Arizona football ranked in AP Top 25 ahead of Homecoming matchup vs. Iowa State

The Arizona Wildcats enter Homecoming week with a national ranking next to their name.

Arizona is ranked No. 25 in this week’s Associated Press poll, marking the first time in 2026 that coach Brent Brennan’s squad has been in the national rankings.

The No. 25 Wildcats take on Iowa State Saturday in a game that will kick off at 4:30 p.m. MST and be aired on ESPN2.

Arizona (5-1) enters the rankings coming off a bye week. The UA received 136 votes, up from 82 a week ago. The ranking is the program’s first since Weeks 15 and 16 of the 2025 season.

Arizona’s appearance in last year’s AP poll came after the Wildcats beat ASU in the Territorial Cup, meaning this Saturday will be the first regular season game featuring a ranked Arizona team since the early weeks of the 2024 season.

Arizona has opened as a 10.5-point favorite against the Cyclones, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The over/under is 50.5 points.

The Wildcats are looking to move to 3-1 in Big 12 play ahead of a mammoth matchup at Texas Tech on Halloween. Arizona enters Saturday with a 3-0 home record, winning those games by an average margin of 26.7 points.

Like Arizona, Iowa State enters Saturday’s matchup coming off a bye week. The Cyclones are 3-3 on the year with a 1-2 record in Big 12 play.

Iowa State’s most recent game was a 24-10 road loss to BYU. Before that, the Cyclones topped West Virginia 45-42 at home and lost at home to Utah 31-17.

Iowa State has played one other road game this season, falling at Iowa 16-13 in Week 2.

Arizona and Iowa State played last year in Ames when the Cyclones were still coached by Matt Campbell. Iowa State defeated the Wildcats 39-14 in one of the most lopsided defeats of the Brennan era.

Iowa State replaced Campbell with first-year coach Jimmy Rogers, who previously coached at South Dakota State and Washington State.

Iowa State is led by quarterback Jaylen Raynor, an Arkansas State transfer. Raynor has thrown for seven touchdowns and four interceptions and has also run for three touchdowns. He is coming off a poor performance against BYU in which he was limited to just 98 passing yards.

Cyclones running back Aiden Flora is one of the most prolific rushers in the Big 12, with 680 yards on the ground and six touchdowns.