College Football Rankings 2019: Projected Top 25, Week 5 – Wisconsin rising
By Zach Bigalke
Pick Analysis. 9/28 vs. Washington State. 23. player. Scouting Report. lost 30-23 at USC. Utah Utes. 843
When top-10 Wisconsin fell early in the season against an unranked BYU team, the Badgers fell 12 spots in the polls. Utah is likely to tumble at least nine spots in the AP Top 25 this week after suffering their first loss of the season on the road against an unranked USC squad. Working in Utah’s favor is the fact that this was a Pac-12 South contest rather than a non-conference tilt, but that also puts them behind in the division standings.
Tyler Huntley went 22-of-30, but managed to only throw for 210 yards and one touchdown. Huntley added 18 carries for 60 yards on a day when Utah finished with 247 rushing yards as a team. The defense held USC to only 13 rushing yards by comparison, but were undone by backup quarterback Matt Fink after Trojans starter Kedon Slovis exited the game injured early in the first quarter.
No longer unblemished in the loss column, Kyle Whittingham’s team must rebound quickly if they hope to maintain position in the AP Top 25. Next week yields a tough home date with Washington State, and a three-game stretch against Arizona State, California, and Washington beginning in mid-October will make or break Utah’s chances of national contention this year.