By IVES GALARCEP

The University of Washington managed to avoid the jinx of the No. 1 seed, though the Huskies upcoming schedule could test their hold on the top spot in the SBI College Soccer Top 25.

Washington sent a statement on Thursday by beating California to push its winning streak to six matches heading into a tasty showdown with SBI No. 8 Stanford.

Penn State continued to climb up the charts, and sits at No. 2 as the highest-ranked unbeaten tean in the nation. The Nittany Lions have posted eight shutouts in 10 matches this season, with goalkeeper Andrew Wolverton enjoying another standout campaign.

One team that plummeted out of the rankings is previously top-ranked North Carolina. The Tar Heels saw their losing streak extend to three matches after recent defeats against Notre Dame and UNC-Wilmington.

Here is the SBI College Soccer Top 25 for Oct. 3rd (records through Thursday):

SBI COLLEGE SOCCER TOP 25

1. WASHINGTON (8-1)

2. PENN STATE (9-0-1)

3. UC IRVINE (8-0-2)

4. GEORGE MASON (7-0-2)

5. GEORGETOWN (6-1-3)

6. NOTRE DAME (5-1-2)

7. INDIANA (6-1-3)

8. STANFORD (7-1)

9. UCLA (5-2-2)

10. MARQUETTE (6-2)

11. MICHIGAN STATE (5-1-2)

12. SYRACUSE (8-1)

13. CALIFORNIA (6-2)

14. CHARLOTTE (7-1)

15. CREIGHTON (7-1-1)

16. NEW MEXICO (6-2-1)

17. SAINT LOUIS (7-2)

18. UAB (6-2-1)

19. DAVIDSON  (5-0-2)

20. COASTAL CAROLINA (6-3)

21. AMERICAN (6-2-1)

22. FURMAN (4-1-3)

23. NORTHWESTERN (4-1-4)

24. LOUISVILLE (5-2-1)

25. VIRGINIA (5-3-1)

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HONORABLE MENTION

North Carolina (5-4), Delaware (7-3), UNLV (6-2-1), Memphis (5-2-2), Air Force (4-1-3), Oregon State (7-3), Akron (4-3-1), Cornell (6-2-1), Wake Forest (5-4), Denver (6-3), Providence (5-2), Seattle (5-3).

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What do you think of this week’s rankings? Who do you think is ranked too highly? Who do you think isn’t getting the credit they deserve?

Share your thoughts below.