Arizona’s victory over USC on Saturday launched the Wildcats into the BCS standings released Sunday afternoon.
The Cats are 22nd, the only three-loss team in the BCS standings.
Arizona (5-3) is not ranked in the Top 25 of the two human polls that make up two-thirds of the BCS formula, although it is receiving votes in each. The Cats are 29th in the Harris Interactive poll and 33rd in the USA Today coaches poll.
The computer average is what boosts Arizona’s overall BCS ranking. UA’s average in the six BCS computers, which are more in tune to the Cats’ strength of schedule, is No. 14 nationally.
Arizona is the fifth Pac-12 team in the BCS standings. The others are Oregon at No. 4, Oregon State at No. 11, Stanford at No. 14 and USC at No. 17.
Oklahoma State, which lost at Arizona in September, is 24th in the BCS. Louisiana Tech, coached by former UA offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes, is No. 25.
The BCS standings, largely designed to identify the top two teams for the national championship game, have Alabama and Kansas State at the top.
(Arizona is ranked No. 24 in the AP poll and No. 22 on my AP ballot).