Arizona Wildcats Are Unanimous Choice to Win Big 12
With the start of the college football season here, the Arizona Wildcats are going to be a team to watch this season as they transition from the Pac-12 to the Big 12.
Despite being known more as a basketball program over the last decade, the Wildcats have one of the better teams in college football entering the season. Arizona is coming into the year ranked 21st in the country thanks to returning a lot of their starters from last season.
Due to the conference realignments this season, it is hard to predict if that will have an impact on the program this season, but the Wildcats have the talent to compete this season. The Big-12 has seen a lot of turnover coming into the season, as they added a few teams from the Pac-12 to replace the departure of, most notably, Texas and Oklahoma, to the SEC.
Recently, Pro Football Focus talked about their predictions for the upcoming season. Of their four analysts, it was a unanimous choice that Arizona is going to win the Big-12.
The Wildcats winning the conference would be a huge accomplishment for them in their first season. Coming off a 10-win season in the Pac-12, the Wildcats will be hoping to have a similar season in 2024.
In terms of the strength of the conference, it is very realistic that Arizona can win the Big-12 and take an automatic bid into the college football playoffs. Entering the season, there are five teams, including the Wildcats, ranked in the Top-25, with the Utah Utes being the highest rated at 12.
Like the Wildcats, the Utes came over from the Pac-12 this season and the two teams faced off last year. In that matchup, Arizona handled Utah very easily by a score of 42-18.
What might really help the Wildcats this season is the schedule they will have compared to last year. In 2023, Arizona played six games against teams ranked in the Top-25. As expected with their good season overall, they had a respectable 4-2 record in those games.
This year, the Wildcats are only projected to have two games against Top-25 teams, as they will play Kansas State and Utah in back-to-back games on the road. This will certainly be the toughest stretch of the season for the Wildcats, and if they can win both games, their path to winning the conference is clear.
While seeing Arizona being a unanimous choice to win the conference is a bit surprising, it is realistic with a good roster and easy schedule.
NICK ZIEGLER