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SALT LAKE CITY â Wins don't always translate to a jump in the national rankings, and Utah found that out Sunday afternoon.
In the first true test of the season for Utah, Saturday started out on a high note.
The Utes rolled to a 23-0 start and looked poised to dominate a Baylor team that couldn't do anything to stop Utah in any facet of the game. That is until Cam Rising sustained an injury to his throwing hand that kept him out for the duration of the game.
The life and energy from Rice-Eccles Stadium was gone, and Utah went into preservation mode as the fear of another long-term Rising injury persisted throughout the stadium.
In the end, Utah held on to beat the Bears 23-12 and got word that Rising's injury wasn't as serious as previously believed, but it cost the team a bit in the latest Associated Press Top 25 rankings Sunday, dropping one spot to No. 12.
Despite the one-spot drop, Utah remains the highest-ranked team in the Big 12 after a weekend of chaos and upsets.
Behind the Utes in the rankings is No. 13 Oklahoma State, who narrowly got past an Arkansas team that took a 21-7 lead before the Cowboys answered back, and is followed by No. 14 Kansas State in a tight race among the conference favorites.
Beyond the top three in the conference is No. 20 Arizona and No. 21 Iowa State, who moves into the top 25 after a win over rival Iowa. Kansas, BYU, UCF and TCU each received votes in the poll.
Georgia remains at the top of the rankings with 54 first-place votes, but the rest of the top five saw a shakeup, where Texas moved past Ohio State to claim No. 2 with four first-place votes. The Buckeyes narrowly follow at No. 3 with five first-place votes and are followed by No. 4 Alabama and No. 5 Ole Miss.
To see the full rankings, see below or click here.
