ESPN has released its final preseason SP+ rankings ahead of the 2023 college football season, and their algorithms fall short of projecting Arizona to make a bowl game.
SP+, created by ESPN staff writer Bill Connelly, is a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of each team’s efficiency that takes into account returning production, recent recruiting rankings and recent history.
The SP+ rankings (paywalled on ESPN.com) have Arizona ranked No. 67 nationally, two spots ahead of ASU. Arizona is ninth in the rankings among Pac-12 teams; USC tops the conference at No. 10, followed by No.