Danny Kanell Ranks Undefeated Utah No. 1 in Weekly Top 12

Danny Kanell Ranks Undefeated Utah No. 1 in Weekly Top 12

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Undefeated Utah moved to the top of Danny Kanell’s weekly top 12 rankings on Sunday following a victory over BYU, according to SI.com.

The Utes, currently 9-0, leapfrogged Miami to claim the top spot after the Hurricanes lost to Notre Dame 31-24 in South Bend. Kanell, a CBS Sports college football analyst, noted on X that his ranking system is “the best because it has no bias.”

Utah’s ascent follows a consistent climb throughout the season. The team sat at No. 7 after Week 4, moved to No. 5 after Week 8, and held the No. 2 position behind Miami after Week 9 before Saturday’s win secured the top ranking.

Quarterback Devon Dampier was central to Utah’s performance at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Dampier accounted for all four of the team’s touchdowns, completing 14 of 26 passes for 177 yards and two scores to receiver Braden Pegan. He also added 89 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries, and caught a 29-yard pass from Creed Whittemore on a fourth-down trick play.

“I don’t care if there’s two people on me,” Dampier said of the trick play. “I’m gonna find a way to go catch it.”

While BYU outgained Utah 391 to 330, the Utes controlled the game through turnovers and efficiency. The Utah defense intercepted BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier four times. Linebacker Trey Reynolds recorded a third-and-goal interception at the 2-yard line with 4:39 remaining, and defensive back Nate Ritchie secured the final possession with another interception.

Danny Kanell Ranks Undefeated Utah No. 1 in Weekly Top 12

Data from GameOnPaper shows Utah averaged 5.25 points per scoring opportunity, compared to BYU’s 2.60. Utah head coach Morgan Scalley attributed the victory to the team’s internal focus.

“The reason I believe that we won today is our guys made it about us, not about them,” Scalley said.

Kanell's rankings differ from the College Football Playoff selection committee. The committee’s initial rankings placed Utah at No. 3 behind Miami and Georgia, while ranking UCLA eighth. In contrast, Kanell placed UCLA second following their 34-20 win at Minnesota.

Other analysts have offered varying perspectives on the current hierarchy. Robert Griffin III also placed Miami, Utah, and UCLA at the top of his personal top 12 following the committee’s first release.

The following table compares Kanell’s top 12 rankings after Week 10:

11

Rank Team
1 Utah
2 UCLA
3 Georgia
4 Notre Dame
5 Indiana
6 Miami
7 Wake Forest
8 Texas
9 Tennessee
10 Alabama
Texas Tech
12 USC

Morgan Scalley is currently 9-0 in his debut season as head coach. He took over the program last December following the departure of Kyle Whittingham, the school’s all-time winningest coach, who is now coaching at Michigan. Scalley, a former safety on Utah’s undefeated 2004 team, previously served as the defensive coordinator from 2016 through last season.

Utah remains undefeated in Big 12 play with a 6-0 record. Their recent schedule included a 21-13 win over No. 14 Houston on Oct. 24 and a 49-25 victory at Cincinnati the following week.

The Utes face three remaining regular-season games: a visit to Arizona on Nov. 14, a trip to TCU on Nov. 21, and a season finale against West Virginia on Nov. 28. The Big 12 championship game is scheduled for Dec. 4 in Arlington, Texas.

The College Football Playoff selection committee is expected to release its second set of rankings on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET.

Utah’s current 15-game winning streak remains the longest in the nation.

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