Utah Utes wide receiver Jaylen Dixon (25) receives a block from Utah Utes tight end Hunter Thedford (85) during the first half of an NCAA football game at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019. | Colter Peterson, Deseret News
On Tuesday, the Utes, currently sixth — just two spots out of a berth in the national semifinals — and will likely move up to No. 5 in the wake of Alabama’s loss to Auburn
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah continues to climb in the polls. After capping the regular season with a 45-15 win over Colorado, the Utes (11-1, 8-1) moved up to No. 5 this week in both the Associated Press and coaches rankings. They’ll face 13th-ranked Oregon (10-2) in the Pac-12 Championship Game Friday (6 p.m., Ch. 4) at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
In repeating as Pac-12 South champs, Utah gets another crack at the conference crown. The Utes dropped a 10-3 decision to Washington in last year’s title game. Several seniors put potential NFL careers on hold to take care of “unfinished business” this season.
“It’s been a long time coming and a lot of us stayed back for this very reason,” said defensive end Bradlee Anae. “It’s just all about finishing and giving it our all.”
The Utes are riding an eight-game winning streak. They haven’t lost a game since dropping a 30-23 decision at USC on Sept. 20.
Wide receiver Demari Simpkins said they’ve been hungry ever since.
“I’d say we have been a lot more relentless during this stretch and we just didn’t want to leave any doubt,” he said. “Everybody doubted us after that loss and we just had something to prove.”
On Tuesday, the Utes will find out if it’s enough to move up in the College Football Playoff rankings. They’re currently sixth — just two spots out of a berth in the national semifinals — and will likely move up to No. 5 in the wake of Alabama’s loss to Auburn.
Utah’s CFP fortunes improved with the fifth-ranked Crimson Tide falling out of the picture with their second loss of the season. The cloudy picture is beginning to clear a bit. Conference championship games are all that remains before the committee’s final decisions are revealed on Selection Sunday.
Tuesday’s announcement (5 p.m., ESPN) is the second-to-last CFP rankings. Undefeated Ohio State, Louisiana State and Clemson occupy the top three spots and are expected to remain in place. Georgia is currently fourth, but faces LSU in this week’s SEC title game. As for No. 5, ESPN’s Heather Dinich noted that Utah may not be the team to replace Alabama.
“Don’t be surprised, though, if Oklahoma jumps Utah this week after adding another top 25 win to its resume” Dinich wrote on ESPN.com. “The No. 5 spot is the question of the week for the committee.”
The seventh-ranked Sooners (11-1) knocked off Oklahoma State on Saturday and take on No. 9 Baylor (11-1) in the Big 12 championship game.
Utah, meanwhile, is in an obvious “must win” situation as far as the CFP is concerned. At the very least, a victory would send the Utes to the Rose Bowl.
Quarterback Tyler Huntley has repeatedly said they’ve got to keep winning when asked about the postseason.
The Utes are all about Oregon at this point. Preparations began quickly.
“We’ll have some meetings (Sunday) night to get ready for that. We’ve done it before, so we have a plan for it,” said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. “Oregon is on the same schedule. It’s equal footing for both teams.”
Although Utah hasn’t played Oregon this season, the Utes are familiar with the Ducks and their strengths.
Whittingham said Oregon is an explosive team that plays good defense.
“They’ve got a lot of athletes in the secondary. I believe they lead the Pac-12 in interceptions, which is usually a pretty good barometer of your athleticism on the back end. They’ve got some tremendous athletes,” he continued. “Obviously, (Justin) Herbert is a big-time player and is very skilled. They have an offensive line that will be a great matchup because they have one of the best offensive lines in the country and we have one of the best defensive lines.”
Utes on the air
PAC-12 Championship Game
Oregon (10-2, 8-1) vs. Utah (11-1, 8-1)
Levi’s Stadium — Santa Clara, Calif.
Friday, 6 p.m. (MT)
TV: ABC, Ch. 4
Radio: ESPN 700AM
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