In the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll, the Stanford football team (4-0, 1-0 Pac-10) climbed to the No. 9 national ranking. Its position in the poll is its highest since the end of the 1992 season.

Stanford’s rise from No. 16 the previous week can be attributed to several factors. Most prominently, the Cardinal romped over Notre Dame yesterday, defeating the Fighting Irish 37-14. It currently has the country’s fourth-best scoring offense and its 12th-best scoring defense.

Stanford was also helped by UCLA’s 34-12 upset of previously No. 7 Texas, since Stanford beat the Bruins 35-0 two weeks ago. Lastly, Arizona, another highly-regarded Pac-10 team, barely escaped a California team fresh off giving up 51 points to a WAC opponent.

The Cardinal will quickly be called upon to defend its ranking, as it travels to No. 4 Oregon next weekend. The game will have significant Pac-10 implications, and could have important ramifications for the national title as well.