Arizona Wildcats Continue To Slide in Latest Power Rankings After Loss Against TCU
The debut season in the Big 12 for the Arizona Wildcats has been a disappointing one to say the least.
After jumping out to a 3-1 record to start the year, the Wildcats have gone just 1-6 since, giving themselves a 4-7 record overall with a 2-6 record in conference play.
Only two teams are having worse seasons than they are in the Big 12.
Things were promising entering 2024 with first-year head coach Brent Brennan being able to keep Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillan from transferring after the massive performances they both had in 2023, but the quarterback has faltered against the more difficult competition while the superstar wide receiver has continued to be one of the best players in the sport.
This season has been a rollercoaster ride for Arizona in the eyes of many, and Chris Vannini of The Athletic dropped the program in his weekly college football power rankings yet again from 68th last week to 69th in this week's iteration.
While Fifita did start the year on a downward trend with his production, he has begun to show signs of life as the season draws to a close.
The redshirt sophomore threw for 1,774 yards with nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions on 152-for-257 passing, across the first seven games of the year, but has thrown for 1,058 yards with eight touchdowns and only two interceptions on a 65.3% completion percentage across the last four contests they have played.
It has been a drastic improvement, and that does bode well for the signal caller heading into 2025 assuming he does not transfer to another program.
McMillan has continued to dominate week in and week out, and is approaching the receiving yardage total he racked up in 13 games last season while already becoming Arizona's all-time leading receiver.
The superstar has tallied 1,251 yards receiving with seven touchdowns on 78 catches, just 151 yards shy of his career-high that he set in 2023 (1,402), and three touchdowns shy of his career-high in that metric (10).
It has been a consistent level of production that has seen McMillan's stock rise in the eyes of NFL scouts consistently, and the junior is all but guaranteed to be a first-round pick in upcoming draft.
Overall, it has been a season to forget for the Wildcats, but with the performance they have received from McMillan and the improvements that Fifita has made throughout the year, the entire outlook is not bleak.
