Arizona Football 'Could Regress' Because of This Reason

As Arizona gets ready for the upcoming season, one analyst thinks there could be regression coming because of one simple factor.

Jul 10, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Brent Brennan speaks to the media during the Big 12 Media Days at Allegiant Stadium / Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports

There is less than a month until the Arizona Wildcats host New Mexico for their season opener.

Once again, it will be a new era in Tucson after Brent Brennan left San Jose State to become the head coach of this program following Jeff Fisch's departure to Washington.

Brennan has some big shoes to fill.

In Fisch's short time with the program, he took over a winless team from the 2020 COVID-shortened season and went from having a 1-11 record in 2022 to finishing with a 5-7 record the following year. Then, he put up the first 10-win season in almost a decade.

There are pieces here for the Wildcats to build upon last year's success, but with the unknown surrounding how they might stack up in the Big 12 conference, there is a wide range of results that could take place.

When looking at these possibilities, Cameron Salerno of CBS Sports thinks that the worst-case scenario of them struggling is because of their conference schedule.

"... Arizona could regress in Brennan's first season at the helm because of the brutal schedule to start conference play. The Wildcats face Kansas State and Utah both on the road during the first four weeks of the season ... The Wildcats could be due for some hiccups in their first season as a member," he writes.

When taking a look at the calendar, there are certainly challenges.

Following two home games against New Mexico and FCS program Northern Arizona, they immediately jump into a difficult stretch like Salerno points out when they play Kansas State and Utah on the road in back-to-back weeks before returning home to face Texas Tech.

Also on the schedule is hosting much-improved Colorado and West Virginia teams, going to UCF who is one of the conference favorites, and then facing TCU on the road who is just two years removed from playing for a national championship.

All of that comes before their rivalry game with Arizona State to close out the season.

Is the schedule managable?

Yes, but it certainly could be a reason why they aren't put together the year they are hoping to with Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillan back on offense, and Tacario Davis leading the defense.