After win over Stanford, WSU moves up to No. 19 in AP poll

A week after nearly falling all the way out of the Associated Press top 25 rankings, the Washington State Cougars have moved back up to No. 19 on the strength of their 24-21 victory over the Stanford Cardinal.

The Cougs had been ranked No. 25, but a win over the Cardinal — who had been ranked No. 18 — provided quite the boost. Of course, it always helps when there’s a bit of carnage in front of you; the LSU Tigers (previously No. 19), NC State Wolfpack (previously No. 20), and the Arizona Wildcats (previously No. 23) all lost on Saturday.

In the coaches poll, the Cougs went from unranked to No. 20, and we’ll have to wait until Tuesday to see how far WSU moves up in the College Football Playoff rankings.

The win over Stanford was the Cougs’ second over an AP-ranked opponent this season and completed an undefeated home season — the first time either of those things has happened since 2003. The Cougars face Utah on the road next week.

Pac-12 teams joining WSU in the top 25 are the Washington Huskies (No. 9 AP, No. 8 coaches) and USC Trojans (15/14).