Arizona will be far more competitive this season, though a bowl trip may be a year away
Despite the improved roster, Arizona will find themselves as underdogs in almost every game this season, and the non-conference schedule will be a challenge as well.
Game 1: at San Diego State (L) — Tough environment for a young team as San Diego opens their new stadium.
Game 2: Mississippi State (L) — The Wildcats will impress playing on the new turf at home against Mike Leach and the Bulldogs but come up a little short.
Game 3: North Dakota State (W) — This won’t be easy, but Arizona can squeak by the FCS powerhouse in another non-conference home game.
Game 4: at Cal (L) — This game is winnable but after last year Cal will find a way to pull it out and send Arizona home with an L.
Game 5: Colorado (W) — This is as close to a sure win as Arizona has on the schedule, and they will step up to knock off the Buffaloes.
Game 6: Oregon (L) — Reality strikes in this game as Oregon shows just how much of a gap separates the upper-echelon PAC-12 schools from where Arizona currently sits.
Game 7: at Washington (L) — A tough trip to Washington will test the physicality of this roster and might be one of the worst matchups on the schedule.
Game 8: USC (L) — The bye week won’t help as the Trojans’ high-powered offense storms in but could be a fun one to watch if the Wildcats’ offense shows improvement.
Game 9: at Utah (L) — This will likely be the ugliest loss of the year for Arizona, Utah has a great shot at making the College Playoff this year.
Game 10: at UCLA (L) — Arizona will be more competitive in this one but will come up short to the Bruins.
Game 11: Washington State (W) — After a brutal stretch the Wildcats come home and Jayden de Laura knocks off his former team in a close contest.
Game 12: Arizona State (W) — The Wildcats finish the season with an impressive win over the Sun Devils and likely end the coaching career of Herm Edwards.
Prediction: 4-8, 3-6 PAC 12
Getting to four wins this season will be an impressive feat for Arizona. The schedule is brutal and the ability for the new talent to come together quickly may be too much to ask, but things are definitely looking up for this football team and Wildcat fans have good reason to be optimistic about where the program is headed.