College Football Rankings 2016: Projected AP Top 25 after Week 9

After falling behind 24-6 in the first half at Oregon State, it looked like the Cougars had no chance of pulling off a victory to keep pace with Washington in the Pac-12 North. Whatever Mike Leach did at halftime seemed to work, though, as the Cougars came out to score three straight touchdowns in the third quarter to claim its first lead of the game. Gabe Marks and Luke Falk connected for the go-ahead score, and it looks like WSU will make its way back into the AP Top 25 this week.

The Cougars remain unbeaten in conference play, but they have four tough tests to close out the regular season in November. Over the first two weeks of the month the Cougars remain in Pullman, where they welcome Arizona and California. Washington State finishes its road schedule with a trip to Boulder to face Colorado in a game that both teams could need to remain in contention for their respective divisions. If WSU wins those first three, the Apple Cup showdown against the Huskies would become a de facto division title game