TUCSON — The Arizona Wildcats are No. 22 in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the 2026 season, released Tuesday, according to Arizona Sports.
Arizona (6-2, 3-2 Big 12) made the list despite losing 34-26 at Texas Tech last week. The Red Raiders came in at No. 15.
The loss dropped Arizona to fourth in the Big 12 standings, behind unbeaten Utah (8-0, 5-0), BYU (7-1, 4-1) and Texas Tech (7-1, 4-1), Arizona Sports reported.
The Wildcats were No. 24 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll before Tuesday’s reveal.
Utah is the highest-ranked Big 12 team at No. 3. BYU is ninth, Texas Tech 15th and Houston 17th, making five Big 12 teams in the committee’s top 25 when Arizona is included.
Utah and BYU are currently the only Big 12 teams in the projected 12-team bracket. Arizona Sports noted this is expected to be the last season of the 12-team format before the playoff grows to 24 teams.
The committee will update its rankings weekly through the end of the regular season, giving the Wildcats a chance to climb with wins down the stretch.
Sources: Arizona Sports. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
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