OK, so if the NCAA started off with a complete clean slate every year, what do they go off of? It would make fair ranking much more difficult.
You have to use the previous year's record, especially the end of the year, to rank the start of the year. In most cases it's a fairly accurate ranking, save for teams that lose a lot of seniors and/or key players to the draft. So Utah was under ranked to start, it's not like they will have no opportunity to show they are worth a top spot. There is literally nothing to cry about yet you are finding something to cry about.