Arizona flies up CBS Sports' power rankings after San Diego State win
After a 38-20 win over San Diego State to open the season, Arizona soared up the board in CBS Sports’ 131-team FBS power rankings.
The Wildcats jumped 30 spots, up to No. 61. It was the fourth-largest week-to-week jump of any team in the rankings, highlighting just how impressive the team’s opener was. Most expected Arizona to be improved, but perhaps not to the degree it showed right out of the gates. The Wildcats entered the Week 1 contest as roughly a touchdown underdog on the road and managed to completely dominate the game.
In the Pac-12, CBS Sports currently has Arizona as the seventh-best team in the league. It also has the UA a good 20 spots above Arizona State. Here’s where each team stands:
10. USC
13. Utah
30. Oregon
38. Oregon State
39. UCLA
40. Washington
61. Arizona
62. Washington State
77. California
82. Stanford
84. Arizona State
103. Colorado
Wideout Jacob Cowing was exceptional in his debut for the Wildcats, hauling in three touchdowns and over 100 receiving yards. Quarterback Jayden de Laura threw four total touchdowns, earning the Pac-12’s Offensive Player of the Week honor. Defensive lineman Jalen Harris earned the Player of the Week distinction from the league for defensive linemen as well.
Arizona had a 31-10 lead at one point in the game. A year after it won just one game all year, Arizona is still hungry for more.
“It means that we’re 1-0,” coach Jedd Fisch said after the game. “We go back tomorrow, we go to work, and we try to go 1-0 on Saturday. The guys played well, and they competed really hard. What’s important for our guys is to continue to play like Wildcats as we’ve said before, trusting the process, playing with passion and loving your teammates, embracing the grind. Practice isn’t gonna get any easier tomorrow. Practice will be just as hard as it will be all week long. We’ve got a really good opponent that we’ve got to prepare for.”
The Wildcats (1-0) host Mississippi State (1-0) on Saturday at 8 p.m. PT in the home opener. Another win would almost certainly rocket the group further up CBS Sports’ power ranking.