Arizona State football just outside AP Top 25 poll after win over Utah – Arizona Sports

ARIZONA STATE FOOTBALL
Oct 13, 2024, 12:09 PM
Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo celebrates after scoring a 50-yard touchdown against Utah at Mountain America Stadium. (Jeremy Schnell/Arizona Sports)
(Jeremy Schnell/Arizona Sports)
BY DAMON ALLRED
ArizonaSports.com editor
Following a win over then-No. 16 Utah, Arizona State football almost has its first appearance in The Associated Press’ Top 25 under Kenny Dillingham.
The win on Friday kicked the Utes out of the poll, who received seven points among others receiving votes to ASU’s 39. Only Vanderbilt (68) and Nebraska (62) are ahead on the outside looking in.
The Sun Devils earned the second-most votes among those outside the poll in the Coaches Poll, while Utah was knocked down to two spots below them.
ASU is 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the Big 12 with a 9 a.m. road matchup with Cincinnati on the docket for a chance to secure the program’s first bowl-eligible season since 2021.
The conference has three teams ranked in the AP poll between No. 9 Iowa State, No. 13 BYU and No. 17 Kansas State. The Sun Devils play Kansas State and BYU in the two weeks leading up to the Territorial Cup against Arizona, which did not receive votes after falling to 3-3 after a loss to the Cougars.
Texas Tech, who is responsible for the Sun Devils’ only loss thus far, collected 18 votes to be the closest Big 12 team behind the Sun Devils.
Oregon and Penn State each moved up a spot following thrilling wins in high-profile games, and Top 25 newcomers Navy and Army are in the rankings together for the first time since 1960.
Texas strengthened its hold on No. 1 with its 31-point victory over Oklahoma. The Longhorns received 56 of 62 first-place votes, four more than last week and their most since they were a unanimous No. 1 in October 2008.
Oregon’s 32-31 home win over Ohio State featured seven lead changes and moved the Ducks to No. 2 with the other six first-place votes. It’s their highest ranking since they ended the 2014 season at No. 2 after losing to the Buckeyes in the inaugural College Football Playoff championship game.
Penn State rose to No. 3 with a 33-30 overtime win at Southern California, the Nittany Lions’ highest ranking in seven years.
Penn State-USC was one of four games involving AP Top 25 teams that went to OT on Saturday, including three in the top 10.
Ohio State dropped two spots to No. 4 and Georgia remained No. 5. Miami, Alabama, LSU, Iowa State and Clemson rounded out the top 10.
Army, which beat UAB 44-10, and Navy, which was idle, broke through for their first simultaneous rankings since Oct. 3, 1960.
Their coinciding appearance that season lasted just one week. Army was 3-0 and ranked No. 18 before dropping two straight games and finishing 6-3-1. Navy had entered the rankings a week earlier, at No. 17, and ended the season 9-2 and ranked No. 4.
Army (6-0) and Navy (5-0) have not each been unbeaten at this point in a season since 1945, weeks after World War II ended and in the era when service academies were powerhouses of the sport.
Others receiving votes: Vanderbilt (68), Nebraska (62), Arizona State (39), Oklahoma (36), Washington State (32), Iowa (29), Texas Tech (18), Syracuse (13), Arkansas (13), Utah (7), Louisville (6), USC (5), Liberty (2), UNLV (1).
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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