Utah tumbles in latest College Football Playoff rankings

Utes' College Football Playoff chances are on thin ice

Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham and his team ranked No. 15 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Tuesday's College Football Playoff rankings essentially put Utah's chances of making the 12-team bracket during Sunday's final reveal to bed.

ESPN's Rece Davis summed up it up the best as the Utes (10-2, 7-2) dropped two spots to No. 15 in the penultimate CFP rankings, which were revealed four days after Utah beat Kansas, 31-21, in its regular season finale on Black Friday.

"The run would seemingly be over for the Utes," Davis said during the ESPN broadcast.

As expected, Utah fell behind Vanderbilt and Texas in the aftermath of Week 14's results, which included a 45-24 Commodores win over in-state rival Tennessee and a 27-17 Longhorns victory over Texas A&M. Vanderbilt was at No. 14 and Texas sat at No. 16 in the previous CFP rankings. Both jumped ahead of Utah in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll.

Given the Utes won't have an opportunity to improve their résumé as they sit at home during conference championship week, it's unlikely they'll move higher than No. 15 when the selection committee unveils its last rankings on Sunday (10 a.m. MT).

The two teams that will be competing in Saturday's Big 12 title game (10 a.m. MT, ABC) will be playing for more than just the conference's championship trophy. For No. 4 Texas Tech, it can clinch a first round bye if it beats No. 11 BYU for a second time. The Cougars, meanwhile, will try to lock up a playoff spot with a win over the Red Raiders and not have to worry about their at-large prospects.

In the top 10, Texas A&M dropped to No. 7 and Alabama flipped spots with Notre Dame to claim the No. 9 spot. The Crimson Tide, coming off a 27-20 win over Auburn, will face No. 3 Georgia in Saturday's SEC championship game from Atlanta (2 p.m. MT, ABC).

College Football Playoff selection committee chairman Hunter Yurachek admitted to Davis after the rankings reveal that the committee didn't consider whether BYU could knock Alabama or Notre Dame out of the playoff field if the Cougars win the Big 12 championship and the Crimson Tide lose to the Bulldogs in the SEC title game (the Fighting Irish are idle on Saturday).

Yurachek also noted that non-conference championship game participants can move up or down in the final rankings, giving Utah something to hang on to as it watches the two teams it lost to in the regular season duke it out for the Big 12 title. But it'll be hard to jump Vanderbilt, Texas, Miami and Notre Dame given all four are ranked higher than Utah in strength of record.

The Commodores rank No. 11 in strength of record and are followed by the Longhorns (No. 12), Fighting Irish (No. 13) and the Hurricanes (No. 14). The Utes rank No. 15 in that category.

Other conference championship games that will impact the final rankings include the ACC (Virginia-Duke, 6 p.m. MT, Saturday on ABC) and the American Athletic Conference (North Texas-Tulane, 6 p.m. MT, Friday on ABC). The Blue Devils (7-5) could create quite a scenario for the selection committee to sort through if they beat the 10-2 Cavaliers.

Utah fans will still want to tune into Sunday's broadcast of the final CFP rankings in order to learn of the Utes' bowl game destination. Once the final 12 teams are announced, the other postseason matchups will be revealed.

Fifth CFP Rankings of 2025

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

Projected College Football Playoff bracket

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

Utah's College Football Playoff Résumé

Rankings based on ESPN FPI

• Strength of record: No. 15 (No. 3 in Big 12)
• Strength of schedule: No. 57 (No. 12 in Big 12)
• Notable wins: vs. Arizona State, vs. Cincinnati
• Losses: vs. No. 4 Texas Tech, at No. 11 BYU