Arizona Football Bowl Prediction Ahead of OSU

Arizona wanted to get back on the right track after an underwhelming first season under Brent Brennan where the team finished 4-8 and missed a bowl game despite preseason high expectations.

Well, after changes were made to the coaching staff and the roster, Brennan seems to have the Wildcats moving in the right direction with the team starting the year with 3-straight impressive wins over Hawaii, Weber State and Kansas State.

However, the Wildcats hit a bump in the road and suffered their first loss of the season in an underwhelming 39-14 performance against No. 14 Iowa State.

On the first drive of the game, the Wildcats marched down the field looking for points but missed a 46-yard field goal by kicker Michael Salgado-Medina, which seemed to set the tone of the game against Iowa State.

Arizona, found itself in an early 22-0 hole against Iowa State due to missed opportunities, sloppy play and unforced errors. The Wildcats would score right before half making it a 15-point game.

Even with the loss, Arizona is still in good position to make a bowl game needing just three more wins to lock down a bowl berth. Nationally, the Wildcats are still getting placed in bowl game predictions showing the program is moving in the right direction.

National Bowl Projections

Dec 28, 2023; San Antonio, TX, USA; Arizona Wildcats cornerback Treydan Stukes (2) brings down Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Drake Stoops (12) in the first half at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

CBS Sports: Sun Bowl | Arizona vs. SMU (Dec. 31)

College Football News: Holiday Bowl | Arizona vs. Virginia (Jan. 2)

ESPN No. 1: LA Bowl | Arizona vs. UNLV (Dec. 13)

ESPN No. 2: Sun Bowl | Arizona vs. Clemson (Dec. 31)

On SI: Sun Bowl | Arizona vs. Clemson (Dec. 31)

USA Today: Sun Bowl | Arizona vs. Duke (Dec. 31)

Arizona’s defense had been one of the better units nationally coming into the game holding opponents to 8.7 PPG, which was tied for sixth in college football. But, the Wildcats’ defense clearly hit a pump in the road against the Cyclones.

In the first three games of the season, Arizona had done a good job of eliminating explosive plays with the only one that really stood out being the 75-yard touchdown run by KSU.

Through the first three quarters against Iowa State, the Wildcats allowed SIX explosive plays with all of them coming through the air against Arizona’s secondary.

Iowa State Cyclones' wide receiver Chase Sowell (0) makes a catch around Arizona Wildcats defensive back Ayden Garnes (9) during the first quarter in the Big-12 conference showdown on Sept. 27, 2025, at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht was able to go 14 of 20 passing for 243 yards with most of his yardage coming on those six plays.

Now, although Becht was able to get the job done through the air, he did most of his scoring damage on the ground scoring on the 1-yard line against the Wildcats’ defense three times.

Meanwhile, Arizona couldn’t get off the field when it needed it most as Iowa State went 6 of 12 on third down conversion. Plus, the Wildcats allowed the Cyclones to go 2-for-2 on fourth down conversions.

🗣️ Our ball!

📺 ESPN https://t.co/uRjvjlmoQh pic.twitter.com/OZHaFwAzah
— Iowa State Football (@CycloneFB) September 28, 2025

Everything seemed to spiral out of control for Arizona, which unlike the Cyclones struggled on third downs going an underwhelming 4 of 13 for the game.

Yes, things were ugly for the Wildcats but like we said above, the team is in a good position to make a bowl game and get back to postseason football. We’ve shown you how national outlets see the Wildcats season going and now we have come up with our own prediction for UA.

Arizona Bowl Prediction

Aug 30, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats quarterback Noah Fifita (1) points up to the sky after scoring a touchdown during the third quarter of the game against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Arizona Wildcats On SI: Sun Bowl | Arizona vs. NC State (Dec. 31)

Reason

When you look at the Wildcats as a whole, Arizona has improved drastically from the first year under Brennan but still has room to grow on both sides of the ball. Now, getting out to the fast 3-0 start will go a long way for UA as it tries to get to that magic number of six to become bowl eligible.

Aug 30, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats offensive lineman Michael Wooten (77) celebrates with tight end Sam Olson (84) during the third quarter of the game against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

At the beginning of the season, we predicted Arizona winning seven games going 7-5 during the regular season. That is still where we stand today and have the Wildcats getting to that 7-win mark.

This week, the Wildcats will start to prepare for their game against Oklahoma State (1-3,0-1), which is entering the game with interim head coach Doug Meacham. In Meacham’s first game leading the charge for the Cowboys they fell 45-27 against Baylor.

Please be sure to share your thoughts on our bowl prediction for the Wildcats as they get ready to play OSU. To do so, follow us on our X account by clicking on the link.