Arizona just misses national rankings and zooms up ESPN FPI
Arizona is 26th in the Associated Press Top 25, 28th in the USA Today Coaches Poll and moved up 18 spots to 44th in the ESPN Football Power Index after their 23-10 win at Utah on Saturday night. Arizona improved 3-1 overall with the win and won their inaugural game in the Big XII.
Arizona received 106 points in the AP Top 25. Texas A&M and UNLV are tied for 25th with 122 points. Arizona received 44 points in the USA Today Coaches poll. Illinois is 25th in the USA Today Coaches Poll with 122 points, Boise State is 26th with 103 and Pittsburgh is 27th with 51 points.
The move in the FPI was significant. Arizona passed Big XII teams, Kansas, West Virginia, Texas Tech, Cincinnati, Arizona State and Baylor in the FPI. Arizona is now projected to finish with a 7.2-4.9 record per the FPI. The Wildcats are favored in four of their remaining seven games by the FPI.
The FPI projects Arizona with an 86.5 percent chance to win six games and earn a bowl game, a 7.0 percent chance to win the Big XII and a 5.2 percent chance to make the College Football Playoff. Except for Colorado, Arizona has a better-projected chance to win the game remaining on its schedule after beating Utah.
Opponent | Date | Chance of winning |
|---|---|---|
Texas Tech | 10/5 | 58.4 |
at BYU | 10/12 | 33.5 |
Colorado | 10/19 | 48.0 |
West Virginia | 10/26 | 63.0 |
At Central Florida | 11/2 | 32.6 |
Houston | 11/9 | 83.4 |
At TCU | 11/23 | 35.2 |
Arizona State | 11/30 | 59.8 |
BYU who is 17th in the AP Top 25 and 19th in the USA Today Coaches poll is the only team remaining on the Arizona schedule who is ranked in week six. Arizona has at least a 48 percent chance to win five of their remaining 2024 games. The exceptions are BYU, Central Florida and TCU.
How many wins Arizona will finish with per ESPN FPI. How many wins Arizona will finish with per ESPN FPI. dark. Next
The win over Utah puts Arizona in the race to earn a Big XII Championship Game berth. Arizona is one of six out of 16 teams in the Big XII without a loss. Arizona has a 58.4 percent chance to beat Texas Tech on Saturday per the FPI and is a 5.5 point favorite per Fan Duel. If they beat Texas Tech, Arizona is likely to be ranked next week.