Arizona Football: Wildcats’ 2017 season preview and predictions
By Zach Bigalke
2017 Schedule
| WEEK | DATE | OPPONENT | LOCATION |
| 1 | Sept. 2 | vs. Northern Arizona | Tucson, AZ |
| 2 | Sept. 9 | vs. Houston | Tucson, AZ |
| 3 | Sept. 15 | at UTEP | El Paso, TX |
| 4 | Sept. 22 | vs. Utah | Tucson, AZ |
| 5 | BYE WEEK | ||
| 6 | Oct. 7 | at Colorado | Boulder, CO |
| 7 | Oct. 14 | vs. UCLA | Tucson, AZ |
| 8 | Oct. 21 | at California | Berkeley, CA |
| 9 | Oct. 28 | vs. Washington State | Tucson, AZ |
| 10 | Nov. 4 | at USC | Los Angeles, CA |
| 11 | Nov. 11 | vs. Oregon State | Tucson, AZ |
| 12 | Nov. 18 | at Oregon | Eugene, OR |
| 13 | Nov. 25 | at Arizona State | Tempe, AZ |
The Wildcats have a completely reasonable non-conference schedule in 2017. The annual game against FCS Northern Arizona should provide an early confidence-boosting win. Then the Wildcats catch Houston at home the year after losing both starting quarterback and head coach from last year’s College Football Playoff contender, as well as UTEP. At worst Rodriguez’s team should be 2-1 heading into the conference schedule.
In addition to this light non-conference slate, the Wildcats also managed to avoid both Washington and Stanford in Pac-12 cross-division play. That could spell the difference between being a five-win and a six-win team. The downside is that Arizona must play five of its nine conference games on the road this season. That includes trips to Boulder, Los Angeles, and Eugene as well as the season finale against the Sun Devils in Tempe.
Along with the Lumberjacks and Houston, the Wildcats welcome Utah, UCLA, Washington State, and Oregon State to Tucson. With six home games and six on the road, a balanced schedule offers a fair opportunity for Arizona to return to bowl eligibility.
Next: 15 most intolerable fanbases in college football
Prediction: (6-6, 3-6 Pac-12)
In writing, the Wildcats look like they should manage to get at least six wins out of their 2017 schedule. Northern Arizona is as close to a guarantee as the Wildcats will get, and they also Houston at the right time. UTEP should provide a third win. Then all the Wildcats will need are three wins in Pac-12 play. The most likely candidates for those victories are probably California in Berkeley and UCLA and Oregon State at home.