Analyst Believes Arizona Was Big 12 Contender Until This One Offseason Move
Coming into the year, Arizona is viewed as a potential College Football Playoff team.
They'll have to show the committee why they deserve to be in, but with a core as good as any in the nation, there is a great chance they can do just that.
Returning Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona has their foundation set. The Wildcats were lucky neither of them left in the transfer portal, but it's also important to note the relationship they've built with each other since being high school teammates.
However, with former head coach Jedd Fisch departing to take the Washington job, anything was possible. McMillan is an expected top-15 pick in the 2025 NFL draft, so he likely had other offers that blew him out of the water.
Instead of doing what many college football players in this age do, he decided to stay and try to win at Arizona.
Because of the duo, Antonio Morales of The Athletic believes fans should be on board with Arizona this season.
"When Fifita was inserted into the lineup midway through last season, they became one of the most entertaining quarterback-receiver combos in the sport and led the Wildcats to just their second 10-win season in the past 25 years."
While Morales gave his reasons for believing in this team, he also explained why fans should also have some pessimism, highlighting Fisch's decision to leave.
"This had the look of a legitimate Big 12 contender … until Fisch bolted for Washington and the Cats got raided in the portal — at positions other than quarterback and wide receiver. There’s still some solid talent on the roster, but this had the potential to be a magical season in Tucson."
Head coach Brent Brennan will be challenged to keep this program as a legitimate contenders like they were in the final season under Fisch.
They lost some players in the portal, just like every team. However, there's still more than enough talent on this roster to win.
The easiest way to make the College Football Playoff would be to win the Big 12 Championship Game. That outcome would give Arizona an automatic bid and a top-four seed, which would also allow them to host a home playoff game.
Arizona will start their season in less than a week against New Mexico in Tuscon.
New Mexico lost 35-31 to FCS program Montana State after leading for much of the game. They were outscored 21-0 during the fourth quarter of the loss.
JON CONAHAN