Arizona’s football season has reached its midpoint, and the Wildcats are sitting in a spot that matches both the record and the metrics: five wins, one loss, and a case for being better than the national view suggests.
The record is simple enough. Arizona is 5-1 after six games, with its only defeat coming at unbeaten BYU, and the Wildcats are on the edge of reentering the national rankings.
Pro Football Focus, though, has been a little more cautious. Through the first half of the 2026 season, Arizona checks in as the 50th-best team in the country with an 89.0 grade.
That number is actually an improvement over where the Wildcats finished last season. Arizona wrapped up 2025 with an 87.7 final grade after going 9-4, so the overall team profile has ticked upward even before the second half of the schedule begins.
The offense has been the stronger part of the team by PFF’s numbers. Arizona ranks 26th nationally with an 81.5 offensive grade, driven in large part by a passing game that comes in at 85.2. Noah Fifita is at the center of that, and PFF has him graded as the 6th-best quarterback in the country at 90.4.
The protection in front of him has held up well, too. Arizona owns the 14th-best pass blocking grade nationally at 81.1, and the receiving group sits 20th at 77.3.
Zach Henning has been a bright spot in the trenches. The center owns the 10th-best pass blocking grade in the country at 88.1 and ranks second at his position.
Defense has not been graded nearly as well overall. Arizona is tied for 98th at 75.4, even though that side of the ball had been the more impressive unit until last weekend’s game against West Virginia.
Still, there are individual standouts. Cornerback Jay’Vion Cole is tied for 11th in run defense at 90.7, and linebacker Dash Fifita leads Arizona’s defenders overall with an 88.6 grade.
Among Wildcats who have played at least 10 snaps per game, the top offensive grades overall belong to Noah Fifita at 90.4, followed by Giovanni Richardson at 77.0, Isaiah Mizell at 76.4, Tre Spivey at 74.3 and Henning at 74.3.
In receiving, Mizell tops the list at 80.1, with Richardson at 77.5, Quincy Craig at 75.5, Spivey at 73.3 and Brandon Phelps at 71.9.
On defense, Dash Fifita leads the group overall at 88.6, followed by Cole at 81.1, Julian Savaiinaea at 78.5, Zac Siulepa at 71.6 and Cam Chapa at 70.8.
Against the run, Cole again sits first at 90.7, with Savaiinaea at 81.9, Chapa at 75.7, Myron Robinson at 74.7 and Chase Kennedy at 72.8.
In Other News...
Arizona Gets An Early Test For Its New-Look Final Four Follow-Up
Arizona will get an early look at its new season mix on Oct. 13, when the Wildcats host San Francisco in an exhibition at McKale Center. It is the first public tune-up for a program coming off a 36-3 season and a Final Four run, one that has managed to keep some familiar pieces in place while still looking notably different as it turns the page to another year with high expectations.
San Francisco is bringing a roster of its own that has been heavily remade, so the game should serve as an evaluation point for both sides. For Arizona, the timing offers a useful checkpoint before the games count, a chance to see how quickly the new group settles in against a disciplined opponent and whether the Wildcats can start building on last seasons standard right away. [Read more 🡒]
Former Wildcats Made NFL Noise Again And One Update Bears Watching
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The bigger concern from an Arizona perspective came with Jonah Savaiinaea, whose day for Miami ended early because of an ankle injury. For a group that has had multiple ex-Wildcats carving out roles on Sundays, the update serves as a reminder that not every headline is about a breakout, and some of the most important ones are the ones worth watching closely going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona Opens With Real Rotation Questions Still Hanging Over This Team
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Those matchups also arrive with some rotation uncertainty still hanging over the roster. Arizona is sorting through a few availability questions as it tries to settle roles and lineups, and the exhibitions should provide a clearer picture of who can handle what once the games count. In that sense, the first week of October may matter less for the final score than for the clues it offers about how the Wildcats will piece themselves together. [Read more 🡒]