after rushing for 166 yards on 6 carries against the Baylor Bears. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Another convincing win in Big 12 play helped Utah take a positive step toward making its College Football Playoff aspirations come to fruition.

The Utes (8-2, 5-2 Big 12) checked in at No. 12 in the latest CFP rankings, which were revealed during a special on ESPN Tuesday night.

Utah moved up one spot from its previous position thanks in large part to its 55-28 triumph over Baylor on Saturday, along with a few important results involving other at-large bid contenders around the country.

Texas' blowout loss to Georgia helped create some room in the top 12, as the Longhorns dropped from No. 10 to No. 17 following their 35-10 loss to the Bulldogs in Week 12. Alabama, which lost at home to Oklahoma in a 23-21 final, took Texas' spot at No. 10, dropping six spots from its previous spot at No. 4. The Sooners ascended to No. 8, giving the SEC five teams in the top 10.

The shake up in the SEC allowed for BYU to take the No. 11 spot. However, neither the Cougars nor Utes would be in the 12-team playoff if it were to start today because the ACC and Group of 5 weren't represented in the top 12.

The five highest-ranked conference champions will earn automatic bids into this season's playoff. Presumably, the winners of the Power Four leagues plus one conference champion from the Group of 5 (American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, Mid-American Conference, Mountain West Conference, Sun Belt Conference) will earn the automatic bids.

Because only three conferences (SEC, Big Ten and Big 12) occupied the top 12 of Tuesday's projections, Tulane out of the AAC and Miami from the ACC were slotted in as the No. 12 and No. 11 seeds, respectively, with BYU and Utah sitting on the outside looking in as the first and second teams out.

Tuesday was the first rankings reveal involving Utah athletic director Mark Harlan, who was added to the selection committee on Nov. 13 after Baylor athletic director, Mack Rhoades, stepped down from his position as the selection committee's chairman due to personal reasons.

The Utes have now appeared in 47 CFP rankings since the system debuted in 2014. They've finished in the top 25 seven times, including a program-best No. 8 ranking in 2022.

Utah will look to keep its conference title game and College Football Playoff aspirations intact when it takes on Kansas State in Week 13 (Saturday, 2 p.m. MT on ESPN2). All eight of the Utes' wins through their first 10 games came by an average margin of 35.3 points.

The playoff will feature a dozen teams with the five highest ranked conference champions earning automatic bids. The four highest ranked teams — regardless of conference championship status — will earn first round byes.

If fewer than five conference champions are among the committee's top 25 on selection day, then the committee will rank the remaining conference champions. The highest-ranked will be added to the playoff until five conference champions are included in the playoff.

Third CFP Rankings of 2025

1. Ohio State (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten)
2. Indiana (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten)
3. Texas A&M (10-0, 7-0 SEC)
4. Georgia (9-1, 7-1 SEC)
5. Texas Tech (10-1, 7-1 Big 12)
6. Ole Miss (10-1, 6-1 SEC)
7. Oregon (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten)
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. Utah (8-2, 5-2 Big 12)
13. Miami (8-2, 4-2 ACC)
14. Vanderbilt (8-2, 4-2 SEC)
15. USC (8-2, 6-1 Big Ten)
16. Georgia Tech (9-1, 6-1 ACC)
17. Texas (7-3, 4-2 SEC)
18. Michigan (8-2, 6-1 Big Ten)
19. Virginia (9-2, 6-1 ACC)
20. Tennessee (6-3, 3-3 SEC)
21. Illinois (7-3, 4-3 Big Ten)
22. Missouri (7-3, 3-3 SEC)
23. Houston (8-2, 5-2 Big 12)
24. Tulane (8-2, 5-1 AAC)
25. Arizona State (7-3, 5-2 Big 12)

Projected College Football Playoff bracket

• No. 12 Tulane vs. No. 5 Texas Tech (winner plays No. 4 Georgia)
• No. 9 Notre Dame vs. No. 8 Oklahoma (winner plays No. 1 Ohio State)
• No. 11 Miami vs. No. 6 Ole Miss (winner plays No. 3 Texas A&M)
• No. 10 Alabama vs. No. 7 Oregon (winner plays No. 2 Indiana)

College Football Playoff schedule

All times MT

First round (Dec. 19-20)

On campus games

• Game 1: 6 p.m., Dec. 19
• Game 2: 10 a.m., Dec. 20
• Game 3: 1:30 p.m., Dec. 20
• Game 4: 5:30 p.m., Dec. 20

Quarterfinals (Dec. 31-Jan. 1)

• Cotton Bowl: 5:30 p.m., Dec. 31
• Orange Bowl: 10 a.m., Jan. 1
• Rose Bowl: 2 p.m., Jan. 1
• Sugar Bowl: 6 p.m., Jan. 1

Semifinals (Jan. 8-9)

• Fiesta Bowl: 5:30 p.m., Jan. 8
• Peach Bowl: 5:30 p.m., Jan. 9

National Championship

• From Hard Rock Stadium: 5:30 p.m., Jan. 19

Utah's College Football Playoff Résumé

Rankings based on ESPN FPI

• Strength of record: No. 18 (No. 3 in Big 12)
• Strength of schedule: No. 46 (No. 9 in Big 12)
• Remaining strength of schedule: No. 45 (No. 8 in Big 12)
• Notable wins: vs. Arizona State, vs. Cincinnati
• Losses: vs. Texas Tech, at BYU