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Rich Rodriguez’s Arizona Wildcats team continues to make history.
After achieving one of the most significant wins in the program’s history last Thursday at then-No. 2 Oregon, Arizona (5-0 overall, 2-0 Pac-12) made its highest debut in the AP Top 25 poll. They are ranked No. 10 in the poll that was released this morning.
That’s the highest debut after the start of the season since Arizona was ranked No. 20 in 1990 after beating No. 11 Illinois (coached by John Mackovic) in the season opener at Arizona Stadium. The 16 spots from being unranked to No. 10 is also the biggest jump in school history, topping two leaps of seven spots in 1983 and 1986.
Checked this twice: The #ArizonaWildcats are just 13-9-1 while playing as a Top 10 team in AP poll.
— Anthony Gimino (@AGWildcatReport) October 5, 2014
Arizona moved from No. 14 in the preseason poll to No. 7 after starting 2-0 in 1983. The Wildcats advanced from No. 17 to No. 10 after beating Oregon in 1986 to improve to 3-0.
Arizona is the top Pac-12 ranked team in the poll ahead of No. 12 Oregon, No. 18 UCLA, No. 20 ASU, No. 24 Utah and No. 25 Stanford. This is the first time arch-rivals Arizona and ASU are ranked in the same poll since the week of Sept. 12, 1999.
The Wildcats were last ranked in the Top 10 in 2010 when they were No. 9. They moved five spots up to that ranking despite being idle a week after beating California. They were 4-0. Oregon State came to town and upset the Wildcats 29-27 at Arizona Stadium.
USC, which fell out of the rankings with its 38-34 loss to visiting ASU yesterday, comes to Tucson this Saturday with a 3-2 record.
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ARIZONA WILDCATS HIGHEST JUMP
IN AP RANKINGS
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ESPN’s Brett McMurphy is the pollster that has Arizona the highest at No. 2 (APPollStalker.com graphic)
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RT @AP_Top25: Arizona going from unranked to No. 10 is biggest jump EVER since Top 25 began in 1989: pic.twitter.com/P0yAUrD4C6
— AZ Wildcat Country (@Wildcat_Country) October 5, 2014
#Winner. Anu Solomon now on 16-0 run in his latest HS AND #Arizona QB starts.
62-3 overall now in HS and at #Arizona pic.twitter.com/eObvKndxLT
— AZ Wildcat Country (@Wildcat_Country) October 3, 2014
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A few other notes: I think Arizona is good, but not as high as I have them ranked now. But they've earned the spot this week. Same w/ TCU
— Rece Davis (@ESPN_ReceDavis) October 5, 2014
The AP poll moved to a top 25 in 1989. Since that time no team has made a bigger jump than the #ArizonaWildcats today
— Matt Moreno (@MattGOAZCATS) October 5, 2014
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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He also writes articles for Bleacher Report and Lindy’s College Sports.
