The Arizona Wildcats made some history this weekend without having to go near a football field.
The Wildcats entered the AP Top 25 for the first time this season at No. 10. Since the poll expanded to 25 teams in 1989, it’s the largest jump into the rankings by any team.
Digest that for a second.
The undefeated Wildcats leapt into the rankings after upsetting then-No. 2 Oregon 31-24 on the road Thursday. Oregon fell to No. 12. The Wildcats also appeared in the Amway Coaches Poll for the first time this season at No. 13. The Ducks, slotted at No. 11, stayed ahead of the UA in that poll.
After the Oregon game, Rodriguez said of the win: “I hope it’s a shot of confidence that we can play with a really good team. We still have a lot of things to clean up that could have cost us the game. But our guys battled. They love playing football.”
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The last time the Wildcats were ranked in the AP Top 25 was when they played UCLA on Nov. 3, 2012, and lost 66-10.
The Wildcats were No. 24 then.
The No. 10 ranking is the highest the Wildcats have been ranked in the AP poll since they were ranked No. 9 in 2010.
Arizona sits at 5-0 on the season and 2-0 in Pac-12 play. Coach Rich Rodriguez’s team is the only undefeated team left in the Pac-12 after a wild weekend.
The only one-loss teams ahead of Arizona in the AP Poll are Alabama and Michigan State.
The Wildcats were a lock to be ranked after their victory over the Ducks, but moved up even more after a weekend of upsets and crazy finishes.
Eleven teams in last week’s AP Top 25 lost, including five of the top eight ranked teams. Oregon, Alabama, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and UCLA — all ranked in the top eight — lost.
Other Top 25 losers included Stanford, LSU, USC, Wisconsin, BYU and Nebraska. In the 78-year history of the AP Top 25, 11 ranked teams had lost in the same week just once before this week.
The string of upsets combined with Arizona’s impressive road win and 5-0 start slotted the Wildcats in the 10th spot.
Since the start of the 2000 season, this is the 22nd week the Wildcats have been ranked in the AP Top 25.
The Wildcats were ranked for three weeks in 2012, 11 weeks in 2010 and seven weeks in 2000. The UA was also ranked at times in 1998 and 1999.
Four of the six teams in the Pac-12 South — Arizona, UCLA, Arizona State and Utah — are ranked this week.
Here’s a closer look at life as a ranked team for the Wildcats:
What it means?
In the grand scheme of things, not much.
Rankings rarely truly matter, especially in early October. The AP Top 25 and the Coaches Poll have both seen their relevance drop even more this year with the introduction of the College Football Playoff.
A selection committee, not any set of rankings, will determine those four teams.
But for Rodriguez, a coach trying to build a power program at Arizona, the ranking could certainly be helpful.
It will undoubtedly have an impact in recruiting and will be something the UA coaches use when they talk with potential prospects.
The ranking will also likely bring more national attention to the program — something that has already started to happen — which also helps in the recruiting world.
The top-10 ranking is also fun for fans, and will help ticket sales for Saturday’s home game against USC. The Wildcats are less than 2,000 tickets away from a sellout against the Trojans.
How they got here?
By making plays late.
It was just about a month ago that the Wildcats needed a Jared Tevis interception in the fourth quarter to ice a 26-23 win over UTSA. One week later, the Wildcats stopped Nevada from a potential game-tying score late in the fourth, and who could forget about the “Hill Mary” against Cal?
The trend continued last week when Scooby Wright strip-sacked quarterback Marcus Mariota on Oregon’s final drive to secure the road win. The Wildcats are winning games — something a lot of teams are having trouble doing consistently — and it got them to No. 10.
Other than the 58-13 win over UNLV in the season-opener, the victories haven’t been convincing or pretty. But that doesn’t matter much at the moment.
How they stay here?
By continuing to win games.
A loss this Saturday to USC, and the Wildcats will still likely hang in the polls. But if a skid starts, it will be a short stay in the rankings.
After the game against the Trojans, the UA has back-to-back road games at Washington State and UCLA.
Of the three, UCLA is currently the only team ranked, coming in at No. 18 following a home loss to Utah. Rodriguez said after the Oregon game the Wildcats still have a lot to clean up going forward.
First half offensive execution, generating more turnovers on defense and cleaner special teams play headline the list.
If the UA can address those needs, it has a better chance of staying in the polls down the stretch.
