Arizona is ranked in the AP Top 25 for the first time since Oct. 29, 2017.

Following a 27-10 win over UCLA Saturday night in Tucson, the 6-3 Wildcats jumped into the latest media poll at No. 23. It matches the high-water mark of the 2017 season as the highest Arizona has been ranked in the AP poll in over eight years.

The Wildcats were joined in the poll by No. 5 Washington, No. 6 Oregon, No. 12 Oregon State, and No. 13 Utah. UCLA and USC both dropped out of the poll.

Arizona nearly toppled the Huskies at home on Sept. 30. That game marked the start of a massive wave of momentum within the program. It was Noah Fifita’s first start at quarterback and it set the stage for a special run to follow.

The Wildcats nearly beat USC in triple-overtime the following week. Then they took down then-No. 19 Washington State in Pullman. Then they beat Oregon State at home. Then, on Saturday, Fifita threw for 300 yards and three touchdowns as Arizona pulled off its third consecutive win over a ranked opponent.

The UA is bowl-eligible for the first time since 2017 and coach Jedd Fisch has this group eyeing its best record since 2014. The 10-win campaign that season was the last time Arizona won more than seven games in a year.

Fisch and the Wildcats have games against Colorado (next Saturday at 11 a.m. PT on the Pac-12 Network), Utah, and Arizona State.

The rest of the AP Top 25 for the week is below, with first-place votes in parenthesis:

  1. Georgia (49)
  2. Michigan (9)
  3. Ohio State (3)
  4. Florida State (2)
  5. Washington
  6. Oregon
  7. Texas
  8. Alabama
  9. Penn State
  10. Ole Miss
  11. Louisville
  12. Oregon State
  13. Utah
  14. Tennessee
  15. Oklahoma State
  16. Missouri
  17. Oklahoma
  18. LSU
  19. Kansas
  20. Tulane
  21. James Madison
  22. Notre Dame
  23. Arizona
  24. North Carolina
  25. Liberty

Receiving votes: Fresno St. 73, Kansas St. 73, Southern Cal 46, Air Force 26, Toledo 25, UCLA 11, Iowa 6, SMU 5, Duke 4, West Virginia 3, Texas A&M 1, NC State 1, Clemson 1