The Arizona Wildcats have the longest losing streak in college football, having dropped their 13th consecutive game on Saturday night. But that 24-16 setback to BYU in Las Vegas apparently impressed one voter in the Associated Press poll.
Or was this another case of someone confusing Arizona and ASU?
Before you ask: no, this wasn’t someone from ESPN. Rather, AP voter Madison Blevins, a reporter for Knoxville (Tenn.) TV station WBIR, ranked the 21st on her ballot. The five points given for the No. 21 spot means the Wildcats are ranked 42nd overall in the first regular-season poll.
Blevins did not rank ASU, which is 23rd in the overall poll, so it’s very likely this was a mix-up. Still, it technically counts as Arizona’s first AP votes since Oct. 6, 2019, when it had 11 following a 35-30 win at Colorado to improve its record to 4-1.
Since then the Wildcats have lost every game. Yet they are currently favored to beat San Diego State in their home opener, so maybe that will prompt more AP voters to give them a look? Or at least make sure they differentiate between the Wildcats and that team up north.