Yogi Roth Baffled By Utah's Absence in the CFP Top 25
On the season, the Utes finished with an 8-4 record, and despite not being an ideal result after the past two seasons, it's an impressive feat considering the circumstances.
Of those 4 losses, each and every one of them were against ranked teams. Oregon State currently resides in the 20th position, Arizona moved up to the 15th spot, Oregon is 5th in the nation, and Washington is in a playoff spot at number 3.
Despite the quality of teams that have beaten them, Utah somehow has managed not to squeak into the top 25 despite three other 8-4 teams occupying the 21-25 spots. Oregon State is understandable at 20 because the Utes lost to them, but Tennessee resides at 21, Clemson claimed the 23 spot, and Kansas State rounded out the top 25.
All of those teams mentioned are 8-4 on the year, yet none have the sheer quality of losses that Utah possesses, nor do they look as good as the Utes. Pac-12 analyst Yogi Roth echoed that sentiment on his X account during the reveal show on November 28th.
In the grand scheme of it all, unless a team is in the top 8 spots, it doesn't necessarily mean much however, Coach Whittingham and the team deserve to be recognized for their perseverance to succeed in the face of such adversity.
Luckily there is still a possibility to cap this season off as a top 25 team for the Utes come bowl week. With the next CFP ranking only taking into consideration championship week, there won't be a ton of movement on the back end of the spectrum. However, with bowl week on the horizon, Utah should be able to crack the barrier into the top 25 with a convincing bowl-game win. CBS Sports currently has Utah projected to travel to El Paso to face Miami(FL) in the Sun Bowl but until then, it's time for the Utah faithful to play the dreaded waiting game.
