Projected college football rankings after Utah upset by Arizona State in Cam Rising's return
The Utah Utes were the first ranked team to kick off in Week 7 of the college football slate. And it was quarterback Cam Rising leading them out onto the field for the first time since Week 2 when he suffered an injury to his throwing hand.
Then again, maybe they would have been better off without him.
The Utes suffered their second loss of the season on Friday night, this time at the hands of the Arizona State Sun Devils, 27-19. The root cause of the loss was clear: Rising simply couldn't throw the ball effectively.
Rising had a chunky glove on his throwing hand protecting the cut that has kept him out the last three weeks. He also appeared to roll his ankle early in the game, which limited his ability to run or plant his foot while throwing. The result was more ducks than you'll see in Eugene on Saturday.
It's a shame because a healthy Rising really would have been a strong contender for the Big 12's automatic bid to the College Football Playoff. However, Rising isn't healthy and by the time he is, it'll likely be too late.
Projected CFB Top 25 after Utah loses to Arizona State
- Texas Longhorns
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- Oregon Ducks
- Penn State Nittany Lions
- Georgia Bulldogs
- Miami Hurricanes
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- Tennessee Volunteers
- Ole Miss Rebels
- Clemson Tigers
- Iowa State Hawkeyes
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- BYU Cougars
- Texas A&M Aggies
- Boise State Broncos
- Indiana Hoosiers
- Kansas State Wildcats
- LSU Tigers
- Missouri Tigers
- Pittsburgh Panthers
- Illinois Fighting Illini
- Michigan Wolverines
- SMU Mustangs
- Nebraska Cornhuskers
- Army Golden Knights
Dropped out: Utah Utes, Oklahoma Sooners
Utah should drop from the rankings after second loss
I don't think there's a good argument to keep the Utes in the Top 25 after falling to 4-2. We saw USC tumble after a loss to Minnesota last week largely because they're a clearly flawed team. Utah is in the same boat. They haven't been impressive all season, even before Rising's injury. And now they don't have a quarterback, at least not one they can rely on consistently.
Kyle Whittingham failed his team by keeping Rising in the game, frankly. Isaac Wilson hasn't been great but he was a better option than the hobbled veteran.
The Utes will have the opportunity to work their way back into the Top 25 with upcoming games against TCU, Houston and a currently undefeated BYU. Then they'll finish the season with Colorado, currently undefeated Iowa State and UCF. Maybe they'll make some waves with a more healthy Rising, but they need to prove it.
Should Arizona State be ranked?
The Sun Devils weren't receiving votes in the last AP Top 25 despite being 4-1. And there's a reason for that. They lost to Texas Tech and achieved narrow wins over Mississippi State, Texas State and Kansas to get there. That's not exactly a murderer's row.
Having said that, the Sun Devils have a signature win over a ranked opponent and sit at 5-1 halfway through the regular season. It's time to start looking at them.
They need a little help to get in this week, but CFB always delivers upsets when you least expect it. If a couple more teams in the back half of the rankings trip up, look out for ASU.
Saturday will challenge many a ranked team. No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Oregon are set for a heavy-weight fight in Eugene. No. 1 Texas has a rivalry battle with No. 18 Oklahoma. No. 4 Penn State is traveling across the country to face recently-unranked USC. No. 9 Ole Miss and No. 13 LSU will play what looks like a CFP elimination game. No. 18 Kansas State has to go to Boulder to face a rising Colorado team.
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