let's be real: Arizona moving up to No. 22 in the AP Top 25 is exactly what should happen after a 39-3 beatdown of Iowa State at Casino Del Sol Stadium. I’m not calling that a surprise. I’m calling it the proper reward for a team that went out on Homecoming and handled its business.
That score tells the whole story. Thirty-nine points on one side. Three on the other. In what world — and I mean any world — does a result like that not force voters to take a harder look at Arizona and bump the Wildcats up a few spots?
This is the kind of ranking move that matters because it says the win wasn’t just a nice Saturday moment. It carried weight. It changed how the AP Top 25 sees Arizona, and that’s the point. When you win that convincingly, at home, on a day built for attention, you don’t get to hide in the middle of the pack anymore. You move up. You earn the climb. And Arizona did exactly that.
— Stephen A. Spliff
