Arizona State returns to Top 25 after upset win over Texas Tech

The question now is, can they stay there?
Texas Tech v Arizona State
Texas Tech v Arizona State | Christian Petersen/GettyImages

Arizona State football is back in the Top 25 rankings. The Sun Devils earned the No. 24 spot in the Week 9 poll after pulling off a 26-22 upset over No. 7 Texas Tech on Saturday.

Quarterback Sam Leavitt led the team down the field to score a last-minute go-ahead touchdown with 34 seconds to play. The Sun Devils held a lead as large as 19-7 entering the fourth quarter but the Red Raiders stormed back to take a 22-19 advantage late, scoring 15 points in just 1:45 of game time.

ASU will host Houston (6-1) in Week 9 in what should be a massive yet unexpected Big 12 decider.

No. 24 Arizona State firmly back in Big 12 title and CFP race

ASU has now re-established itself in the Big 12 race, sitting third at 5-2 (3-1) behind only No. 21 Cincinnati and No. 11 BYU. The Red Raiders (fourth in the Big 12) fell to No. 14 in the rankings.

The Big 12 keeps four teams in the latest poll with ASU's return but Utah dropped out after falling in the Holy War to rival BYU, just one week removed from upsetting the Sun Devils.

Elsewhere, the Ohio State Buckeyes maintained their No. 1 position in their national title defense while their Big Ten neighbors in Indiana rose to the program's highest ever ranking at No. 2.

The SEC makes up five of the top 10 with No. 3 Texas A&M, No. 4 Alabama, No. 5 Georgia, No. 8 Ole Miss and No. 10 Vanderbilt commanding the respect of AP voters.

Illinois (No. 23) and Michigan (No. 25) join ASU by re-entering the poll, giving the Big Ten just five teams overall in the rankings. Louisville (No. 19) made the largest jump from unranked after taking down No. 2 Miami on Friday night. LSU (No. 20) dropped the most out of any team from No. 10 after a tough loss to Vanderbilt on the road.

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