AP Top 25: See where UW Huskies sit after scare vs ASU
Oct 22, 2023, 11:34 AM | Updated: 11:43 am
UW Huskies QB Michael Penix Jr. passes against Arizona State on Oct. 21, 2023. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
The UW Huskies followed up one of the biggest wins in program history with a scare at home on Saturday night, needing a defensive touchdown to save the day in a 15-7 win over Arizona State, the last-place team in the Pac-12.
Caple’s Takeaways: No. 5 UW Huskies’ hang on vs last-place ASU
How did that close call impact their standing in the latest Associated Press college football poll? Not enough to send them in the wrong direction.
The Huskies (7-0) are ranked No. 5 in the country for the second straight week, with the rest of the top four being No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Ohio State, and No. 4 Florida State.
See this week’s full AP college football poll
Washington’s offensive struggles Saturday night did hurt the Dawgs a bit with the voters, however. Whereas UW had 1,355 points in the voting for Week 8, including two first-place votes, for Week 9 they have 1,325 points with no votes in first place.
Helping the Huskies’ cause is that No. 6 Oklahoma also stood pat after its own scare against an unranked opponent. The Sooners held off UCF 31-29 on Saturday.
Elsewhere in the Pac-12, Oregon (6-1) moved up a spot to No. 8 as the Ducks rebounded from the previous week’s loss at Husky Stadium by taking care of WSU 38-24. Oregon State (6-1) is No. 11, also moving up a spot following its 36-24 win over UCLA (5-2), who actually jump two spots to No. 23 this week despite the loss to the Beavers. The conference also has No. 13 Utah (6-1) and No. 24 USC (6-2) in the top 25.
The Pac-12’s six teams in the poll is tied with the SEC for the most of any conference.
The marquee Pac-12 matchup next week will be Oregon at Utah. The Huskies, meanwhile, are readying for a trip to Stanford for a 4 p.m. game next Saturday, Oct. 28, before beginning a monumentally challenging stretch in November made up of games against USC, Utah, Oregon State and finally the rival WSU Cougars in what is for now the last scheduled Apple Cup.
For more on this week’s AP top 25 poll, click here.
More on the UW Huskies
• Who’s the right NFL comp for star UW Huskies QB Michael Penix?
• UW Huskies Midseason Report: Good, bad, and what lies ahead
• UW Huskies’ DeBoer: How much Penix has improved since 2019
• Huard: Built for this – Penix could reach heights no UW QB has
• AP Midseason Football Report: See how No. 5 UW Huskies factor in
