Utah remained No. 7 in the College Football Playoff rankings published Tuesday, when the biggest development for the Utes and Oregon was USC's making the list at No. 23.
The rise of the Trojans gives more value to No. 6 Oregon's rout of USC and makes Utah's lone loss (30-23) of the season somewhat more forgivable. The ranking also means that if Oregon and Utah keep winning, the team that wins their anticipated meeting in the Pac-12 championship game would receive a significant boost, potentially into the top four and a semifinal berth in the Playoff.
The CFP committee kept Alabama at No.