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Utes, Cougars Miss Big Opportunities, Drop Big In Latest AP Poll
Oct 9, 2022, 11:59 AM | Updated: 12:51 pm
BYU QB Jaren Hall and Utah QB Cameron Rising are one of the regional covers for the 2022 Phil Steele College Football Preview. (Photos courtesy of Getty Images)
(Photos courtesy of Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY- It was a tough weekend to be a fan of Utah and BYU football. Both the Utes and Cougars went into their games with big opportunities ahead of them, and both underwhelmed in their performances, consequently dropping in the latest AP Top 25 Poll.
POLL ALERT: Georgia takes No. 1 back, Alabama drops to No. 3 and Ohio State lands in at No. 2.
See the AP Top 25 presented by @RegionsBank: https://t.co/7dTTUiSC1j pic.twitter.com/LR4q32qAqe
— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) October 9, 2022
Utah failed to keep the big, chunk plays to a minimum against UCLA and turned the ball over twice resulting in a 42-32 loss to the Bruins who came to perform. As a result, voters dropped the Utes nine spots to #20.
BYU once again struggled to get off to a quick start on offense, while also proving incapable of coming up with third down stops on defense against Notre Dame. They still managed to keep it close, 28-20, but not coming up with the win cost them a spot in this week’s AP Top 25 Poll.
AP Top 25 Poll: Week 7
Week of October 9, 2022
1. Geogia (6-0)
2. Alabama (6-0)
3. Ohio State (6-0)
4. Clemson (6-0)
5. Michigan (6-0)
6. Tennessee (5-0)
7. USC (6-0)
8. Oklahoma State (5-0)
9. Ole Miss (6-0)
10. Penn State (5-0)
11. UCLA (6-0)
12. Oregon (5-1)
13. TCU (5-0)
14. Wake Forest (5-1)
15. North Carolina State (5-1)
16. Mississippi State (5-0)
17. Kansas State (5-1)
18. Syracuse (5-0)
19. Kansas (5-1)
20. Utah (4-2)
21. Cincinatti (5-1)
22. Texas (4-2)
23. Kentucky (4-2)
24. Illinois (5-1)
25. James Madison (5-0)
Up Next For The Utes And Cougars
It doesn’t get easier for the Utes and Cougars, but they do have good opportunities in the upcoming week to bounce back.
BYU will be hosting Arkansas at LaVell Edwards Stadium on October 15th. The game kicks off at 12:30 p.m. MT and will be broadcast on either ESPN or ABC.
Utah will also be home this coming weekend hosting the #7 USC Trojans with kickoff at 6 p.m. MT on FOX.
Both games will have visibility and be a chance to prove for both teams that they are better than their week six performances. It will take hard work and dedication from the Utes and Cougars to remedy their defensive woes and get off to faster starts on offense. Time will tell where that takes these two teams that had a lot of promise to start the season, but for now there is still hope for good finishes.
