Kyle Whittingham and the University of Utah football just missed the cut in the first national Top 25 poll that has been released. And after finishing last season ranked No. 11 in the coaches poll, BYU football is also on the outside looking in to start 2021.
The Utes received the 26th-most votes in the USA Today preseason coaches poll (145), which was released Tuesday. The Cougars received 53 votes in the preseason poll, good for 31st most.
Utah went 3-2 over the course of a COVID-impacted 2020 campaign. The Utes are expected to be contenders in the Pac-12 South this year; preseason polls picked Utah to finish second in the division behind the USC Trojans.
The Pac-12 has three schools in the Top 25: No. 12 Oregon, No. 14 USC and No. 21 Washington.
Defending national champion Alabama is the preseason No. 1 in the USA Today poll. The Crimson Tide got 63 of the 65 first-place votes while No. 3 Oklahoma got the other two. Clemson is No. 2 with Ohio State and Georgia rounding out the top five.
The Associated Press Top 25 will be released Aug. 16.
Utah kicks off its season Sept. 2 against Weber State. BYU plays Arizona in Las Vegas on Sept. 4.
The USA Today preseason coaches poll
1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Oklahoma
4. Ohio State
5. Georgia
6. Texas A&M
7. Notre Dame
8. Iowa State
9. North Carolina
10. Cincinnati
11. Florida
12. Oregon
13. Louisiana State
14. USC
15. Wisconsin
16. Miami
17. Indiana
18. Iowa
19. Texas
20. Penn State
21. Washington
22. Oklahoma
23. UL Lafayette
24. Coastal Carolina
25. Ole Miss
Others receiving votes:
Utah 145; Northwestern 120; Arizona State 90; Auburn 84; Liberty 68; Brigham Young 53; Texas Christian 48; Michigan 30; Central Florida 29; NC State 27; Boise State 27; Kentucky 20; San Jose State 18; Army 13; Virginia Tech 9; Missouri 8; UCLA 7; Tulsa 6; Pittsburgh 6; Boston College 6; Houston 5; Ball State 5; West Virginia 4; Southern Methodist 4; Appalachian State 4; UAB 3; Arkansas 3; Nevada 2; Mississippi State 2; Air Force 2; Stanford 1; Marshall 1; Florida State 1; California 1.