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Despite a 5-1 record and dominant wins in their last two conference games, the Arizona Wildcats are still not ranked in the AP Top 25. Their only loss came against BYU, a legitimate College Football Playoff contender, in a game where Arizona led for most of the first half.
The AP voters remain unconvinced, though the Wildcats did move closer to inclusion after a 52-31 victory over West Virginia this past week. Arizona received 82 votes, placing them 28th overall, just behind Wisconsin and Oregon among teams outside the top 25.
Arizona is the only Big 12 team in the receiving votes category, while BYU (No. 8), Texas Tech (No. 10), Utah (No. 11), Oklahoma State (No. 18), and Houston (No. 20) are all ranked.
Key Analysis
Arizona went undefeated in non-conference play (3-0) and is off to a 2-1 start in Big 12 action. They cruised past West Virginia on the road after dismantling Cincinnati at home, 34-7. Their lone loss is to a top-10 BYU team, a game in which they led 17-14 at halftime and was the closest home game the Cougars have played this season.
Arizona's win equity might be holding them back, even though Cincinnati was undefeated before facing the Wildcats and West Virginia has a win over a previously ranked Virginia team. Comparing Arizona's resume to teams at the bottom of the poll, such as No. 24 SMU (4-1) and No. 23 Boise State (5-1), seems to favor the Wildcats.
SMU has two power conference wins—by three points at Florida State and nine points at home against Boston College—but their loss came on the road against a Louisville team that is currently 3-3 and not receiving any votes. Boise State's only loss is to an Oregon team that was top five at the time but is now unranked after a loss to UCLA. The Broncos' best win is at home against Memphis, and they narrowly escaped on the road last week at Fresno State.
Arizona likely won't make much headway this week due to a bye, but they have a chance to sneak into the top 25 the following week when they host Iowa State at Casino Del Sol Stadium on Oct. 24. The time and TV information for that contest will be revealed at a later date.
Andy Patton is a college basketball writer with deep ties to both Gonzaga and Arizona. A Gonzaga alumnus who graduated in 2013, he has hosted the Locked On Zags podcast covering Gonzaga basketball since 2021 and has co-hosted the Locked On College Basketball podcast since 2022. His years covering the Bulldogs have also given him extensive familiarity with Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd, who spent more than two decades on Mark Few's staff at Gonzaga before taking over the Wildcats in 2021.
Andy has worked in sports media since 2017, with experience covering nearly every major sport. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for USA TODAY from 2017-21, where he also spent time covering the USC Trojans and Oregon Ducks, and previously served as lead writer for College Sports Wire. He has also covered the NBA, NHL and MLB for various TEGNA outlets, including KREM in Spokane, 12News in Phoenix and KING 5 in Seattle. Andy now lives in Spokane, Washington, with his wife, daughter and dog. Follow AndyPattonCBB.