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Inactive Utah scored big points with voters this weekend, moving from No. 10 to No. 5 in the AP poll and No. 12 to No. 7 in the coaches poll. The AP ranking is Utah's highest since Jan. 8, 2009, when it had just won the Sugar Bowl, and the highest regular-season ranking since reaching No. 5 in November 2004.
More importantly: Without moving a muscle, the Utes found themselves alone atop the Pac-12 South.
Last week's No. 3 (AP)/5 (coaches) Ole Miss, No. 6/7 Notre Dame, No. 7/10 UCLA and No. 8/6 Georgia all lost, as did Pac-12 South brethren Colorado and Arizona.
Only three teams remain unbeaten in Pac-12 Conference play, and two of those, Utah and Cal, meet Saturday at Rice-Eccles with ESPN's "College GameDay" on hand.
(If Utah has to play No. 16/18 Stanford, which sits at 3-0 in conference, it will be in the Pac-12 Championship Game.)
Utah's previous high rank by this point in the season came in 2010, when it was 10th in both polls. Since going undefeated and finishing No. 2 in the 2008 AP poll, it's ranked as high as No. 6 in both polls in 2010, when No. 3 TCU beat Utah 47-7 during a "GameDay" visit.
There is a highly unusual divergence of opinion about the Utes. Last week they became the first team ranked so low (No. 10) to get a first-place AP vote by that late in the season since No. 10 Hawaii, in 2007. Sunday, they received seven first-place votes from AP voters while getting eight of No. 10-and-up, including one of No. 14. The Utes were also the lowest-ranked team to get a first-place vote in the coaches poll.
Oregon, which Utah thumped 62-20 in Eugene, took a little longer than Ute fans might've liked to pull away from Colorado in Boulder, but No. 18/21 Michigan has fast become a credible "best win." The Wolverines beat Maryland 28-0 and have now outscored opponents 122-14 since leaving Salt Lake City. Utah State also rebounded from consecutive losses to Pac-12 teams in a convincing win against Colorado State.
Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman and Stewart Mandel both figure Utah No. 1, as does ESPN's Brett McMurphy and the San Jose Mercury News' Jon Wilner.
Tweeted USA Today's Dan Wolken: "Any poll where Utah isn't No. 1 is wrong."
Looking ahead beyond No. 23/22 Cal, Utah hosts an Arizona State team that sprang to life in Pasadena — as the Utes did exactly one year ago Sunday — and then visits a No. 17/17 USC squad that routed the Sun Devils.
Twitter: @matthew_piper —
No. 23 California at No. 5 Utah
P Saturday, 8 p.m.
TV • ESPN