The Cougs makes their first appearance in the College Football Playoff rankings as they prepare to travel to Seattle for the 108th Apple Cup on Friday at Husky Stadium.
Well, this is a first.
Washington State made its maiden appearance in the only rankings that matter on Tuesday afternoon when the Cougars were ranked No. 20 in the College Football Playoff’s selection committee’s top 25.
It’s the first time in the two-year history of the College Football Playoff that WSU has appeared in the CFP’s top 25 rankings, and it’s just another sign that the Cougars are on their way back to relevance after a decade’s worth of losing seasons.
WSU is one of five Pac-12 teams in this week’s College Football Playoff rankings, and the Cougars are ranked above the No. 23 Utes and No. 22 Bruins, but below No. 17 Oregon and No. 9 Stanford.
The Cougars (8-3, 6-2 overall) will go into the Apple Cup this Friday against the Huskies (5-6, 3-5) as a ranked team for the first time since 2003, when WSU was ranked No. 8 but lost to UW 27-19.
The Cougars are also ranked No. 20 in both the Associated Press and Amway Coaches polls.