Arizona heads to Pullman on Saturday with a familiar Pac-12 backdrop and a clean record to protect, even if the early spread results have been less tidy. The Wildcats are 2-1 and favored by 10.5 points at Washington State, but they still haven’t covered a spread this season.
That’s part of what makes this road trip interesting. Arizona has owned the series overall, 28-19, and it has also handled the trip to Pullman well, going 12-7 there and winning in 2023. The setting may be different now, but the matchup still carries plenty of history.
Our staff sees Arizona winning, though not everyone imagines the same kind of game.
Kim Doss has the Wildcats taking it 35-27, pointing out that neither offense has exactly been lighting the world on fire. Washington State had one offensive touchdown this season before beating Duquesne, while Arizona put up 17 points against the only significant defense it has faced so far in BYU two weeks ago. Doss expects Arizona to get closer to its usual scoring level against a WSU team that has struggled against Power 4 competition.
Ezra Amacher likes Arizona 37-27 and leans on the Wildcats’ track record in Pullman. Since 2003, Arizona has gone to the Palouse nine times, and every one of those games ended with a double-digit margin.
That stretch includes some wild results, with Arizona winning 44-6 there in 2023 and Washington State previously posting wins of 44-18, 69-28 and 69-7 in Pullman. Amacher expects another high-scoring meeting and sees Noah Fifita and the Wildcats pulling away late.
Adam Green has Arizona winning 31-23, framing Washington State as an important test after BYU was the team’s biggest challenge so far. Green’s point is simple: if Arizona is going to be the team people think it can be, it has to handle the games it’s supposed to win. He doesn’t expect a blowout, but he does expect a focused Arizona group to leave with a comfortable enough result.
Juan Serrano also expects the Wildcats to win, 31-17, though he says the matchup has become more intriguing because of Arizona’s early-season struggles. Serrano notes that Washington State is not a pushover, especially with a run game that could create issues and a physical defense that will make Arizona work.
Still, he believes the Wildcats should be able to match that physicality, throw effectively and let Fifita deliver another strong performance. He says Arizona needs to play cleanly and avoid mistakes, with the defense bending without breaking.
Brandon Combs is the most bullish of the group, picking Arizona 45-17. He acknowledges Pullman is a difficult place to play and points to Arizona’s offensive line and secondary as weak spots, but he isn’t worried about those factors changing the outcome.
In his view, the Wildcats are simply the better team. Combs also says Washington State’s offense has been inefficient, with a poor third-down rate, too few touchdowns and shaky kicking, and he thinks Arizona’s defense should keep that trend going.
If Fifita plays like he did against NIU, Combs sees the offense having an easy night.
Brian Pedersen is the lone holdout with a tighter finish, taking Arizona 24-21. He says he originally picked the Wildcats to lose this game in season predictions, but that was based on an assumption that Arizona would enter at 3-0 after a win at BYU and might be vulnerable to a letdown.
That still could happen, he says, but if it does, it will be because Arizona makes too many mistakes. Pedersen views Washington State as having a solid defense and a run game that can cause problems, especially if quarterback Caden Pinnick gets loose.
Even so, he calls Fifita the X-factor and says the career yardage record holder will be the reason Arizona gets another win in Pullman.
Here’s how the staff sees the season so far, straight up and against the spread: Kim Doss is 3-0 straight up and 2-1 against the spread; Ezra Amacher is 3-0 and 2-1; Adam Green is 3-0 and 1-2; Brandon Combs is 3-0 and 1-2; Juan Serrano is 2-1 and 0-3; and Brian Pedersen is 2-1 and 1-2.
In Other News...
Arizona Fans Had Two Reasons To Be Furious During BYU Loss
Arizona fans already had plenty to digest as BYU hung around long enough to turn a tight game into a frustrating finish, and the mood only got worse as the Cougars pulled away late. Arizona carried a halftime lead into the break, but the second half belonged to BYU, which steadily took control and left the Wildcats staring at a loss they could feel slipping away before it was over.
The broadcast added its own distraction when Fox Sports analyst Robert Griffin III spent time on an odd anecdote about Bear Bachmeiers family traditions, a side note that quickly started making the rounds. Between the comeback on the field and the offbeat call from the booth, Arizona fans wound up with two separate reasons to be irritated on a night that was supposed to bring a different result. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona Suddenly Has A Depth Problem Before Washington State
Arizona is heading into its matchup with Washington State with a little less margin for error than Brent Brennan would like. The Wildcats are sorting through the ripple effects of a defense that has already had to absorb injury news, while Brennan also pointed to the need for cleaner run-game execution and sharper fundamentals across the board, from turnovers to tackling to special teams. Along the way, he highlighted Brandon Phelps versatility and said safety Cam Chapa has been trending in the right direction, two small signs of progress in a week when depth matters more than usual.
The bigger concern is that Arizonas available options are still not fully settled, especially at a spot where the staff had hoped for more clarity by now. Brennan said one injury has already ended a players season, and another key piece remains in limbo after leaving the NIU game, leaving the Wildcats to prepare without knowing exactly how much of the rotation will be intact when they line up against the Cougars. For a team trying to stabilize its identity, that uncertainty only raises the stakes on a game where the details may matter as much as the matchup itself. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona Faces A Real Test In The Matchups That Could Decide Saturday
Saturdays meeting with Washington State is shaping up as more than a standard Big 12 measuring stick for Arizona. The matchup carries familiar coaching threads and a clear tactical edge on both sides, with the Cougars adjusting their offensive line and the Wildcats bringing the kind of pressure-heavy defense that can force an offense out of rhythm. For Arizona, the question is whether that pressure can disrupt Washington State before the Cougars get comfortable attacking downfield.
The other side of the equation rests with Noah Fifita, who has enough experience to handle a tough road test but has also spent the last couple of weeks dealing with more frequent sacks and the aftermath of those hits. Washington State, under defensive coordinator Trent Bray, will try to make the quarterback think twice and limit the deep passing game that can change the feel of the night. If Arizonas protection holds up, the Wildcats can make this one about execution; if it does not, the game could hinge on a handful of snaps very quickly. [Read more 🡒]