Utah State was not ranked in my preseason Top 100 College Football Rankings. The Aggies missed the cut by two spots because I thought they were the 102nd-best team in the country. Utah State is not the 102nd-best team in the country.
With their Week 6 obliteration of BYU, Utah State is 4-1 for the first since 2012 and is a blown lead vs. Michigan State away from their first 5-0 start since 1965. They're averaging 50 points per game, are one of 20 FBS teams with an active 2018 win streak of at least four games and are tied atop the Mountain West Mountain Division standings. And at No. 43 in the Week 7 Top 100, Utah State is 59 spots higher than their preseason ranking, the biggest jump in the FBS.
Utah State is one of six teams currently ranked at least 40 spots higher than their preseason rankings. Including the Aggies, three of those teams are in the Mountain West: New Mexico (48 spots: No. 125 to No. 77) and Hawai'i (44: No. 116 to No. 72). Five more teams have improved by at least 30 spots and 10 more by at least 20 spots.
Despite suffering their first loss of the season in Week 6, Kentucky is tied with New Mexico for the second-largest ranking improvement. The Wildcats were No. 65 in the Preseason Top 100 and rose to No. 13 in Week 6 before dropping to No. 17 in Week 7.
MORE: Week 7 Playoff Eliminator
Here are the 51 teams who have improved their preseason ranking:
| Team | Preseason | Week 7 | Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utah State | 102 | 43 | 59 |
| Kentucky | 65 | 17 | 48 |
| New Mexico | 125 | 77 | 48 |
| Cincinnati | 92 | 46 | 46 |
| Hawai'i | 116 | 72 | 44 |
| Colorado | 75 | 35 | 40 |
| Washington State | 64 | 29 | 35 |
| BYU | 101 | 67 | 34 |
| Arizona State | 81 | 48 | 33 |
| App State | 62 | 31 | 31 |
| Air Force | 109 | 79 | 30 |
| Buffalo | 85 | 57 | 28 |
| Middle Tennessee | 106 | 78 | 28 |
| LSU | 36 | 11 | 25 |
| Syracuse | 77 | 52 | 25 |
| Miami (OH) | 112 | 89 | 23 |
| Texas | 29 | 8 | 21 |
| Illinois | 111 | 90 | 21 |
| Army | 58 | 38 | 20 |
| Georgia Southern | 95 | 75 | 20 |
| East Carolina | 120 | 100 | 20 |
| Akron | 113 | 94 | 19 |
| NC State | 39 | 22 | 17 |
| Northern Illinois | 105 | 88 | 17 |
| Louisiana Tech | 72 | 56 | 16 |
| Iowa | 38 | 23 | 15 |
| Texas Tech | 48 | 33 | 15 |
| Duke | 54 | 39 | 15 |
| USF | 59 | 44 | 15 |
| Texas A&M | 33 | 19 | 14 |
| North Texas | 63 | 49 | 14 |
| UAB | 74 | 60 | 14 |
| Tulane | 87 | 73 | 14 |
| Notre Dame | 17 | 4 | 13 |
| West Virginia | 23 | 10 | 13 |
| Virginia | 82 | 70 | 12 |
| UCF | 26 | 15 | 11 |
| San Diego State | 40 | 30 | 10 |
| Florida | 27 | 18 | 9 |
| Oregon | 28 | 20 | 8 |
| Houston | 56 | 50 | 6 |
| Penn State | 11 | 6 | 5 |
| Troy | 71 | 66 | 5 |
| Baylor | 45 | 41 | 4 |
| Ohio State | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| Purdue | 57 | 55 | 2 |
| Indiana | 73 | 71 | 2 |
| Vanderbilt | 83 | 81 | 2 |
| Southern Miss | 94 | 92 | 2 |
| Georgia | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Oklahoma | 10 | 9 | 1 |
