Arizona State football isn't going away quietly this season. After escaping with a 25-23 win over West Virginia on Saturday, the Sun Devils are in a four-way tie for third place in the Big 12 standings and the Associated Press voters are still very much aware of their presence.
The Week 13 rankings released Sunday don't feature ASU as a Top 25 team but the program received more votes than it did in Week 12 - a total of 19 to be exact - moving it up from an unofficial 32nd to 29th.
Georgia climbs to No. 4, Oklahoma is back in the top 10 and the SEC has nine teams in the Top 25.https://t.co/7dTTUiSC1j pic.twitter.com/zyZA4gayC2
— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) November 16, 2025
ASU is the next closest Big 12 squad to the official rankings amongst those receiving votes. Four conference foes are included - No. 25 Houston, No. 13 Utah, No. 11 BYU and No. 6 Texas Tech.
Big 12 title race takes center stage in latest AP rankings
The top three teams in the nation remain unchanged for yet another week with the Ohio State Buckeyes leading the way followed by Indiana and Texas A&M. Two more SEC teams in Georgia and Ole Miss follow before the Big 12 is finally represented by the Red Raiders - actually tied with Oregon.
At the moment, Texas Tech and BYU are the clear favorites to head to Dallas and vie for the conference title. There is a path for ASU to snag a berth but either one of those teams needs to lose one more game and some crazy tie breakers need to be sorted out. It's a slim chance but a chance nonetheless.
The 12-team College Football Playoff does not guarantee the Top 12-ranked programs a spot in the bracket. That means both the Red Raiders and Cougars are still in danger of either being left out or perhaps both getting in depending on how things shakeout in the ACC.
As for who will be awarded the 12th and final berth, that's likely to be the best Group of Five champion who, for now, is James Madison at No. 21. North Texas and Tulane are not far behind at No. 22 and No. 24 respectively, so folks should keep a close eye on the American Athletic and Sun Belt Conferences as the final weeks of the season play out.
Although, these rankings don't mean anything anymore. The College Football Playoff Selection Committee will release its official rankings early this week which will reveal the true contenders but likely resemble what the AP has done.