Arizona climbs into College Football Playoff rankings for first time since 2017

First comes the AP, then the CFP.

Two days after landing in the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time in six years, Arizona has entered the College Football Playoff rankings for the first time since 2017.

The Wildcats (6-3, 4-2) are at No. 21, one of five Pac-12 schools in the Top 25. Washington remains the top team from the league, at No. 5, followed by No. 6 Oregon, No. 12 Oregon State and No. 18 Utah.

It’s Arizona’s ninth CFP appearance since the rankings were introduced in 2014. Most of those came that first year, when the UA climbed to as high as No. 7 and played in the Fiesta Bowl after making the Pac-12 Championship Game.

If the Wildcats can get into the top 15 of the final CFP rankings, which come out Dec. 3, they could land a spot in one of the non-playoff bowl games. For now, they’re projected to make a variety of mid-tier bowls with Pac-12 ties.