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After dismantling one of the nation's best defenses in a 62-41 victory over the USC Trojans, the Arizona State Sun Devils find themselves ranked as the 22nd best team in the country.
The Sun Devils debuted in the AP poll at No. 23 following a controversial 32-30 victory over Wisconsin in week three, but their 42-28 loss to the Stanford Cardinal relegated Arizona State to the "Others Receiving Votes" category last week.
The Sun Devils' No. 22 ranking marks the second time they'll be ranked in Todd Graham's tenure and the highest they've climbed under his leadership.
Arizona State improved to 3-1 with Saturday night's victory against a 3-2 USC squad that has lost both of its Pac-12 games this season. The Trojans were bumped from the national rankings after falling 10-7 to the Washington State Cougars earlier this year and last night's loss was the last straw for head coach Lane Kiffin who was fired after the game.
The Sun Devils are one of five Pac-12 schools currently ranked in the AP top 25 as the No. 2 Oregon Ducks, the No. 5 Stanford Cardinal, the No. 12 UCLA Bruins and the No. 15 Washington Huskies have all held down spots since the first week of the season.
Arizona State's next opponent slid out of the AP top 25 with a loss on Saturday. The previously 22nd ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish dropped a 35-21 game to the No. 11 Oklahoma Sooners and will now attempt to work their way back into the rankings with a win against Arizona State. The two schools will face each other in AT&T Stadium in Dallas next week for a highly anticipated affair.
The week six AP top 25
| Rank | Team | Record | Votes | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama (55) | 4-0 | 1,495 | 1 |
| 2 | Oregon (5) | 4-0 | 1,422 | 2 |
| 3 | Clemson | 4-0 | 1,354 | 3 |
| 4 | Ohio State | 5-0 | 1,305 | 4 |
| 5 | Stanford | 4-0 | 1,280 | 5 |
| 6 | Georgia | 3-1 | 1,171 | 9 |
| 7 | Louisville | 4-0 | 1,091 | 7 |
| 8 | Florida State | 4-0 | 1,069 | 8 |
| 9 | Texas A&M | 4-1 | 1,012 | 10 |
| 10 | LSU | 4-1 | 979 | 6 |
| 11 | Oklahoma | 4-0 | 838 | 14 |
| 12 | UCLA | 3-0 | 834 | 13 |
| 13 | South Carolina | 3-1 | 812 | 12 |
| 14 | Miami (FL) | 4-0 | 753 | 15 |
| 15 | Washington | 4-0 | 665 | 16 |
| 16 | Northwestern | 4-0 | 550 | 17 |
| 17 | Baylor | 3-0 | 536 | 19 |
| 18 | Florida | 3-1 | 481 | 20 |
| 19 | Michigan | 4-0 | 471 | 18 |
| 20 | Texas Tech | 4-0 | 264 | 24 |
| 21 | Oklahoma State | 3-1 | 230 | 11 |
| 22 | Arizona State | 3-1 | 192 | NR |
| 23 | Fresno State | 4-0 | 187 | 25 |
| 24 | Mississippi | 3-1 | 132 | 21 |
| 25 | Maryland | 4-0 | 119 | NR |
| Others Receiving Votes: Northern Illinois 104, Virginia Tech 49, Wisconsin 46, Nebraska 20, Missouri 14, Notre Dame 12, UCF 6, Michigan State 5, Rutgers 2 |