AP Poll: Rising-less Utah Utes 'Rise' to No. 16 in Week 7 Rankings

Ahead of their toughest stretch of the season, the Utah Utes moved up a couple of spots in the latest AP poll, with a chance to further their standing.

The Utah Utes may not have seen any action Saturday, but they still did enough to move up a few spots closer to the esteemed College Football Playoff. 

Coming in at No. 16, the Utes are still a few too many spots away from contention — and their Oregon State loss certainly doesn't help their case — but in the coming weeks, there will be ample opportunity to re-insert themselves into the conversation.

Sep 9, 2023; Waco, Texas, USA; Utah Utes quarterback Cameron Rising (7) on the sidelines following a Utah Utes touchdown against the Baylor Bears during the second half at McLane Stadium / Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports

Most times, a team's bye week is only an opportunity to fall backwards if a team behind them comes up with an impressive win. Then, there's the other side of things. 

With both Miami and Washington State taking losses, the Utes were able to move ahead two spots — though it should be mentioned that Louisville's convincing win over Notre Dame was also enough to make it the highest jumper of this week's poll while simultaneously making the Fighting Irish the further faller. 

So, the Utes now sit one spot out of the top-15 with a chance to keep their spot or even improve in the coming weeks. Up next for coach Kyle Whittingham's squad is a home stand against Cal Berkeley followed by back-to-back matchups against USC and Oregon. 

So, the No. 16 Utes have the quite the run ahead. They're far from out of the conversation, especially if Cameron Rising makes his return, and while their loss to Oregon State was anything but ideal, they have a real chance to make it up if they can knock off their upcoming top-10 opponents. 

And if they manage to do that, they'll likely be sitting much higher than 16 come two weeks from now.