Arizona’s bowl outlook after Week 1 already has the Wildcats landing in a familiar postseason spot, at least in the latest projections.
After rolling past Northern Arizona 35-7 to open the year, Brent Brennan’s team is being pegged by Bryan Fischer of Sports Illustrated to head to the First Responder Bowl on Jan. 2, where Arizona would face Maryland from the Big Ten.
That’s the kind of early-season forecast that fits what Arizona showed in its opener: a team that leaned on a strong run game and a defense that kept Northern Arizona under constant pressure. It also lines up with the bigger picture around this roster.
The Wildcats are coming off a 9-4 season and a Holiday Bowl appearance against SMU, a 24-19 loss on Jan. 2.
Since 2015, Arizona has won only one bowl game, the 2023 Alamo Bowl before Jedd Fisch left for Washington.
The First Responder Bowl has had a Big 12 connection for years, with the game played at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas since 2019. Even so, a Big 12 team hasn’t actually taken part since 2017, when West Virginia fell to Utah 30-14.
Maryland, the projected opponent in Fischer’s bracket, has also started 1-0 after blasting Hampton 62-0 in Week 1. The Terrapins piled up six rushing touchdowns and 646 yards of offense in that win. They head to UConn next, with kickoff set for 12:30 PM PT on CBS Sports Network.
For Arizona, the bigger question isn’t whether it can reach bowl eligibility - the projection suggests that part is very much in play - but who is available by the time December rolls around. Quarterback Noah Fifita is the headline name in a veteran offense, and if he were to opt out to focus on NFL prep, the Wildcats’ chances in a bowl setting would take a hit. That’s part of the modern bowl-game reality, where matchups outside the CFP can feel different, though they also give fans a first look at younger players who could shape the next season.
Fischer’s latest bracket includes just one Big 12 team in the CFP, with BYU at No. 8 and matched up against No. 9 Indiana, the defending champions. He also has 10 other Big 12 teams in bowl games: UCF against Tulsa in the Independence Bowl, Kansas State against Nebraska in the Frisco Bowl, Cincinnati against Wisconsin in the Cactus Bowl, Utah against Clemson in the Holiday Bowl, Houston against Pitt in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, Texas Tech against Washington in the Alamo Bowl, Colorado against Virginia in the Sun Bowl, Arizona State against Tennessee in the Las Vegas Bowl, TCU against Missouri in the Texas Bowl, and West Virginia against South Carolina in the Liberty Bowl.
Arizona gets another chance to strengthen its own bowl case - and take on the conference’s current headliner - on Saturday in Provo, where the Wildcats meet No. 14 BYU at 12:30 PM PT on FOX.