The Utah Utes beat the Baylor Bears 55-28 on Saturday night, marking their third consecutive win. With the win, Kyle Whittingham’s squad has moved to 8-2 on the 2025 season and 5-2 in Big 12 play.
It is a phenomenal turnaround for the Utes, as they ended the 2024 season at 5-7 overall and 2-7 in conference games.
Utah Accused of Receiving Favorable Treatment in College Football Playoff Ranking
The third College Football Playoff rankings of 2025 were released Tuesday, and Utah moved up one spot from No. 13 to No. 12. The Utes have now appeared in 47 CFP rankings since the system began 11 years ago and have finished in the top 25 seven times.
This week’s reveal was also the first since Utah athletic director Mark Harlan joined the CFP selection committee. Meanwhile, Yahoo Sports senior writer Dan Wolken speculated that the Utes’ boost in the ranking may be tied to Harlan’s presence on the committee.
“The committee continues to love Utah for some reason. Very cool that their AD got implanted on the committee,” Wolken tweeted.
The committee continues to love Utah for some reason. Very cool that their AD got implanted on the committee.
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) November 19, 2025
Harlan replaced Baylor AD Mack Rhoades, who stepped down as committee chair for personal reasons. Harlan has been an influential public figure during Utah’s transition to the Big 12. He had already served a one-year term on the selection committee during the 2023 season, and so he was already familiar with the ranking process.
Meanwhile, Utah’s climb this week stemmed largely from its win over Baylor on Saturday. Texas’ lopsided loss to Georgia helped as well, with Steve Sarkisian’s squad falling from No. 10 to No. 17 after a 35-10 defeat in Week 12.
Since the 34-10 loss to Texas Tech on September 20, Utah has scored at least 42 points in every game except a 24–21 loss to BYU last month. However, with two losses, the Utes trail several other two-loss teams with stronger resumes. It may make an at-large spot outside a conference title unlikely.
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Utah is the third-best team in the Big 12, and its best chance at reaching the playoff is winning the conference to secure an automatic bid. Simply winning out probably won’t be enough, as the Utes will need other Big 12 contenders to stumble to reach the championship game. The committee has shown respect for Utah’s performance this season, which could help if higher-ranked teams slip.
Utah sits at No. 11 in the PFSN College Football Playoff Ranking. The Utes face 5-5 Kansas State on Saturday.
