Arizona Wildcats Bowl Prediction Heading Into BYU Game

Arizona has started the season on the right foot with an impressive 4- record and will be looking for win No. 5 against BYU.

Dec 28, 2023; San Antonio, TX, USA; Arizona Wildcats defensive lineman Tyler Manoa (92) leads the team out ahead of the game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images / Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

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.

After a quick bump in the road against Iowa State, Arizona (4-1, 1-1 Big 12) was able to bounce back with an impressive 41-13 win over Oklahoma State putting the Wildcats two wins away from a bowl berth.

Sep 6, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats quarterback Noah Fifita (1) looks to pass the ball during the first quarter of the game against the Weber State Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images / Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

On the offensive side of the ball, Arizona was led by quarterback Noah Fifita, who racked up 376 passing yards while going 28 of 38, which led to five touchdowns on the day for the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week award winner.

Leading the charge in the receiving room was Tre Spivey, who set the tone early in the game with two catches that resulted in touchdowns to put the WIldcats ahead by double-digits early.

On the defensive side of the ball, Arizona held Oklahoma State to 158 total yards, which marked the second time this season the Wildcats have held an opponent to under 200 yards of total offense.

Arizona defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales setting up his defensive unit against Hawaii / Arizona Athletics

So far this season, the Wildcats have racked up 13 sacks, which places them 31st nationally. Meanwhile, Arizona has allowed opponents to average 15.6 PPG, which puts UA 19th nationally along with Iowa.

Now, Arizona will be getting ready to face off against No. 18 BYU (5-0, 2-0) on Saturday night with kickoff set for 5 p.m. (MST) on ESPN2.

However, before we get to the game, we at Arizona Wildcats On SI too a look around the national landscape to see where outlets have the Wildcats going when looking at the bowl predictions.

National Bowl Projections

Dec 20, 2008; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Arizona Wildcats linebacker Ronnie Palmer (33), cornerback Devin Ross (6), quarterback Willie Tuitama (7) and coach Mike Stoops celebrate after the Wildcats' 31-21 victory over the Brigham Young Cougars in the Las Vegas Bowl at Sam Boyd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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

• College Football News: Independence Bowl | Arizona vs. Tulane (Dec. 30)

• 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. SMU (Dec. 31)

• USA Today: Sun Bowl | Arizona vs. NC State (Dec. 31)

Oct 4, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys safety Mordecai McDaniel (32) grabs Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Tre Spivey (12) during the third quarter of the game at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images / Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Coming into the game against Oklahoma State, Arizona was the heavy favorite and managed to cover the spread and take care of business. However, there were some issues on the offensive end that need to be corrected moving forward.

Arizona struggled to run the football and finished with 46 yards on the ground. That is after the Wildcats opened the game with a balanced drive, which saw them rush for 35 yards of the 70 yards gained.

Not only were there some holes in the running game, but Fifita had some issues despite winning the offensive player of the week award in the conference.

Oct 4, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats defensive back Dalton Johnson (43) tackles Oklahoma State Cowboys running back Trent Howland (24) during the second quarter at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images / Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Fifita threw for five touchdowns but also threw an interception where he overthrew a wide open receiver and then he fumbled the ball on the 1-yard line.

Both turnovers came on the Cowboys’ side of the field, which cost the Wildcats potential points on the board.

Still, Arizona is clearly making progress this season and is in the running to make a bowl game and potentially make some noise in the Big 12 Conference Title race.

Oct 4, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Luke Wysong (15) runs with the ball against the Oklahoma State Cowboys during the second quarter at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images / Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

With that and looking where Arizona stacks up nationally, we have come up with our bowl prediction for the Wildcats.

Bowl Prediction

• Arizona Wildcats On SI:  Sun Bowl | Arizona vs. NC State (Dec. 13)

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.

Oct 4, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Javin Whatley (6) scores a touchdown while Oklahoma State Cowboys safety Parker Robertson (8) fails to tackle him during the third quarter of the game 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.

Please be sure to share your thoughts on our bowl prediction for Arizona as the Wildcats look for their fifth win of the season. To do so, follow us on our X account by clicking on the link.

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