The Utah Utes were the first-place team entering Week 7 on the college football slate. And it was quarterback Cam Rising who led them 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 against the Arizona State Sun Devils, 27-19. The root cause of the loss was clear: Rising simply couldn’t throw the ball effectively.

Rising wore a thick glove on his throwing hand, protecting the cut that has kept him out the past three weeks. He also appeared to roll his ankle early in the game, limiting his ability to run or plant his foot when throwing. The result was more ducks than you’ll see in Eugene on Saturday.

It’s a shame, because a healthy starter really would have been a strong contender for the Big 12’s automatic bid to the College Football Playoff. However, Rising is not healthy, and by the time he is healthy it will likely be too late.

1. Texas Longhorns
2. Ohio State Buckeyes
3. Oregon Ducks
4. Penn State Nittany Lions
5. Georgia Bulldogs
6. Miami Hurricanes
7. Alabama Crimson Tide
8. Tennessee Volunteers
9. Ole Miss Rebels
10. Clemson Tigers
11. Iowa State Hawkeyes
12. Notre Dame fights against Irish
13. BYU Cougars
14. Texas A&M Aggies
15. Boise State Broncos
16. Indiana Hoosiers
17. Kansas State Wildcats
18. LSU Tigers
19. Missouri Tigers
20. Pittsburgh Panthers
21. Illinois battles Illinois
22. Michigan Wolverines
23. SMU Mustangs
24. Nebraska Cornhuskers
25. Golden Knights of the Army

Dropped out: Utah Utes, Oklahoma Sooners

I don’t think there’s a good argument for keeping the Utes in the Top 25 after going 4-2. We watched USC fall after losing to Minnesota last week, largely because they are 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.

Frankly, Kyle Whittingham let his team down by keeping Rising in the game. Isaac Wilson wasn’t great, but he was a better option than the struggling veteran.

The Utes will have a chance to work their way back into the top 25 in upcoming games against TCU, Houston and a currently undefeated BYU. Then they finish the season with Colorado, currently undefeated Iowa State and UCF. Maybe they’ll make a splash with a healthier insurgency, but they have to prove it.

The Sun Devils received no votes in the final AP Top 25 despite being 4-1. And there is a reason for that. They lost to Texas Tech and earned narrow wins over Mississippi State, Texas State and Kansas to get there. This isn’t exactly killer stuff.

However, the Sun Devils have a record win against a ranked opponent and are 5-1 at the halfway point of the regular season. It’s time to take a closer look at them.

They’ll need a little help to get through this week, but CFB always throws surprises when you least expect it. With a few more teams out in the back half of the rankings, ASU is one to watch.

Saturday will challenge many a ranked team. No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Oregon face a heavyweight battle in Eugene. No. 1 Texas is engaged in a rivalry battle with No. 18 Oklahoma. No. 4 Penn State travels across the country to face USC, which was recently unranked. No. 9 Ole Miss and No. 13 LSU will play what looks like a CFP elimination game. No. 18 Kansas State heads to Boulder to face an up-and-coming Colorado team.