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

This year’s rendition of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ will be one of four UA teams to play a season succeeding a 10-win season. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ 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 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ 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 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Stadium Ring of Honor — ended the year with four straight wins, including snapping a nine-game losing streak to rival ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ State in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.

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 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ 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. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ beat North Carolina State 17-10 for the Copper Bowl held at ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Stadium. It marked ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™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

What happened: ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s “Desert Swarmâ€� 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 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ 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. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ 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: ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ 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 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ team to win 12 games and the first to have one or fewer losses since the 8-1-1 squad in 1961. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ began its dominant season with a three-touchdown win over Hawaii, Tomey’s previous coaching stop prior to ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥. A month later, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ quarterback Ortege Jenkins led the Wildcats to a win over Washington after his “Leap by the Lake,â€� 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. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ 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 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™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 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥. 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. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ 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.