Arizona football ranked in Associated Press Top 25 for 1st time since 2017

Beat enough ranked teams and people start to notice, no matter how late the games are.

Arizona has entered the Associated Press Top 25 at No. 23, its first time being ranked since 2017, after beating then-No. 20 UCLA 27-10 on Saturday night for its third consecutive victory over a ranked opponent.

The Wildcats (6-3, 4-2 Pac-12) are ranked for the first time since being No. 23 in the last poll of October in 2017 after a win over Washington State made them bowl eligible. They lost 49-35 to USC the next game and quickly fell out of the rankings.

Arizona had earned six vote points in the previous poll after its 27-24 home win over then-No. 11 Oregon State, a tally that jumped to 176 this time.

The UA is one of five ranked Pac-12 teams, led by unbeaten Washington at No. 5 and one-loss Oregon at No. 6 as well as No. 12 Oregon State and No. 13 Utah. UCLA and USC dropped out of the poll after losses to Arizona and Washington, respectively.

Making the Top 25 could be a harbinger for Arizona climbing into the College Football Playoff rankings that come out on Tuesday. The Wildcats were last ranked in 2017 at No. 22.