Arizona Gets no Love in the Latest AP Poll

Arizona was able to bounce back with an impressive 28-point win over OSU.

Oct 4, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats running back Ismail Mahdi (21) runs with the ball against Oklahoma State Cowboys linebacker Trip White (30) during the second quarter of the game at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Arizona wanted to get back on the right track after an underwhelming first season under Brent Brennan where the team finished 4-8 and missed a bowl game despite preseason high expectations.

Last time on the field, Arizona (4-1, 1-1 Big 12) came out flat on the road against No. 14 Iowa State falling behind 22 points before finding the end zone before half. The theme of game week against Oklahoma State for the Wildcats was starting off on the right foot and getting back to basics.

Well, the Wildcats were able to flip the script from last week and jump out 14-3 over OSU (1-4, 0-2) with a balanced attack that saw an even split of 35 rushing yards and 35 passing yards on the first drive of the game.

Oct 4, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats defensive back Dalton Johnson (43) tackles Oklahoma State Cowboys running back Trent Howland (24) during the second quarter at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

From that point on, it was all Arizona (4-1, 1-1 Big 12) as the Wildcats were able to get back on track with a solid 41-13 win over Oklahoma State.

The breakout star of the game for Arizona was wide receiver Tre Spivey, who was questionable coming into the day with an unknown injury but gave it ago anyways.

Spivey hauled in three catches for 80 yards and managed to score the first two touchdowns on the game to help the team get the offense going.

As a whole, the Wildcats saw six receivers record a catch, showing off the depth of the group that has been heavily criticized for their 11 dropped passes coming into the game.

Oct 4, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys safety Mordecai McDaniel (32) grabs Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Tre Spivey (12) during the third quarter of the game at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Getting the ball to the playmakers fell on the shoulders of quarterback Noah Fifita, who was looking to have a bounce-back game himself after struggling against ISU.

Against OSU, Fifita had his ups with five touchdown passes and his downs with two turnovers that slowed down the offensive unit.

Still, Fifita was able to pass for 376 yards while going 28 of 38 on his passing attempts, which is an improvement from not only last week but from what we have seen this season.

Despite the impressive game from Arizona, the latest AP Poll came out Sunday afternoon and the Wildcats were left out of the rankings with Ohio State remaining at the No. 1 spot.

BREAKING: College Football AP Poll🚨https://t.co/bfhxEXhVCW pic.twitter.com/4ozXe7esE9

— On3 (@On3sports) October 5, 2025

The Big 12 saw four teams in the Top 25 with No. 9 Texas Tech, No. 18 BYU, No. 21 ASU and No. 22 Iowa State rounding out the rankings.

The Wildcats have two games against ranked opponents on their schedule with BYU and ASU left on Arizona’s schedule.

Arizona will face off against BYU (5-0, 2-0) Saturday night with a 5 p.m. (MST) kickoff time on ESPN2 for what might be the biggest home game of the season for the Wildcats.

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