Utah Utes snubbed from Associated Press Top 25 preseason poll

Texas and Penn State ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, as the SEC and Big Ten conferences combined for 16 of the 25 spots in the first media poll of the 2025 season, while Utah and BYU led the pack of teams that were left on the outside looking in.

The Cougars and Utes unofficially checked in as the No. 26 and No. 27 ranked teams in the poll, though a few Big 12 teams managed to break up the Big Ten and SEC monopoly going on in the first 25 spots. Arizona State came in at No. 11 following the Sun Devils' College Football Playoff appearance in 2024, and were trailed by No. 17 Kansas State, No. 22 Iowa State and No. 23 Texas Tech.

The Utes appeared in the last three preseason media polls, even ranking as high as No. 7 in the lead up to the 2022 campaign, and had been mentioned in four of the last five, dating back to 2019. The only time they weren't ranked during that stretch was in the shortened 2020 season.

Though the majority of AP voters don't share the same level of confidence in the Utes, a few media members turned in ballots with Utah placed in the top 25. On3 analyst Brett McMurphy, Fox Sports commentator Joel Klatt and The Athletic senior writer Ralph Russo — formerly the head of the AP Top 25 poll — were a few of the prominent figures in the college football community who believed the Utes were deserving of a top 25 spot based on their respective ballots.

With the preseason poll released, the Utes can now look forward to three home games against top 25 teams during the regular season: No. 23 Texas Tech (Sept. 20), No. 11 Arizona State (Oct. 11) and No. 17 Kansas State (Nov. 22).

Here's a look at the rest of the AP preseason Top 25 poll, headlined by a historic debut at No. 1 for the Longhorns.

AP preseason Top 25 poll

1. Texas
2. Penn State 
3. Ohio State 
4. Clemson 
5. Georgia 
6. Notre Dame 
7. Oregon 
8. Alabama 
9. LSU 
10. Miami (FL)
11. Arizona State 
12. Illinois 
13. South Carolina 
14. Michigan 
15. Florida 
16. SMU 
17. Kansas State 
18. Oklahoma 
19. Texas A&M 
20. Indiana
21. Ole Miss 
22. Iowa State 
23. Texas Tech 
24. Tennessee 
25. Boise State

Others receiving votes

BYU, Utah, Baylor, Louisville, USC, Georgia Tech, Missouri, Tulane, Nebraska, UNLV, Toledo, Auburn, James Madison, Memphis, Florida State, Duke, Liberty, Navy, Iowa, TCU, Pitt, Army, Colorado, Louisiana-Lafayette

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