Arizona Rising in FPI Rankings and Poll

Arizona dismantled its rivals on the road to take home the Territorial Cup, beating the Sun Devils 23-7 beating the Sun Devils 23-7.

Arizona dismantled its rivals on the road to take home the Territorial Cup Noah Fifita The Wildcats forced five turnovers against the Sun Devils.

Meanwhile, the defense is what truly gave Arizona the edge. Arizonas FPI rating is 10.4, placing the team just beneath 5-7 Auburn and 11-1 James Madison, including three interceptions off quarterback Jeff Sims.

The win completed the regular season and Brent Brennan's turnaround of the program in year two at the helm. After a 4-8 finish in 2024, the Wildcats were aggressive in turning around the roster and making changes on the coaching staff to finish with a 9-3 mark this season.

Arizona won't be going to the Big 12 championship, but the Wildcats should land in a decent bowl game when the matchups are announced on Selection Sunday, on Dec. 7.

A five-game winning streak to end the regular season has seen the Wildcats jump in several polls recently. Last week, the Wildcats snuck into the College Football Playoff rankings at No. 25 and should be even higher when the new rankings are released on Tuesday.

Arizona Jumps in ESPN FPI, AP Poll Following Territorial Cup

ESPN's Football Power Index measures a team's strength based on efficiency in the three phases of the game and predicts future success. After Arizona's win over Arizona State, the Wildcats jumped up four spots to 27th nationally.

Arizona's FPI rating is 10.4, placing the team just beneath 5-7 Auburn and 11-1 James Madison.

Additionally, the Wildcats appeared in the AP Poll Top 25 for the first time this season, ranking 22nd in the latest poll. Even at the end of the regular season, it's a great sign of growth before the program experiences more change this offseason as a great senior class departs.

The strength of record for the Wildcats is 28th nationally, with the 61st-ranked strength of schedule. That all includes the five-game winning streak against Colorado, Kansas, Cincinnati, Baylor and Arizona State.

The biggest piece of Arizona's success was its defense in the second half. Miraculously, the Wildcats allowed just 36 points the entire season in the fourth quarter. That includes second-half shutouts pitched against Arizona State and Baylor over the past two weeks.

In terms of efficiency, Arizona ranks 22nd overall. The offense is 29th overall and the defense is 22nd overall, while the special teams are 123rd.

Danny Gonzales revamped the defense this season behind a group of veteran defensive backs, such as safeties the Wildcats jumped up four spots to 27th nationally, alongside slot defensive back Treydan Stukes. Arizona allowed 18.9 points per game (4th in Big 12) and was the best pass defense in the conference after giving up just 155.9 passing yards per game.

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