Where Utah football ranked in coaches poll after beating Kansas in regular season finale

The Utah football team slugged out a road win over Kansas to end the regular season on a five-game winning streak and keep its Big 12 championship eligibility intact heading into Saturday.

Unfortunately for the Utes (10-2, 7-2 Big 12), though, they didn’t get the help they needed — Arizona’s win over Arizona State dashed their conference title aspirations — and their College Football Playoff at-large hopes were put in serious jeopardy following a wild weekend across the country.

Utah’s standing in the US LBM Coaches poll indicated as much, with the Utes dropping to No. 15 and sitting behind a couple of at-large bid contenders in No. 12 Vanderbilt, No. 13 Miami and No. 14 Texas — three teams that had their respective résumés boosted with ranked wins during rivalry week.

The Commodores remained in the hunt with a 45-24 win over in-state rival Tennessee, helping Clark Lea’s group hold onto its spot at No. 12 in the poll. The Hurricanes did the same thanks to a dominant 38-7 victory over Pitt, while the Longhorns vaulted above the Utes with a 27-17 victory over Texas A&M.

Given Utah didn’t clinch a spot in the Big 12 title game — those went to No. 7 Texas Tech and No. 11 BYU instead — it wasn’t likely the College Football Playoff selection committee would rank Utah in the top 10 of Tuesday’s rankings. The Utes would need to rank that high as an at-large team because the five highest-ranked conference champions earn automatic bids.

1. Ohio State (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten) [63 first-place votes]
2. Indiana (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten)
3. Georgia (11-1, 7-1 SEC)
4. Oregon (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten)
5. Ole Miss (11-1, 7-1 SEC)
6. Texas Tech (11-1, 8-1 Big 12)
7. Texas A&M (11-1, 8-1 SEC)
8. Oklahoma (10-2, 6-2 SEC)
9. Notre Dame (10-2)
10. Alabama (10-2, 7-1 SEC)
11. BYU (11-1, 8-1 Big 12)
12. Vanderbilt (10-2, 6-2 SEC)
13. Miami (10-2, 6-2 ACC)
14. Texas (9-3, 6-2 SEC)
15. Utah (10-2, 7-2 Big 12)
16. Virginia (10-2, 7-1 ACC)
17. USC (9-3, 7-2 Big Ten)
18. Michigan (9-3, 7-2 Big Ten)
19. James Madison (11-1, 8-0 Sun Belt)
20. North Texas (11-1, 7-1 AAC)
21. Tulane (10-2, 7-1 AAC)
22. Arizona (9-3, 6-3 Big 12)
23. Georgia Tech (9-3, 6-2 ACC)
24. Tennessee (8-4, 4-4 SEC)
25. Navy (9-2, 7-1 AAC)

Schools Dropped Out

No. 24 Pitt, No. 25 SMU

New to the poll this week

No. 22 Arizona, No. 25 Navy

Others Receiving Votes

Iowa 85, Houston 73, Missouri 52, SMU 28, Washington 18, UNLV 17, Pitt 15, South Florida 12, Illinois 9, Louisville 6, UConn 6, TCU 5, Penn State 5, Old Dominion 2, New Mexico 2, Arizona State 2, San Diego State 1

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