A look at every Arizona Wildcats football team ranked in the preseason AP Top 25

For the first time since 2015, the Arizona Wildcats football program enters the season ranked in the Associated Press Top 25.

The No. 21-ranked Wildcats also received their highest preseason AP ranking since 1999.

This year’s rendition of Arizona will be one of four UA teams to play a season succeeding a 10-win season. Arizona could become the first-ever UA team to win 10 games in back-to-back seasons — and avoid a drop-off in wins like other past teams; most notably 1999, when the Wildcats went 6-6 after going 12-1 and winning the Holiday Bowl the season prior.

Here’s a look at every Arizona football team that entered the season ranked in the AP Poll:

1974

Preseason ranking: 17

Final ranking: Unranked

Record: 9-2

What happened: Under second-year head coach Jim Young, the Wildcats finished second in the Western Athletic Conference standings behind BYU, but were not invited to a bowl game. UA started 5-0 and climbed to No. 9, but back-to-back losses to Texas Tech and BYU knocked it out of the poll for good. The Wildcats — led by star quarterback Bruce Hill, who was recently inducted into the Arizona Stadium Ring of Honor — ended the year with four straight wins, including snapping a nine-game losing streak to rival Arizona State in Tucson.

1975

Preseason ranking: 16

Final ranking: 18

Record: 9-2

What happened: The Sun Devils got their revenge to prevent the Wildcats from winning a WAC title — and qualifying for the Fiesta Bowl. ASU receiver John Jefferson hauled in a controversial touchdown — also known as “The Catch” — in the back of the end zone at the end of the first half to help the Sun Devils gain momentum. UA was ranked all season, reaching a high of No. 11. UA started 5-0 before a home loss to unranked New Mexico.

1983

Preseason ranking: 14

Final ranking: Unranked

Record: 7-3-1

What happened: The Wildcats started 4-0 and climbed to No. 3 in the nation before blowing a 23-point lead in a 33-33 tie at Cal. UA played its first six games without a loss until losing three straight to Oregon, Stanford and No. 20 Washington in Tucson. Arizona won its final two games of the regular season against UCLA and ASU by a combined five points. Kicker Max Zendejas won the Territorial Cup game with a walk-off 45-yard field goal. Linebacker Ricky Hunley, a College Football Hall of Famer, was the Pac-10 Co-Defensive Player of the Year.

1989

Preseason ranking: 18

Final ranking: 25

Record: 8-4

What happened: Following a promising 1988 season, the Wildcats had a 5-3 record in Pac-10 play and won four games over ranked opponents, including No. 6 Oklahoma and No. 11 Washington in back-to-back weeks. Arizona beat North Carolina State 17-10 for the Copper Bowl held at Arizona Stadium. It marked Arizona’s first postseason win of the Dick Tomey era. UA fell out of the Top 25 and then climbed back in three different times during the season.

1993

Preseason ranking: 14

Final ranking: 10

Record: 10-2

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What happened: Arizona’s “Desert Swarm” defense, led by first-team All-Pac-10 defensive linemen Rob Waldrop (Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year) and Tedy Bruschi, was the catalyst for the Wildcats’ success in the early 1990s. The Wildcats were the Pac-10 co-champion with UCLA, but due to Arizona losing the head-to-head battle, the Bruins were invited to the Rose Bowl instead. UA entered that game at UCLA 7-0 and ranked No. 7, but lost 37-17. Arizona throttled the Miami Hurricanes 29-0 in the Fiesta Bowl, the first shutout in the bowl game’s history.

1994

Preseason ranking: 7

Final ranking: 20

Record: 8-4

What happened: Arizona was picked by Sports Illustrated to win the national championship and was featured on the magazine’s cover leading up to the season. UA rose as high as No. 6 before losing to Colorado State in a home upset. The Wildcats finished third in the Pac-10 standings behind Oregon and USC before losing to Utah at the Freedom Bowl in Anaheim, California.

1995

Preseason ranking: 19

Final ranking: Unranked

Record: 6-5

What happened: UA started 2-0 before losing back-to-back games to Illinois and USC and weren’t ranked again. Bruschi tied the NCAA career sacks record and was named Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year as a senior, but the Wildcats were sixth in the conference and didn’t play in a bowl game.

1998

Preseason ranking: 24

Final ranking: 4

Record: 12-1

What happened: The Wildcats had arguably their best season in program history. It’s the only Arizona team to win 12 games and the first to have one or fewer losses since the 8-1-1 squad in 1961. Arizona began its dominant season with a three-touchdown win over Hawaii, Tomey’s previous coaching stop prior to Arizona. A month later, Arizona quarterback Ortege Jenkins led the Wildcats to a win over Washington after his “Leap by the Lake,” which remains one of the most iconic plays in UA football history. In a back-and-forth battle with Nebraska, the defending national champion, the Wildcats won 23-20 to punctuate the program’s historic season. Arizona cornerback Chris McAlister, a first-team All-Pac-10 selection and All-American, was drafted 10th overall by the Baltimore Ravens in the 1999 NFL Draft.

1999

Preseason ranking: 4

Final ranking: Unranked

Record: 6-6

What happened: Penn State put the kibosh on Arizona’s national championship aspirations with a 41-7 beatdown of the Wildcats to kick off the season. UA fell out of the polls for good with a 50-22 home loss to Stanford that dropped it to 2-2. Despite the offensive firepower of running back Trung Canidate and wide receiver Dennis Northcutt, the Wildcats lost four of their last five games.

2015

Preseason ranking: 22

Final ranking: Unranked

Record: 7-6

What happened: The season after winning the Pac-12 South title, injuries plagued Arizona. All-American linebacker Scooby Wright III played three games due to a meniscus injury, while standout quarterback Anu Solomon dealt with concussion and leg injuries. The Wildcats began 3-0, but a 56-30 home loss to No. 9 UCLA knocked UA out of the polls for the rest of the season. Arizona ended the season with a win over New Mexico in the New Mexico Bowl, which is the last time the Wildcats faced the Lobos — and the last bowl win under former head coach Rich Rodriguez. An emotional Wright declared for the NFL Draft at the conclusion of the game.