Utah vs. USC: How Utes' Loss Impacts AP Rankings, CFP Picture

So this is why Odds Shark listed the USC Trojans as 3.5-point favorites against the Utah Utes.

The last two weeks have been nothing but a bumpy roller-coaster ride for the Trojans, with former head coach Steve Sarkisian being fired in the process. The team can forget all of that now. USC came back to Los Angeles and put a beatdown on the No. 3-ranked Utes, 42-24.

Unranked to begin the season, Utah stormed into the Associated Press Top Five with wins over the Michigan Wolverines, Oregon Ducks and California Golden Bears. The Utes had the talent to run the table and represent the Pac-12 in the College Football Playoff, but a loss to an underachieving USC team may have ended the Utes' playoff dreams after quarterback Travis Wilson's four-interception day.

Trojans linebacker Cameron Smith had three of those interceptions. Yahoo Sports' Pat Forde summarized the day:

Since most of the Top 10 took care of business Saturday (aside from Florida State), Utah could take a huge drop down the rankings and possibly out of the Top 10.

If Stanford takes care of business at home against Washington, that should move the Cardinal into the right side of the Top 10. Then there's Iowa if the voters feel the undefeated Hawkeyes deserve some recognition for their 7-0 start. One loss can drop a team further down the polls, even against a ranked team. Look at Texas A&M, who dropped six spots last week after losing to Alabama.

Imagine what a loss to an unranked, underwhelming USC team could do to the likes of Utah. If the Utes fall out of the Top 10, that would likely take them out of the playoff picture, leaving Stanford to wave the Pac-12 flag.

USA Today's Dan Wolken disagrees with the notion that the Utes are out of this, though.

"Utah still has a very clear path to the Pac-12 South title and is by no means out of the College Football Playoff race, but the Utes were exposed a bit on Saturday and will absolutely not survive down the stretch unless Wilson throws with more accuracy and takes care of the ball," he wrote.

Wolken even had a unique take on his playoff field:

LSU and Clemson both won in convincing fashion Saturday. One of those two teams will find itself in the No. 4 spot, with TCU possibly jumping into Utah's spot. Depending on how LSU fares against Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Nov. 7, the playoff field could be set in stone for the foreseeable future.

The common theme in college football this year is clear: One loss can shake up everything. Utah still leads the Pac-12 South, and winning its last five games will ensure a showdown with Stanford in the conference title game.

But as it stands, Stanford is the top dog of the Pac-12, and Utah has plenty of questions to address if the Utes want to jump back into the playoff race. The Utes still have to go to Tucson to play a struggling Arizona team that always performs down the stretch as well as Washington.

If it comes down to Utah and Stanford for a spot in the playoff, Stanford will be there.