Was Utah football ranked in the coaches poll after first loss of the season?

The Utes suffered 24-point loss to Texas Tech

Utah Utes quarterback Devon Dampier (4) hands the ball off to Utah Utes running back Wayshawn Parker (1) during the fourth quarter of the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Rice-Eccles Stadium. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

After a steady ascension in the national rankings, the Utah football team lost all such momentum upon suffering its first loss of the 2025 season on Saturday.

Less than 24 hours removed from Texas Tech's statement win at Rice-Eccles Stadium, the Utes were left out of the top 25 of the US LBM Coaches Poll that was released Sunday morning.

Utah, which was ranked No. 18 following its 3-0 start to the regular season, was among three teams that got bounced from the Week 4 edition of the coaches poll, joining South Carolina and Auburn, while receiving 99 votes from the panel of voters.

The Red Raiders ascended two spots to No. 14, right behind No. 13 Iowa State. BYU and TCU also represented the Big 12 at No. 24 and No. 25, respectively. Arizona State (104 votes), Kansas (six) and Houston (four) were among the teams left on the outside but still received votes.

The Utes' exclusion from the rankings was made after the Red Raiders dominated both sides of the line of scrimmage in their Big 12 opener from Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday, spoiling an eventful day on campus with Fox's Big Noon Kickoff crew in town.

Sep 20, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders defensive back Dontae Balfour (20) reacts to a pass breakup against the Utah Utes during the second quarter at Rice-Eccles Stadium. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Texas Tech stole the show courtesy of a breakout performance from its backup quarterback, Will Hammond, who stepped in for an injured Behren Morton in the third quarter after he took a hard hit on a scramble. The Red Raiders didn't miss a beat with the redshirt freshman under center, as Hammond threw a pair of touchdown passes in response to Utah's lone touchdown of the game to keep his team in control throughout.

The Utes offense, meanwhile, which entered Saturday putting up over 500 yards of total offense per game, was held to a season-low 263 yards against a Red Raiders defense that played with more physicality and urgency all afternoon.

"[We] have to take a look at the film and see why we didn't win the line of scrimmage," said Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham during his postgame press conference. "I don't know. I just don't know. I don't have a great answer right now. We just didn't play up to our usual standards up front."

Here's a look at the rest of the Week 4 edition of the coaches poll.

Coaches Poll Top 25 (post-Week 4)

1. Ohio State (3-0) [61 first-place votes]
2. Penn State (3-0) [3]
3. Georgia (3-0) [1]
4. LSU (4-0)
5. Oregon (4-0) [1]
6. Miami (4-0) [1]
7. Texas (3-1)
8. Florida State (3-0)
9. Texas A&M (3-0)
10. Oklahoma (4-0)
11. Ole Miss (4-0)
12. Indiana (4-0)
13. Iowa State (4-0)
14. Texas Tech (4-0)
15. Tennessee (3-1)
16. Alabama (2-1)
17. Georgia Tech (4-0)
18. Michigan (3-1)
19. Missouri (4-0)
20. Vanderbilt (4-0)
21. Notre Dame (1-2)
22. USC (4-0)
23. Illinois (3-1)
24. BYU (3-0)
25. TCU (3-0)

Schools Dropped Out

Utah (No. 18), South Carolina (No. 24), Auburn (No. 25)

Others Receiving Votes

Arizona State 104; Utah 99; Louisville 67; Mississippi State 57; Memphis 55; Auburn 48; South Florida 32; Washington 19; Navy 17; Maryland 10; Kansas 6; Syracuse 4; Houston 4; UNLV 3; Tulane 3; Nebraska 3; North Texas 2; Iowa 1;