Arizona Wildcats vs. Utah Utes Will Have Major College Football Playoff Implications
The Arizona Wildcats received a rude welcome to the Big 12 in Week 3 when they faced off against the Kansas State Wildcats.
While the game didn’t count against their conference record as it was agreed upon before realignment, it was still a chance to see how they stacked up against a team projected to finish near the top of the conference.
The first impression of the Big 12 for Arizona? Not good.
The Wildcats were dominated by their purple namesake, 31-7. After scoring a touchdown in their first possession of the game, Arizona was shut out the rest of the way.
It is not how anyone wanted to go into a Week 4 bye, as there are a lot of issues for head coach Brent Brennan and his staff to iron out. Hopefully, they figured something out during their week off, as competition isn’t lightening up.
In Week 5, the Wildcats will head on the road to face off against the Utah Utes for their first Big 12 game. With the home team being ranked No. 10 in the country, this is a game that will have major implications not only on the conference standings but the College Football Playoff as well.
In his 2024-25 Bowl Game predictions entering this week’s games, David Kenyon of Bleacher Report highlighted the matchup of former Pac-12 schools as another game to know along with the SEC heavyweight matchup between Alabama and Georgia.
“Even without quarterback Cameron Rising, Utah toppled Oklahoma State in the program's Big 12 debut. If the Utes follow up that performance with a victory over Arizona, they'll be positioned extremely well to make the league championship game and contend for an automatic CFP bid,” Kenyon wrote.
This would be quite a statement for the Wildcats going into Salt Lake City and handling business as sizable underdogs. Even if Cam Rising can’t get in the lineup for the Utes, they proved last week capable of handling business without him.
Dropping to 2-2 on the season would be a tough break for Arizona, making their climb to the top of the Big 12 that much more difficult.
To avoid that, the defense is going to have to play better than they have thus far. Also, getting someone going on offense outside of star wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan would benefit the team greatly.
KENNETH TEAPE