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The first edition of the Amway Coaches Poll came out, and the Utah Utes are ranked No. 25 in the preseason rankings. The last time Utah was ranked in the preseason coaches poll was in 2010, when they started ranked at No. 24, meaning this is the first time as a member of the Pac-12 Conference that Utah has been ranked in a preseason poll.
Below is the complete poll:
Preaseason Amway Coaches Poll.csv
| Rank | Team |
|---|---|
| Rank | Team |
| 1 | Alabama |
| 2 | Ohio State |
| 3 | Florida State |
| 4 | Southern California |
| 5 | Clemson |
| 6 | Penn State |
| 7 | Washington |
| 8 | Oklahoma |
| 9 | Michigan |
| 10 | Wisconsin |
| 11 | Oklahoma State |
| 12 | Louisiana State |
| 13 | Auburn |
| 14 | Stanford |
| 15 | Georgia |
| 16 | Florida |
| 17 | Louisville |
| 18 | Miami |
| 19 | Kansas State |
| 20 | West Virginia |
| 21 | South Florida |
| 22 | Virginia Tech |
| 23 | Texas |
| 24 | Tennessee |
| 25 | Utah |
Not surprisingly, Alabama takes the top spot. The highest rated Pac-12 team is USC at No. 4. The other ranked Pac-12 teams are Washington at No. 7, and Stanford at No. 14. The Big 10 has four teams in the top 10, the most of any conference. The SEC has the most ranked teams with six. What surprises me is that there are five teams from the Big XII, which is more than both the Big 10 and Pac-12. There are two Pac-12 teams sitting just outside the top 25, at effectively 26 and 27 are Washington State and Colorado.
This preseason top 25 ranking shows the respect Utah has commanded by finishing ranked in each of the last three seasons. Despite returning the fewest starters of any team in the Pac-12 and placing 17 players from last year’s team on NFL rosters, Utah is ranked in the preseason. It seems coaches around the country are beginning to respect what Kyle Whittingham is doing in Salt Lake City. Utah was also picked second in the Pac-12 media poll.