For the first time since December, the Arizona Wildcats are back in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll.
A week after beating West Virginia, 52-31, at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, the Wildcats checked in at No. 25 in the AP Top 25. The Wildcats were on a bye this past week.
It’s the fourth consecutive season Arizona has been ranked in the AP Top 25. The last time Arizona was ranked in four straight seasons was the “Desert Swarm” era from 1992-95.
The Wildcats were preseason ranked No. 21 — the highest preseason ranking since 1999 — in head coach Brent Brennan’s first season at the helm in 2024, but fell out after Week 3 and finished the season 4-8.
Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita celebrates after a completion during the first quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium on Oct. 10.
Arizona was ranked in six AP Top 25 Polls in head coach Jedd Fisch’s last season in 2023. The Wildcats’ No. 11 ranking to end the 2023 season was the highest postseason ranking since the 1998 season.
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Arizona reached the AP Top 25 for two weeks in late November and December of last season. The Wildcats were ranked No. 21 before losing to SMU in the Holiday Bowl.
Arizona is the fifth team from the Big 12 in the AP Top 25 this week, joining No. 2 BYU, No. 8 Texas Tech, No. 10 Utah and No. 14 Houston. The Wildcats’ (5-1) only loss of the season was to the second-ranked Cougars in Provo. BYU moved up six spots in the AP Top 25 following its upset win over Notre Dame on Saturday.
Arizona faces eighth-ranked Texas Tech on Halloween in Lubbock. The Wildcats host No. 10 Utah on Nov. 14 in Tucson.
No. 25 Arizona hosts Iowa State on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
Contact Justin Spears, the Star's Arizona football beat reporter, at jspears@tucson.com. On X(Twitter): @JustinESports
Justin Spears
Sports Reporter
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