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SALT LAKE CITY — It didn't take long for Cam Rising to announce his return to college football.
The seventh-year quarterback threw for a career-high five touchdowns — or a touchdown on every other completion — as Utah opened up the season with a dominant shutout win over FCS Southern Utah to start out the season.
It was a return to a well-oiled offense poised to help in Utah's pursuit of a Big 12 title, and to position the team for a potential spot in the newly-formed 12-team College Football Playoff.
A win over an FCS team was just the first step, but one that provided confidence in the projected favorite to come out of the Big 12. The win was good enough to lift the Utes to No. 11 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 rankings that were released Tuesday afternoon.
The Utes moved up one spot from its preseason landing spot at No. 12 and remains the highest-ranked team in the Big 12.
Oklahoma State remains the next highest-ranked team from the Big 12, checking in at No. 16, up one spot from the preseason poll. Behind the Cowboys in the Big 12 is No. 17 Kansas State, No. 19 Kansas, and No. 20 Arizona, which featured the potent play of wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan and quarterback Noah Fifita.
Other Big 12 teams receiving votes include Iowa State, West Virginia and Colorado.
Georgia remains the team to beat at the top of the rankings, securing 57 first-place votes — an increase of 11 votes from the preseason rankings. Behind the Bulldogs is No. 2 Ohio State (5 first-place votes), No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Alabama and No. 5 Notre Dame.
Oregon, which was ranked No. 3 in the preseason rankings, dropped to No. 7 after a disappointing start to the season, in which the Ducks pulled away from FCS Idaho late in the game at home.
To see the full rankings, see below or click here.
