Arizona’s 2026 season opener is here, and the Wildcats are expected to handle business against NAU at Casino Del Sol Stadium.
Arizona is a 32.5-point favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, and the two programs are meeting for the third time in four seasons. The Wildcats won the latest matchup 22-10 in 2024, but the staff’s predictions point to a much more comfortable night this time around.
Kim Doss sees Arizona pulling away for a 42-10 win. Doss pointed to NAU’s 34-27 conference win last week over Eastern Washington, noting that the Lumberjacks are projected to finish fourth in the Big Sky, rank 20th in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll and 22nd in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25.
Even with that résumé, Doss expects NAU to score a little, but not enough to keep the spread from looking large. Doss also noted that the last time NAU lost by that much to either UA or ASU was 2023, when Arizona won 38-3.
Ezra Amacher went with Arizona 40-13, expecting the Wildcats to control all three phases against an NAU team picked in the upper third of the Big Sky. The biggest question, Amacher wrote, is how long Noah Fifita stays in the game. He also wants to see which new receiver steps up and said he hopes to see the turnover sword come out at least a couple of times.
Adam Green had Arizona winning 41-10, saying the Wildcats should win and will win. Green pointed to the difference between this team and the last two that faced the Lumberjacks, saying this group combines talent with continuity on the coaching staff. He also said NAU’s only edge might be already having a game under its belt, but that Arizona has enough talent to end things early.
Juan Serrano was the most aggressive with the Wildcats, picking a 52-10 Arizona win. Serrano said there is “a lot of pent-up anger” that has turned into anticipation since the Holiday Bowl and expects Arizona to come out ready to hit, score and win.
He believes year two of the Seth Doege offense will operate at a very high level, with Noah Fifita starting his final season strong and distributing the ball to his playmakers. Serrano also expects the new secondary to be a major storyline and said Brent Brennan will move to 3-0 in season openers.
Brandon Combs forecast a 45-10 Arizona victory. Combs said this is the first time in “….forever” that Arizona has the same coordinators and coaching staff in back-to-back years, calling that consistency something players and fans have been missing. He expects Arizona to start sharp, get out in front early and begin rotating players in the early to mid third quarter.
Brian Pedersen projected a 34-13 Wildcats win. Pedersen said Arizona is clearly the better team on paper, but also pointed back to the 2024 opener against NAU as a reminder that things can get messy if the offense isn’t clean. He added that Arizona could win by much more, but with BYU coming in Week 2, he expects the Wildcats to keep things fairly vanilla.
Here’s how the staff’s 2025 season records broke down: Kim Doss, 9-4 straight up and 7-6 against the spread; Ezra Amacher, 11-2 and 9-4; Adam Green, 9-4 and 7-6; Brandon Combs, 11-2 and 9-4; Juan Serrano, 9-4 and 7-6; Brian Pedersen, 9-4 and 6-7.
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