Arizona gets its first real shot at the Big 12’s upper tier Saturday morning, and the setting is about as unfriendly as it gets.
The Wildcats head to Lubbock for a 9:00 a.m. MST kickoff against Texas Tech as a 4.5-point underdog, with the total set at 55.5.
Arizona enters at 6-1 and coming off one of its most complete performances of the season, a 39-3 rout of Iowa State that pushed its current spread streak to three straight covers. In those three games, the Wildcats have won by an average of 28 points.
That surge has come with some success away from home, too. Arizona has already played three road games this season, dropping one at BYU but winning at Washington and West Virginia. Saturday will be another test in a series that has not gone well historically for the Wildcats, especially in Lubbock.
Arizona is 5-27 all-time against Texas Tech. The Red Raiders won last year’s meeting 28-22 in Tucson, while Arizona’s most recent victory in the series came in 2019, a 28-14 home win.
The Wildcats have not played in Lubbock since 1989, when they lost 24-14. Overall, Arizona owns just one win in 15 tries there, a 1935 victory.
Texas Tech also comes in at 6-1, but the mood around the Red Raiders is a little shakier after a 37-24 loss at Cincinnati. Texas Tech was favored by 11.5 points in that game and came up well short, a result that will knock the Red Raiders out of the top 10 and, with another loss, could effectively put their playoff hopes on life support.
For much of the season, Texas Tech has looked nothing like the team that drew so much attention in the offseason. The Red Raiders barely escaped Houston in their Big 12 opener and needed to rally after trailing Colorado into the third quarter.
Against Cincinnati, they gave up only 172 passing yards but still got beat because of turnovers, finishing with three giveaways. Quarterback Will Hammond was responsible for one interception and one of the two lost fumbles.
Hammond now has six touchdowns and six interceptions on the season.
Even with those concerns, Texas Tech has one major card to play Saturday: home field. The Red Raiders have won 12 straight at Galaxy Stadium, with their last home loss coming against Colorado in November 2024.
In Other News...
Arizona Put Iowa State In A Spot No Big 12 Team Wants
Arizona set the tone immediately after the bye, and Iowa State spent the rest of the afternoon trying to climb out of the hole. The Wildcats scored on their first two possessions and carried a 25-3 lead into halftime, a fast start that put the Cyclones on their heels and made the rest of the game feel like an uphill battle from the outset.
The second half brought a change at quarterback for Iowa State, with Connor Moberly taking over for Jaylen Raynor, but the offense never found enough rhythm to threaten a comeback. Now the Cyclones have to turn the page quickly, because Oklahoma State is next on the schedule at home, and there is little margin for another slow start in Big 12 play. [Read more 🡒]
Arizonas Sudden Playoff Push Just Got A Lot More Real
ESPNs updated FPI after Week 8 gave college footballs postseason picture another shakeup, and Arizonas rise has become impossible to ignore. The Wildcats are getting more attention across the sport after breaking into the AP top 25, a sign that their season has moved from pleasant surprise to genuine national relevance as the numbers start to sort contenders from the rest of the pack.
The latest model adjustments show how quickly momentum can change once a team strings together meaningful wins, and Arizona is now part of that conversation in a real way. With the playoff race still fluid and bowl positioning shifting every week, the Wildcats have given themselves a much more interesting path than anyone would have projected a month ago, even if there is still work ahead before the picture fully comes into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona Just Looked Like A Real Big 12 Threat
Arizonas jump into the Big 12 is starting to look a lot less like a transition year and a lot more like a team that belongs in the league race. The Wildcats rolled past Iowa State 39-3, stretched their winning streak to five games and kept climbing with a 6-1 record overall and 3-1 mark in conference play. Arizona piled up 477 total yards and flashed the kind of balance that can travel, with the offense moving the ball consistently and the special teams and defense both adding to a lopsided afternoon.
Noah Fifita was sharp throughout, directing an attack that never let Iowa State find much rhythm, while the defense kept the Cyclones out of the end zone and turned the game into a one-sided showcase. What stood out most for Arizona was how complete it looked in all three phases, the kind of performance that can change the conversation around a team in midseason. The question now is whether this level of play can carry over into the bigger tests still ahead on the Big 12 schedule. [Read more 🡒]