Arizona Wildcats 'In a Real Bind' After Latest Loss
As the wise man once said, "You got to know when to hold 'em (when to hold 'em) and know when to fold 'em (when to fold 'em)," and for the Arizona Wildcats it has been evident for quite some time now that they need to fold 'em.
With their latest loss, their fifth consecutive to be exact, the Wildcats have now fallen to 3-6 overall, with a 1-5 record in conference play, just one year removed from a 10-3 overall record with a 7-2 mark in conference play.
It is a much tougher level of competition that Arizona has faced this season, their first in the Big 12 after being in the PAC-12 (every iteration of it) since 1978, but the team has not seen all that much change year-over-year, not enough to be (at least) three losses worse than they were last year.
The performance on the field this year has Will Backus of CBS Sports stating that the team is now "in a bind."
"Arizona was put in a tough position when former coach Jedd Fisch left for Washington after building the Wildcats back into a 10-win program with upside as a conference contender," writes Backus, "So the university went out and hired San Jose State's Brent Brennan, who never won more than seven games in a single season and had an 0-3 bowl record with the Spartans."
And therein lies the biggest change the program underwent year-over-year, a change in the man under the headset on Saturday.
Now, the Washington Huskies have not performed as well this year as they did last year, but they have also joined a much tougher conference than the PAC-12 ever was, and they have still done much better than the Wildcats as the Huskies have a 5-4 overall record after their latest win.
Even with the struggles that Arizona has faced already in Brennan's tenure, including his lack of ability to recruit effectively, it may be all but impossible for the program to put in a replacement.
"It doesn't help his case that the athletic director that hired him and the president that presided over the transition are not at the university any longer. Both left, or were ousted, in the midst of a financial crisis that has Arizona facing a projected $177 million shortfall during fiscal year 2024," adds Backus, "Arizona may not have the money to simultaneously pay Brennan's buyout while luring a significant upgrade."
It is quite the pickle that the Wildcats find themselves in moving forward, and it will take a massive amount of effort to find their way out of it.
