With widespread mediocrity in the Pac-12 this year and Stanford off the schedule, at this point there are only two currently ranked teams that are on ASU's 2016 schedule. Of course, things can change, but let's consider the situation. And for this research, I'm only considering the AP Poll (for reasons I'll detail later).
USC: Unranked
UCLA: Very, very unlikely to be ranked (22 votes (nine places out of the rankings); plays Arizona this week)
Colorado: Possibility to be ranked (33 votes (six places out of the rankings); plays OSU and USC, two wins could get CU into top-25)
WSU: Longshot to be ranked
Oregon: Plays WSU, UW and Cal; Likely will have to be impressively 3-0 to get back into rankings
Utah: Currently No. 18
UW: Currently No. 10
Arizona: Longshot to be ranked
For conversation's sake, let's say the first ranked team ASU plays is Utah and that Washington is also ranked at the time ASU plays the Huskies. With that Utah game being on 11/10, that would make it one of the latest points in the season that ASU has played its first ranked team. I did the research (using AP Polls only) back through 1978 (ASU's first year in the Pac-10). ASU didn't play a ranked team at all in 1983 and 1999, but the in the other seasons, at no time was ASU's first ranked opponent played in November (or later).
Also, if ASU were to play just two ranked teams in the regular season, that would tie for the fewest in a single year since 2000 (2008). Also, since joining the Pac-10 in 1978, aside from the two aforementioned seasons with zero ranked opponents, ASU faced just one ranked opponent in 1978 (though it was a massive one in #2 USC). There are a handful of other seasons that had two ranked opponents.
Moral of the story: ASU's schedule is shaping up in what could be a favorable fashion.
USC: Unranked
UCLA: Very, very unlikely to be ranked (22 votes (nine places out of the rankings); plays Arizona this week)
Colorado: Possibility to be ranked (33 votes (six places out of the rankings); plays OSU and USC, two wins could get CU into top-25)
WSU: Longshot to be ranked
Oregon: Plays WSU, UW and Cal; Likely will have to be impressively 3-0 to get back into rankings
Utah: Currently No. 18
UW: Currently No. 10
Arizona: Longshot to be ranked
For conversation's sake, let's say the first ranked team ASU plays is Utah and that Washington is also ranked at the time ASU plays the Huskies. With that Utah game being on 11/10, that would make it one of the latest points in the season that ASU has played its first ranked team. I did the research (using AP Polls only) back through 1978 (ASU's first year in the Pac-10). ASU didn't play a ranked team at all in 1983 and 1999, but the in the other seasons, at no time was ASU's first ranked opponent played in November (or later).
Also, if ASU were to play just two ranked teams in the regular season, that would tie for the fewest in a single year since 2000 (2008). Also, since joining the Pac-10 in 1978, aside from the two aforementioned seasons with zero ranked opponents, ASU faced just one ranked opponent in 1978 (though it was a massive one in #2 USC). There are a handful of other seasons that had two ranked opponents.
Moral of the story: ASU's schedule is shaping up in what could be a favorable fashion.
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