Final AP Poll has Utah football at No. 10, marking first back-to-back top-15 finishes

The University of Utah football program had never finished back-to-back seasons ranked in the top 15 of the AP Top 25.

That changed on Monday evening.

In the hours following Georgia’s throttling of TCU in the College Football Playoff national championship game, the AP released its final poll with the Utes ranked No. 10. Utah finished last season ranked 12th, giving it back-to-back top-15 campaigns, coinciding with a pair of Pac-12 championships. Monday marked the 11th time Utah finished a season ranked in the AP Poll.

Utah was the second-highest-ranked of five teams from the Pac-12, which enjoyed arguably its best, most-competitive season in years at the top of the league. Eleven-win Washington finished ranked No. 8, USC 12, Oregon 15, Oregon State 17, and UCLA 21.

With expectations high back in August, the Utes opened the season with their highest-ever preseason ranking, No. 7, before falling in their opener at the University of Florida. Utah was ranked in all 16 AP Polls, only falling outside of the top 15 once, in early October when it was No. 20 following a loss at UCLA.

At least five of the six Pac-12 teams that finished ranked are safe bets to open the 2023 season ranked, including Utah, which, as of Monday, will return Cam Rising, Brant Kuithe and Devaughn Vele.