WSU Cougars join UW Huskies in AP Top 25 football poll

The WSU Cougars sent the message on Saturday night that they belong in a Power Five conference. That message was heard by the voters for the weekly Associated Press Top 25 college football poll.

Washington State is the new No. 23 team in the country following its 31-22 upset of Wisconsin at Martin Stadium. Wisconsin, which was No. 19 in last week’s poll, has dropped out of the top 25 after the loss.

Full recap: WSU Cougars upsets No. 19 Wisconsin 31-22

The Cougars are off to a 2-0 start as they began the season with a 50-24 victory at Colorado State.

WSU faces an uncertain future as it has yet to find a new conference home past this school year. Washington State and Oregon State are the only schools remaining in the current Pac-12 without a new conference for 2024-25.

Click here for the full AP Top 25

Cougars head football coach Jake Dickert was adamant following Saturday’s win that his team belongs in a top conference going forward.

“In this moment, it’s everything. We belong in the Power Five,” Dickert said after the game. “… This is a crux point for Washington State and Washington State football. We’re carrying the flag for all the transition, and this is a pivotal moment for where we want to go. Wherever we end up, we’ve got to commit to being great. And I think that’s what this statement (win) means is that we are here. We’re fighting, and even as college football is changing, we’re still getting pretty good results.”

WSU joins their in-state rival, the UW Huskies, in the AP poll for the first time this season. Washington (2-0) maintained the No. 8 position after handling Tulsa 43-10 on Saturday at Husky Stadium.

Oregon State also entered the poll Sunday at No. 16. The Beavers have scored convincing wins over San Jose State and UC Davis to open the season. A total of eight Pac-12 teams are ranked, making it just the second conference to place as many as eight teams in an AP Top 25.

Elsewhere in the poll, Texas jumped seven spots to No. 4 after beating Alabama, while Georgia received 55 first-place votes to remain the clear No. 1. Michigan was No. 2, with two-first place votes. No. 3 Florida State moved up a spot and received three first-place votes.

For more on the AP Top 25, click here.

The Associated Press contributed to this post.

Caple’s Takeaways: What to know as UW Huskies beat Tulsa 43-10