SALT LAKE CITY — With ESPN "College GameDay" setting the stage Saturday, Utah showed up with the spotlight shinning bright.
Utah delivered a complete performance against a tough Cincinnati team who entered Rice-Eccles Stadium as one of the best offensive teams in the country, and the Utes came away with another dominant win against a Big 12 opponent.
The win kept Utah alive in the Big 12 title race and added some validity to what has been an up-and-down season for the Utes, who have won seven games this season by no less than 25 points.
As a result, the Utes moved up in the latest Associated Press Top 25 rankings after the latest win, jumping up seven spots to No. 17 after checking back into the rankings last week at No. 24. The Utes are now the third-highest ranked team from the Big 12 in the rankings this week.
BYU, which was on their second bye week of the season, won the week as teams around them in the rankings dropped games over the weekend — namely Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt and Miami. As such, the Cougars moved up in the rankings ahead of a tough meeting with Texas Tech on the road this weekend.
The Cougars, who are squarely in the driver's seat of the Big 12 title race and one of only four remaining undefeated teams in the country, jumped up two spots to No. 8 this week as the highest-ranked team from the Big 12.
Just behind BYU in the rankings is No. 9 Texas Tech, who will host "College GameDay" in Lubbock this weekend when the Cougars come to town in what could be a preview of the Big 12 championship game.
Cincinnati, who was previously ranked No. 17 before its loss to Utah, remained in the top 25, but dropped down to No. 25. The Bearcats are the final team from the Big 12 ranked this week after Houston lost to West Virginia and fell out of the rankings in a short-lived affair.
Houston, however, is still receiving votes, as is Arizona State.
The top seven teams ranked stayed put this week, with no movement in the top order. As such, Ohio State remains the No. 1 team in the country with 54 first-place votes. Behind the Buckeyes in the top five are Indiana (11 first-place votes), Texas A&M (1), Alabama and Georgia.
The first College Football Playoff rankings of the season will be released Tuesday (6 p.m. MST, ESPN).
To see the full rankings check below, or click here.
