Rankings and Ratings – Utah Week

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Rankings and Ratings

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December 11th

College Football News: CU in a close one over Utah

From the College Football News …

Why Utah Will Win

Utah’s running game is gearing up, getting better in each of the three games so far.

The freshman Ty Jordan is a smallish, quick back who came up with 167 yards last week once he started to get the work, and veteran transfer QB Jake Bentley has to avoid the turnovers he gave up in the first two games.

The team had the look like it needed a few games to get up to speed, and the hope has to be that it’s now there. The defense has been a rock on third downs, the run defense has been great so far, and the team is playing like Utah is supposed to.

Colorado’s offensive line hasn’t been anything great when it comes to keeping teams out of the backfield, and the O has been a wee bit inconsistent, but …

Why Colorado Will Win

The running game ripped up Arizona last week and UCLA in the opener.

Jarek Broussard was good over the first three games, and then he went off with 301 yards last week against the Wildcats. Yeah, Utah looked good against Oregon State last week, but that’s partly because the Beavers were without star RB Jermar Jefferson and had to start a new quarterback.

The Buffs are hardly perfect, but the offensive backfield is set, the defense is getting off the field with plenty of third down stops, and the pass defense isn’t giving up anything deep.

It’s as if its head coach knows how to coach up a D – Karl Dorrell’s secondary is allowing quarterbacks to hit just 52% of their passes and allowed one touchdown pass in the last three games.

What’s Going To Happen

So where does Colorado stand in the Pac-12 title chase? That partly depends on what happens in the USC vs. UCLA game, but win this, and there’s a chance the Pac-12 makes it a Trojan-Buffalo conference title game since their matchup was off.

Utah’s lines are strong, and Colorado hasn’t been that impressive, but the Buffaloes will lock down in the secondary and will get just enough balance to survive a fun fight.

Colorado vs Utah Prediction, Line

Colorado 26, Utah 23

Colorado -2, o/u: 47.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2.5

Must See Rating: 4

5: Wonder Woman 1984
1: A Holly Dolly Christmas

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December 10th

The Athletic writers favor CU over Utah; ESPN writers not so much

From The Athletic …

Utah at No. 21 Colorado (-2) | Noon (FOX)

Stewart Mandel ... The Pac-12 gets its second Big Noon Kickoff game of the season (this one at 10 a.m. local time), due to FOX losing The Game. It’s a great chance for most of America to get its first exposure to the 4-0 Buffs, led by stud RB Jarek Broussard, who is averaging a Power 5-best 183.3 yards per game. Colorado 27, Utah 17

Bruce Feldman … Jarek Broussard has run wild in the Pac-12 this season, but now he’ll face the conference’s top rushing defense. This Utes group probably isn’t quite as good as past Utah defenses, but it should provide a good challenge. Colorado 14, Utah 10

No. 15 USC at UCLA (+2.5) | 7:30 p.m. (ABC)

Stewart Mandel … The Trojans put on their most dominant performance in several years in Sunday’s 38-13 rout of Washington State. My colleague Ari Wasserman suggested this week that 4-0 USC should be getting more CFP consideration. All of which sets up perfectly for the Trojans to lay an egg against their rivals. UCLA 30, USC 27

Bruce Feldman … The Trojans looked fantastic last week, but the Bruins are playing a lot better than Washington State and they have a much defense this season. UCLA has proven very adept at getting pressure (No. 1 in the conference in sacks). That figures to be a real concern for a USC offensive line that ranks last in the Pac-12 in TFLs allowed. USC 24, UCLA 23

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From ESPN …

Utah at No. 21 Colorado … 

Connelly: SP+ sees Utah as a rather unfortunate team — the Utes’ postgame win expectancy for their loss to Washington was 61%, and their tight win over Oregon State was 96%. The scoring margin in these two games should have been about +19, but instead it was +3. Utah is currently 21st in SP+.

Unbeaten, ranked Colorado is 53rd in SP+. The Buffaloes have done a great job of making key late plays — blowing big leads against UCLA and Stanford but holding on, then easing ahead for wins of 10 and 11 points against San Diego State and Arizona. But of those opponents, only UCLA ranks higher than 57th. Utah is the best team Colorado has played. SP+ says Utah by 6.2, and it’s not going to surprise me at all if Utah wins.

Pick: Utah +2

Hale: Karl Dorrell has done a fine job in his first season at Colorado, but it feels a little like smoke and mirrors, playing four relatively close games against four mediocre at best teams. Utah, meanwhile, struggled to find its footing at the start — failing to even get on the field until Nov. 21 and flip-flopping QBs along the way. Last week, however, the offense seemed to figure some things out, and the defense had been consistently good, with five picks through three games. This spread seems like an overreaction to some fluky games. I see Utah trending in the right direction and Colorado due for a setback.

Pick: Utah +2

USC at UCLA … 

Kezirian: My initial reaction to this matchup is over the total, and I do not see a reason to change that stance. USC’s offense has looked fairly impressive this year. It has hit some slow stretches, but I think that was more rust and a lopsided score dictating the intensity. This rivalry game will bring out the Trojans’ best, and UCLA’s poor defense will also cooperate. The Bruins have looked sharper in their past two games, but I think that is more attributed to the pedestrian offenses of Arizona and Arizona State. Colorado and Oregon both lit up UCLA, and I expect USC to do the same.

Pick: Over 62

Johnson: Chip Kelly has made strides with this UCLA team this season and nearly upset Oregon with backup quarterback Chase Griffin, but the Ducks since have lost outright to the Beavers and Bears. The Bruins’ win over Cal early in the season on a mid-week scheduled Sunday game after Cal didn’t get to practice prior in full for two weeks is misleading. I’m not buying what the current market is selling in regard to UCLA football. USC is still far and away the better team, and I project the Trojans to win by three or more points 57% of the time. That’s good enough for me to beat the -110 on a Trojans air raid style offense that is by far the most effective and dangerous of any UCLA has seen to date. I’m laying it under a field goal.

Pick: USC -2.5

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December 9th

Oregon falls into ESPN’s Bottom Ten

From ESPN …

No. 5 … Ore-uh-gon (3-2) … Shoutout to way back when we thought the Ducks were going to be the team that was just good enough that we would have to take the Pac-12 seriously as a CFP sleeper and Mario Cristobal was on the short list of “Guys to call if Saban ever retires.” And when I say “way back when,” I mean two weeks ago before they lost to Oregon State and Cal.

No. 10 … By the Time I get to Arizona (0-4) … But before that game comes the Grand Canyon State Pillow Fight of the Week presented by Meteor Crater. The winner of this game between 0-4 Arizona and 0-2 Arizona State gets the Territorial Cup, but this year the 121-year-old trophy will be filled with melted crayons and thumbtacks.

… Read full story here …

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Both Arizona schools in CBS Bottom 25 (along with CSU)

From CBS Sports … Last week was an excellent week for The Bottom 25. I told you how 15 winless teams were remaining, which was a significant increase over what we’d typically see this late in the season. Well, we were able to get rid of a few of those teams still searching for their first victory.

We are down to 10 winless teams, and one of them is an 0-2 Arizona State. Congratulations to Eastern Michigan, Utah, Cal, Akron and New Mexico for all getting on the board last week. For some of you, it was enough to get out of The Bottom 25 altogether. For others, not so much, but that’s OK! You have a win, and that’s better than none!

As for the departures, they left vacancies for new teams, and our newbies this week have a Power Five flavor to them. We welcome the previously mentioned Arizona State, Duke, Navy, Tennessee and Mississippi State. Something tells me that, given it’s the first year of his tenure, Mississippi State fans won’t be too upset with Mike Leach for showing up here.

Tennessee fans? Yeah, the patience is running thin in that fanbase (out of character, I know) with Jeremy Pruitt, and I can’t help but believe an appearance in The Bottom 25 following six straight losses won’t improve the relationship.

No. 20 … Arizona State (0-2) … The Sun Devils are 0-2 after finally getting to play another game, but their two losses have come by eight points combined. I would expect them to pick up a win over No. 8 Arizona this week, but it’s 2020, so I’m not assuming anything. (NR)

No. 18 … Colorado State (1-3) … The Rams were able to get back on the field after having to cancel two games and lost to San Diego State 29-17. They’re scheduled to finish their regular season this weekend against No. 10 Utah State. (25)

No. 8 … Arizona (0-4) … Arizona took a 13-0 lead on Colorado before giving up 24 straight to lose 24-13. The Wildcats have one final shot at victory this weekend against rival Arizona State. (9)

… Read full story here …

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December 8th

CU earns first College Football Playoff Ranking since 2016

From ESPN … The top six teams in the CFP rankings remained the same Tuesday, including Ohio State, which stays at No. 4 despite uncertainty about its upcoming opponents.

The Big 12, meanwhile, is still alive in the CFP race.

The Buckeyes stay ahead of No. 5 Texas A&M and No. 6 Florida following a 52-12 win against Michigan State. Earlier Tuesday, Ohio State learned its upcoming game against Michigan was canceled because of COVID issues within the Wolverines program. At 5-0, the Buckeyes would need to play another Big Ten opponent this weekend, or have the six-game threshold for reaching the league championship adjusted so they could face No. 14 Northwestern next week in Indianapolis.

If Ohio State doesn’t reach the Big Ten title game, it could be paired next week against No. 16 Iowa, which moves up three spots after its fifth consecutive win.

The Big 12’s slim playoff hopes received a boost as Iowa State (8-2) moved to No. 7, ahead of undefeated Cincinnati, which slipped a spot to No. 8 after not playing since Nov. 28. The Bearcats again will be off this week because of COVID-19 issues within their program, before facing No. 24 Tulsa in the AAC championship next week.

Iowa State, the highest-ranked two-loss team, is set to face No. 11 Oklahoma next week in the Big 12 championship game. A conference championship likely would keep the Cyclones ahead of Cincinnati and possibly push them into the top four.

Coastal Carolina and BYU traded spots in the rankings following the Chanticleers’ home win over the Cougars. At 10-0, Coastal Carolina now sits at No. 13, while BYU drops five spots to No. 18 following its first loss of the season.

USC remains the Pac-12’s highest-rated team at No. 15 after it improved to 4-0 with a dominant win Sunday against Washington State. Colorado, the Pac-12’s other undefeated team, finally entered the CFP rankings at No. 21.

Louisiana, which beat Iowa State 31-14 to open the season, moved up six spots to No. 19 this week. Texas re-enters the rankings at No. 20, and Missouri makes its debut at No. 25 despite three losses.

The CFP selection committee will release a new Top 25 on Dec. 15 before the final rankings are unveiled Dec. 20.

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December 7th

CBS 1-127: Buffs’ rise continues, up to No. 20

… Up 90 – yes, 90 – spots from where CBS Sports had CU ranked just over a month ago … 

From CBS Sports … As we wind down the regular season and turn our attention to the College Football Playoff and Bowl Season, this past weekend’s action has led to some shakeups at the top of the CBS Spots 127, our comprehensive ranking of every FBS team in 2020. Alabama is holding strong at No. 1 followed by Notre Dame at No. 2, but Clemson has jumped ahead of Ohio State for No. 3.

The Tigers finished their regular season with a 45-10 win against Virginia Tech that clinched a spot in the ACC Championship Game against Notre Dame. Both teams will have this upcoming weekend off to prepare for the rematch of the double-overtime instant classic we saw in South Bend, Indiana. last month. Ohio State didn’t fall too far, taking over the No. 4 position, but there was another swap just behind the Buckeyes with Texas A&M jumping ahead of Florida for the No. 5 spot.

While some rankings had kept the Aggies ahead of the Gators for head-to-head reasons, our voters long preferred the offensive dominance seen by Kyle Trask, Kyle Pitts and the rest of those Florida skill players even after the loss in College Station, Texas. Saturday saw Texas A&M look very impressive in a win at Auburn while Florida was a slow to start but cruised to a win at Tennessee.

Further down in the rankings, the Pac-12 took a big hit after losses by Oregon and Washington, leaving USC and Colorado as the lone undefeated teams in the conference. BYU predictably fell from the top 10 down to No. 14 after its loss at Coastal Carolina, which moved up a couple of spots to No. 11 after the win. For more on the biggest week-to-week adjustments, check out the Mover’s Report below.

Biggest movers

• No. 18 Tulsa, No. 19 Iowa, No. 20 Colorado (+5): The collection of voters is large enough to create some consensus opinions as to how teams stack up against each other, but this week’s balloting resulted in a very interesting move up for this trio of teams. Tulsa, Iowa and Colorado checked in at No. 23, No. 24 and No. 25 last week and the reshuffling above them — which included losses by Oregon, Oklahoma State, Wisconsin, Washington and Marshall — contributed to a five-spot jump for all three teams. Not enough opinions have changed in terms of how these teams stack up against each other, though, as they remain in the same order, just a handful of spots higher in the rankings.

• No. 30 Washington (-12): After being one of the biggest movers up last week, the Huskies tumble to the edge of the top 30 after a home loss to Stanford. It’s a quick hook for those teams that jump up in the rankings with few results. We don’t always see it in early December, but since the Pac-12 is only a month into its season that’s the case with Washington.
• No. 36 Oregon (-14): Two straight losses for the Ducks and our voters are going to go find a new pond. A fourth down stop by Cal’s defense and two Oregon fumbles in the fourth quarter kept Oregon from a much-needed bounce back win after the rivalry game loss to Oregon State.

The Pac-12 … 

• No. 15 USC … up one spot from last week
• No. 20 Colorado … +5
• No. 30 Washington … -12
• No. 36 Oregon … -14
• No. 40 UCLA … +12
• No. 44 Oregon State … no change
• No. 50 Stanford … +42(!)
• No. 52 Utah … +17
• No. 56 Washington State … -5
• No. 73 California … +29(!)
• No. 78 Nebraska … +18
• No. 80 Michigan State … -7
• No. 81 Arizona State … -42(!)
• No. 104 Arizona … +1
• No. 107 Colorado State … -1

… As a reminder … Here’s how CBS Sports had the Pac-12 ranked in late October (before the conference teams had played their first games) … 

From the Pac-12 … 

• No. 11 – Oregon
• No. 16 – USC
• No. 33 – Arizona State
• No. 38 – Washington
• No. 42 – Utah
• No. 49 – California
• No. 57 – Stanford
• No. 77 – Oregon State
• No. 89 – UCLA
• No. 97 – Washington State
• No. 107 – Arizona
• No. 110 – Colorado

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CBS Power Rankings: CU “one of the best hidden surprises of 2020” moves up to No. 19

From CBS Sports … It’s time for a change at the top. For three consecutive weeks in this space, Notre Dame has been No. 1, ever since its Nov. 7 win over then-No. 1 Clemson. The ranking was well deserved. Notre Dame was the first team to beat a sitting No. 1 in the regular season since Auburn defeated Alabama in 2017. But Alabama has been so dominant all season that it’s clear the Power Rankings need a new top team

After a 55-17 win over LSU, Bama has now scored at least 35 points in 22 straight games. That’s an ongoing college football record. It has scored at least 40 in an SEC-record eight consecutive straight games. Both of those numbers are unheard of previously.

Here’s more: The highest-scoring Power Five team (49.2 points) has a combined winning margin of 278 points this season. That’s more than 26 teams scored all of 2019 with a full 12-game schedule. Alabama’s average margin of victory so far (30.88) would be the largest for a national champion since Florida State averaged winning by 39.5 points in 2013.

You may have noticed Nick Saban lost the nation’s best wide receiver to a season-ending injury (Jaylen Waddle) then developed the nation’s new best receiver. DeVonta Smith went for 231 yards and three more touchdowns against the Tigers. That’s one Heisman candidate. There are two others on the roster – running back Najee Harris and quarterback Mac Jones.

Bama is rolling like it rarely has before under Saban. There’s another whole column to be written about Saban embracing the offensive concepts that are now dominating the game.

From the Pac-12 … 

No. 15 … USC … The Pac-12’s best brand name may be its only hope for a major bowl. Prior to the Washington State game Sunday night, Clay Helton had started 3-0 for the second time at USC. Four-star quarterback prospect Jake Garcia decommitted with 10 days to go until signing day. (Up five spots from last week)

No. 19 … Colorado … Colorado being 4-0 at this point is one best-hidden surprises of this strange season. The Buffaloes shut out Arizona in the second half to grab a 24-13 road win. Even weirder, Jarek Broussard ran for 301 yards wearing a knee brace following a serious injury last season. (Up four spots from last week)

Dropped Out: Oregon, Oklahoma State, Wisconsin, Washington

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December 6th

Colorado in at No. 21 in the Associated Press poll

… Oregon and Washington drop out; CU and USC the only Pac-12 teams in the poll … 

From CBS Sports …  Iowa State didn’t need to beat West Virginia to make it into the Big 12 Championship Game, but clubbing the Mountaineers 42-6 didn’t hurt. As such, voters in the latest Associated Press Top 25 made sure to give the Cyclones top-10 treatment heading into Week 15 as Iowa State cracked the top 10 on Sunday, moving up two spots after the Saturday win.

Followed right behind the Cyclones is Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers come in at No. 11 after upsetting BYU at home 22-17. Meanwhile, the Cougars dropped six spots from No. 8 to No. 14 after their first loss of the season.

As with the Coaches Poll, four teams fell out of the top 25 after Week 14 losses: Marshall, Oklahoma State, Oregon and Washington. Replacing them are No. 20 North Carolina, No. 21 Colorado, No. 23 Texas and No. 24 Buffalo. Wisconsin, which lost to Indiana 14-6, dropped seven spots to round out the top 25.

Here’s how the entire AP Top 25 poll looks heading into Week 15. First-place votes are in parenthesis.

1. Alabama (62)
2. Notre Dame
3. Ohio State
4. Clemson
5. Texas A&M
6. Florida
7. Cincinnati
8. Indiana
9. Miami (FL)
10. Iowa State
11. Coastal Carolina
12. Georgia
13. Oklahoma
14. BYU
15. Northwestern
16. USC
17. Louisiana
18. Tulsa
19. Iowa
20. North Carolina
21. Colorado
22. Liberty
23. Texas
24. Buffalo
25. Wisconsin

Others receiving votes: North Carolina State 98, Marshall 66, San Jose State 66, Oklahoma State 33, UCF 11, Boise State 10, Washington 10, Auburn 9, Missouri 8, Nevada 5, Army 2, UCLA 1, TCU 1

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Colorado enters the USA Today Coaches’ poll at No. 22

From CBS Sports … Texas A&M keeps stating its case as a College Football Playoff contender. The Aggies pulled away from Auburn 31-20 on Saturday, moving to 7-1 on the season. As such, the voters in the latest USA Today Amway Coaches Poll have decided to put A&M in their top five. More notably, the Aggies jump Florida, a team they defeated earlier in the season. The Gators, meanwhile, secured the SEC East this weekend by taking care of Tennessee and will play No. 1 Alabama in Atlanta on Dec. 19.

The top 10 in the Coaches Poll looked largely the same, though Indiana entered the top 10 after beating Wisconsin 14-6, and with the help of BYU and its close loss to Coastal Carolina. The Cougars dropped eight spots to No. 16 while the Chanticleers rose just one spot to No. 13.

Four teams dropped out of the top 25: Marshall, following a devastating shutout loss to Rice, Oklahoma State, Oregon and Washington. Replacing them are No. 20 North Carolina, No. 22 Colorado, No. 23 Texas and No. 24 NC State. Wisconsin fell six spots after its loss to the Hoosiers to round out the top 25.

Here’s a look at the entire poll below:

1. Alabama (59)
2. Notre Dame (2)
3. Clemson
4. Ohio State (1)
5. Texas A&M
6. Florida
7. Cincinnati
8. Miami (FL)
9. Indiana
10. Georgia
11. Iowa State
12. Oklahoma
13. Coastal Carolina
14. Northwestern
15. USC
16. BYU
17. Louisiana
18. Iowa
19. Tulsa
20. North Carolina
21. Liberty
22. Colorado
23. Texas
24. NC State
25. Wisconsin

Schools dropped out: No. 15 Marshall; No. 18 Oklahoma State; No. 20 Oregon; No. 23 Washington.

Other receiving votes: Oklahoma State 100; Missouri 88; Marshall 77; San Jose State 68; Buffalo 59; Nevada 48; Auburn 42; Oregon 30; Boise State 26; Army 25; Washington 19; Southern Methodist 10; Appalachian State 3.

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ESPN Bowl projections: CU makes a return to the Alamo Bowl (Pac-12 No. 2)?

From ESPN … The past week in college football saw two more bowl games canceled, as the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl and Las Vegas Bowl will not be played this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The playoff picks remain the same following convincing wins for all top-four teams. But some other upsets shook things up. Following Week 14’s action, here are our updated bowl projections:

From the Pac-12 … 

PlayStation Fiesta Bowl – January 2nd 
State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Arizona)
4 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: USC vs. Indiana
Schlabach: USC vs. Indiana

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Valero Alamo Bowl – December 29th
Alamodome (San Antonio)
9 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Oklahoma vs. Colorado
Schlabach: Oklahoma vs. Colorado

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LA Bowl – December 30th
SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, California)
10:45 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Boise State vs. Oregon
Schlabach: Boise State vs. Oregon

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Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl – December 31st 
Amon G. Carter Stadium (Fort Worth, Texas)
Noon on ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Washington vs. Auburn
Schlabach: Washington vs. Arkansas

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Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl – December 26th
Independence Stadium (Shreveport, Louisiana)
7 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Army vs. UCLA
Schlabach: Army vs. Stanford

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