Arizona Wildcats Move Up in Latest AP Poll After Impressive Offensive Showing
There were a few takeaways from Arizona's Week 1 win against New Mexico, but more important than anything, they did what they had to do to secre a win.
Arizona impressed offensively, scoring 61 points in a lopsided 61-39 affair.
The Wildcats opened the season as the No. 21 ranked team in the AP Poll, a testament to how much returning talent there was on this roster, especially on offense. There were some questions about their defense, and while those weren't answered in Week 1, the team performed well enough for the AP voters to move them up one spot.
Arizona came in at No. 20 in the latest AP Poll.
This is a respectable ranking for the team, but it's far from where they want to finish.
Ultimately, their Week 1 win was a step in the right direction, but the focus for Arizona will be on their upcoming Big 12 games. They'll take on Northern Arizona in Week 2, so unless teams ahead of them lose, it's unlikely they'll move up too much in next week's poll.
However, in the next few weeks, Arizona will then face Kansas State and Utah, two top 25 teams in the country.
It's expected that Kansas State and Utah will be the two toughest teams the Wildcats play this year, meaning those games should have huge implications regarding their chances to be playing in the College Football Playoff.
Hopefully by Week 3, their defense will be ready to go.
If they can improve to just being an average defensive team, the offense will likely do enough for them to win important games.
Nonetheless, it's great to see the respect Arizona has earned, but this is just the beginning for this football team.
JON CONAHAN