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After one of the most important victories in program history, the Arizona State Sun Devils have achieved their highest ranking in the AP poll since the 2007 season.
Arizona State appeared at No. 13 in the week 14 AP poll after a heart-stopping 38-33 win over the UCLA Bruins in Pasadena on Saturday night that helped lock up the Pac-12 South title.
The Sun Devils earned their first victory over a ranked team on the road in six seasons as they took down the previously 14th-ranked Bruins in stunning fashion.
Prior to 2007, the Sun Devils have not been ranked as high as 13th since the preseason rankings in 1998.
Saturday's victory moves the Sun Devils' record to 9-2 on the season and 7-1 in conference play and they have now recorded wins against three teams currently ranked in the top 25 in UCLA, Wisconsin and USC. Arizona State has also defeated Washington and Oregon State and each of those teams appeared in the AP top 25 this season.
Computer calculations have routinely ranked the Sun Devils higher than their spot in human polls and that trend should continue this week. Arizona State's strength of schedule is its greatest asset in the BCS rankings as the Sagarin Ratings say that the Sun Devils are 6-1 against teams in the top 30 of the country.
The Pac-12 conference has been extremely competitive this season and after Oregon's blowout loss against Arizona on Saturday, the Stanford Cardinal are now the highest ranked Pac-12 team in the AP poll at No. 8
The loss dropped the Ducks to the 12th spot and Arizona State's win in Pasadena sent the Bruins tumbling to the 22nd place in the week 14 AP poll. USC's 47-29 win over Colorado bumped the Trojans up to 23rd.
Arizona State will look for its first 10-win season since 2007 next week as the Sun Devils host the Territorial Cup agains the Arizona Wildcats. With a win, the Sun Devils would guarantee themselves the opportunity to stay at Sun Devil Stadium for the Pac-12 Championship game the following week against Stanford.
More from House of Sparky:
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- ASU Football: The wild ride to the Pac-12 South title
- ASU Football: Sun Devils fight off UCLA charge, clinch Pac-12 South division title
- ASU leads UCLA 35-13 at halftime
- ASU vs. UCLA: Complete game preview and TV schedule
- ASU vs. UCLA: Game predictions
Week 14 AP Top 25
| Rank | Team | Record | Votes | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama (56) | 11-0 | 1,496 | 1 |
| 2 | Florida State (4) | 11-0 | 1,444 | 2 |
| 3 | Ohio State | 11-0 | 1,375 | 4 |
| 4 | Auburn | 10-1 | 1,294 | 6 |
| 5 | Missouri | 10-1 | 1,202 | 8 |
| 6 | Clemson | 10-1 | 1,196 | 7 |
| 7 | Oklahoma State | 10-1 | 1,177 | 11 |
| 8 | Stanford | 9-2 | 1,002 | 10 |
| 9 | Baylor | 9-1 | 976 | 3 |
| 10 | South Carolina | 9-2 | 960 | 12 |
| 11 | Michigan State | 10-1 | 929 | 13 |
| 12 | Oregon | 9-2 | 731 | 5 |
| 13 | Arizona State | 9-2 | 690 | 19 |
| 14 | Wisconsin | 9-2 | 684 | 16 |
| 15 | LSU | 8-3 | 642 | 18 |
| 16 | Fresno State | 10-0 | 619 | 15 |
| 17 | UCF | 9-1 | 588 | 17 |
| 18 | Northern Illinois | 11-0 | 470 | 20 |
| 19 | Texas A&M | 8-3 | 429 | 9 |
| 20 | Oklahoma | 9-2 | 386 | 22 |
| 21 | Louisville | 10-1 | 383 | NR |
| 22 | UCLA | 8-3 | 300 | 14 |
| 23 | USC | 9-3 | 262 | 23 |
| 24 | Duke | 9-2 | 135 | 25 |
| 25 | Notre Dame | 8-3 | 68 | NR |
|
Others Receiving Votes: Georgia 15, Texas 10, Cincinnati 10, Mississippi 7, Nebraska 6, Arizona 6, Minnesota 5, Vanderbilt 1, East Carolina 1, North Dakota State 1. |