Arizona’s latest win did more than get the Wildcats back over .500. It also nudged them into an intriguing bowl projection that points to a familiar West Texas stage.
After Brent Brennan’s team handled Northern Illinois 42-17 at home Saturday night, CBS Sports updated its postseason forecast and pegged Arizona for the Sun Bowl, where it would face Georgia Tech out of the ACC. If that holds, it would be Arizona’s first trip to the Sun Bowl since 1992.
The Wildcats didn’t exactly ease into the night. They fell behind 10-0 just six minutes in before flipping the script in a hurry, settling in on both sides of the ball and ripping off 42 straight points on the way to a 2-1 start. The victory also came on a milestone night for Noah Fifita, who broke the program’s all-time record for career passing yards.
Arizona’s Sun Bowl history has not been kind. The Wildcats are 0-2-1 in the game, with losses to Auburn in 1968 and Baylor in 1992, plus a tie against Georgia in 1985. The Sun Bowl shares its spot as the second-oldest continuous bowl game with the Sugar and Orange Bowls, trailing only the Rose Bowl.
The matchup with Georgia Tech would carry some positive history for Arizona, though. The Wildcats are 2-0 all-time against the Yellow Jackets, winning 19-14 in Atlanta in 1994 and 20-19 at home in 1995.
Around the Big 12, CBS Sports’ latest projection has BYU and Texas Tech in the College Football Playoff after Week 3. Texas Tech sits at No. 6, while BYU, which beat Arizona 28-17 in Week 2, is No. 10.
The rest of the conference’s bowl picture in the projection includes Kansas State in the Liberty Bowl against Missouri, Utah in the Holiday Bowl against Louisville, Arizona State in the Armed Forces Bowl against Army, West Virginia in the Cactus Bowl against Minnesota, Houston in the Alamo Bowl against Oregon, TCU in the Pop-Tarts Bowl against SMU, and Oklahoma State in the Texas Bowl against Florida.
For Arizona, the road ahead is where the bowl talk will be shaped. The Wildcats have four straight games against unranked opponents before their Halloween trip to Texas Tech in Lubbock, and it’s easy to see a scenario where they arrive there at 6-1 with momentum. But slip-ups in the stretch that includes Washington State, West Virginia, Cincinnati, and Iowa State could make the back half of the schedule a much tougher climb.
That closing run is no joke either: TCU comes to Tucson on Nov. 6, Utah follows on Nov.
14, Kansas State is waiting on the road Nov. 21, and Arizona State closes things out at home on Nov. 28.
First up is Washington State, a former Pac-12 foe that rolled past FCS Duquesne 48-7 on Saturday. The game is scheduled for Saturday, Sep. 26 at 4:30 PM PT on CBS.
In Other News...
Arizona's Rebuilt Roster Has One Newcomer Fans Can't Ignore
Arizonas roster for the 2026-27 season has been turned over in a major way, with only two key returnees in Mo Krivas and Ivan Kharchenkov giving the Wildcats any real continuity. The rest of the group is brand new, a mix of transfers and freshmen that gives the staff a fresh canvas and a lot of moving parts to sort out before the season arrives.
Among the newcomers, Caleb Holt is the name that jumps off the page for fans trying to project what comes next. He arrives with the kind of profile that can reshape a roster conversation quickly, and Arizonas challenge now is figuring out how all 10 additions fit together while the status of other pieces still leaves part of the picture unsettled. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona Faces A Tricky Road Test Against A New Look Washington State
Arizona heads to Pullman for a non-conference matchup with Washington State at a time when the Cougars are still trying to find their footing under a new staff. Kirby Moore is in his first season leading the program, and the roster has been reshaped around a wave of new players, making this one of those early-season road trips that can look very different on paper than it does once the ball is kicked off. For the Wildcats, it comes with a clear edge in motivation after their recent win and a chance to keep building momentum away from home.
Washington State has already shown enough to make this more than a simple reset game, though. The Cougars are coming off a convincing win over Duquesne and have flashed the kind of special teams play that can swing a game in a hurry, which adds another wrinkle for Arizona as it chases its first road victory of the season. With a new quarterback settling in and a staff still shaping the identity of the program, the Cougars are a bit of a moving target, and that is exactly what makes this trip a tricky one for Arizona. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona Gets An Early Test Against A Familiar Team With New Questions
Washington State arrives as a familiar name with an unfamiliar tag line, now an independent after the Pac-12 breakup and still trying to sort out what this version of the Cougars looks like. For Arizona, it is an early measuring-stick game against a former conference rival, and the scouting conversation has centered on whether the Cougars can make life difficult for the Wildcats offense. Nate Dahl of Coug Center said Washington State has shown enough to be respected, but also enough unevenness to leave the matchup open to interpretation.
Much of the attention has fallen on quarterback Caden Pinnick, whose game brings some clear strengths along with questions about consistency. The Cougars also have skill-position options who can matter if the passing game settles in, while the defense has shown it can hold up in stretches. Arizona does not need a rivalry backdrop to know this is the kind of September test that can reveal a lot, and Washington State still has a few key answers to provide before anyone can say exactly how dangerous this team can be. [Read more 🡒]