Arizona Football Ranked Inside Top 25 of Preseason Coaches Poll
How will the Arizona Wildcats perform in the upcoming season?
That's the question many fans are asking themselves heading into Year 1 of the Brent Brennan era after they won 10 games last season for the first time in almost a decade.
With multiple star players back in the mix after they could have chosen other schools following the departure of previous head coach Jedd Fisch, Arizona is set to build upon what they did in 2023-24 and put together a good showing this year.
Apparently the coaches around the country believe that to be the case as well.
In the preseason Coaches Poll that was released by USA TODAY, the Wildcats find themselves ranked No. 21 in the nation.
That's a great sign as it shows how highly the other coaching staffs in college football view this roster, and how much they think Brennan will be able to impact this team. It's never known how the first year under a new regime might go, but because they have talent and a well-regarded group of coaches, they have been ranked as one of the 25 best teams in the sport.
Of course, preseason projections don't mean a whole lot.
It's up to the players on the field to go out there and perform so they can live up to those expectations, but this suggests they have enough on this roster to be able to compete within their new conference immediately.
That also pairs well with a projection of what their best-case scenario could look like this year. If they are able to have back-to-back 10-win seasons for the first time in school history, then there's a chance they could be playing in their first ever College Football Playoff.
A lot of that will come down to how this offense operates under new offensive coordinator Dino Babers who will try to build upon what took place last year.
The hype continues to grow for the Wildcats heading into the upcoming season, and being ranked No. 21 as they get ready for their opener against New Mexico is just the latest example.
BRAD WAKAI