PHOENIX – If Friday night lights in Tempe with rivalry bragging rights on the line were not exciting enough, the latest College Football Playoff rankings found a way to raise the stakes.

For the first time since 2014, both Arizona State (8-3, 6-2 Big 12) and Arizona (8-3, 5-3) enter the Territorial Cup ranked in the Top 25. The Sun Devils, following a 42-17 victory at Colorado, jumped from No. 25 to No. 20 in the latest batch of rankings released Tuesday.

The Wildcats finally broke into the rankings with a resounding victory of their own, toppling Baylor 41-17 and sneaking in at No. 25.

This is the first time Arizona has appeared on the College Football Playoff rankings since the end of the 2023 season, when the Wildcats finished 10-3 with a win over Oklahoma in the Valero Alamo Bowl. I

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