Washington State falls to No. 25 in AP poll after loss to New Mexico

PULLMAN – Even after a road defeat to unranked New Mexico, Washington State is still one of the country’s best teams.

That’s the word from the new Associated Press Top 25 released Sunday morning slotting WSU at No. 25, dropping the Cougars six spots from last week’s poll. It’s the fourth straight week in the rankings for WSU, which blew a 14-point lead Saturday in Albuquerque, handing the Lobos their first win over a ranked team in more than 20 years.

In Sunday’s poll, 36 voters left the Cougs off their ballots. Ten voted them at No. 25, eight voted them at No. 24, and they received one vote as high as No. 19.

Its College Football Playoff hopes now wiped out, WSU will turn its attention to the next round of CFP rankings, which release on Tuesday evening. It’s possible the Cougs will drop from No. 18 to out of those rankings . The Cougars’ bowl destination will take focus for their final two regular-season games, at Oregon State next weekend and home against Wyoming the following Saturday.