Wildcats look to build on last year's success
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Noah Fifita faces big expectations in his fourth season as the Wildcats' starting quarterback. Photo: Dylan Buell/Getty Images
The Arizona Wildcats have a lot of success to build on after surprising the Big 12 last season.
Why it matters: Back-to-back successful seasons would be a sign of a football program on the rise.
- UofA hasn't had consecutive winning seasons since its 2012-2015 run and hasn't had consecutive nine-win seasons in 50 years.
The big picture: Preseason predictions have the Cats finishing between fifth and eighth in the conference.
Catch up quick: Arizona had a dismal 4-8 record two seasons ago — its first in the Big 12 and first under head coach Brent Brennan — but unexpectedly bounced back in 2025, going 9-4 overall and 6-3 in conference.
- The Cats finished fifth in the Big 12, beat the Sun Devils in Tempe, and made it to the Holiday Bowl.
1 player to watch: The Cats' offense will revolve around senior quarterback Noah Fifita.
- He was one of the conference's top passers last season with 3,228 yards, 29 touchdowns and just six interceptions, earning him All-Big 12 first-team honors.
- He's 828 yards away from becoming UofA's all-time leading passer, per Sports Illustrated.
- UofA hyped up the fourth-year starter as a Heisman Trophy candidate — and ESPN's Pamela Maldonado picked him as one of her five longshot picks — though Vegas oddsmakers don't even have him in the top 30.
Yes, but: UofA had "only a decent offense" last season and lost its leading rusher and two top receivers, per ESPN.
Zoom in: The Cats' greatest success last year was on the defensive side of the ball, as they finished as one of the nation's top pass defenses.
- UofA lost a trio of key defensive backs to the NFL draft, and a lot will be riding on its roster of cornerback transfers, particularly Malcolm Hartzog Jr., Sports Illustrated wrote.
- But defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales told Arizona Desert Swarm that the defense could be better in some areas this season, saying the run defense is "further along" than it was a year ago.
What's next: Arizona opens its season at 5pm Saturday in Tucson against Northern Arizona University.
- The Cats are 31.5-point favorites.
The bottom line: The Cats aren't likely to contend for the conference championship, but they could repeat last year's success.