What is the Ceiling and Floor for Arizona Wildcats Football in 2024 Season?
The 2024 college football season is a big one for the Arizona Wildcats. They were excellent in 2023, going 10-3 and capping off their year with a 38-24 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners in the Alamo Bowl.
The successful season led to head coach Jedd Fisch accepting the job at Washington. He was replaced by Brent Brennan, who did a fantastic job of turning around the San Jose State program.
After winning three games in his first two years, the Spartans won at least five in each of Brennan’s last five seasons. That includes three trips to a bowl game, even though they were defeated all three times.
Not only is the coaching staff different, the Wildcats are embarking on a new era.
They are no longer a member of the Pac-12 as the 2024 season will be their first in the Big 12.
With a new head coach and conference to call home, the 2024 season feels like a big experiment for Arizona. But, that doesn’t change the expectations. They are entering the year ranked for the first time since 2015 and only the second time this century.
What can fans expect to see from the Wildcats this season?
Kyle Bonagura of ESPN believes the ceiling for the team is an 11-1 record, which would likely result in a spot in the expanded College Football Playoff.
On the other end of the spectrum, he thinks this team’s floor is 5-7 where they wouldn't earn an invite to a bowl game.
That is a wide gap of potential outcomes, but such is life as a new team in the Big 12. Bonagura believes fans will get a sense of what direction the team will head in early during the season.
“Arizona will have a good sense of how it will stack up against the best of the Big 12 after going to Kansas State on Sept. 13. In a unique twist, this game won't count as a conference game because it has been on the books for several years -- before the Wildcats joined the league,” he wrote.
Getting a taste of Big 12 football without the game against Kansas State actually counting as a Big 12 game is a positive twist for the Wildcats. The game won’t carry as much weight in the conference standings but will be a good measuring stick opportunity.
That starts a brutal back-to-back with a visit to No. 12 ranked Utah next on the schedule with a bye in between.
If the Wildcats can split those games, their expected ceiling will be attainable.
