Arizona could face ACC powerhouse in latest bowl projection

Brent Brennan and the Arizona Wildcats couldn't get it done in Provo on Saturday afternoon against BYU, losing 28-17 and falling to 1-1 on the year and 0-1 in Big 12 play.

While it was another disappointing loss to the Cougars, the Wildcats still have a lot of season left to play - and are staring at a very winnable stretch of games starting this Saturday at home against Northern Illinois.

Arizona is still among the better teams in the Big 12, especially with quarterback Noah Fifita in the mix, and experts still overwhelmingly project them to make a good bowl game this winter.

The latest projections come from CBS Sports, who have the Wildcats taking on Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers in the iconic Sun Bowl on Dec. 31 in El Paso.

Sun Bowl history

UTEP football players practice Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, at Sun Bowl Stadium ahead of their first season in the Mountain West Conference. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Sun Bowl is tied with the Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl as the second-oldest bowl game in the country behind the Rose Bowl.

Arizona first appeared in the Sun Bowl in 1968 in a 34-10 loss to Auburn. They then tied with Georgia, 13-13, in 1985 before losing to Baylor in 1992, 20-15, despite being ranked No. 22 in the country.

Securing the program's first Sun Bowl victory would be a great end to the 2026 season, especially if it came against Swinney and Clemson - a program Arizona has never faced in football.

What's next for Wildcats

Sep 12, 2026; Provo, Utah, USA; Arizona Wildcats quarterback Noah Fifita (1) | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Arizona has five straight games coming up against unranked opponents, a chance to gain serious momentum heading into a Halloween showdown in Lubbock against Texas Tech.

The Wildcats will be favored this week against Northern Illinois, and likely in Pullman against Washington State in Week 4. After that they will host Cincinnati Oct. 3, take on West Virginia in Morgantown Oct. 10, and host Iowa State Oct. 24.

It's not at all inconceivable to think the Wildcats will rattle off five straight victories, which could make the road tilt at Texas Tech a battle between two ranked programs. Arizona then closes by hosting TCU Nov. 6, Utah No. 14, with a road game at Kansas State on Nov. 21 and of course the annual rivalry game with Arizona State Nov. 28 at Casino Del Sol Stadium.

For Arizona the play of the new look secondary will need to be cleaned up, and Fifita must find targets he likes that aren't sophomore wideout Gio Richardson - especially as he deals with an injury that took him out early in the second quarter against BYU.

Northern Illinois (0-2) got stomped 40-0 by Iowa in Week 1 and lost last week to Illinois State, and will give Brennan and the Wildcats a nice opportunity to address those areas of concern in Week 3.

The game is set to kickoff at 7:30 PM MT on Saturday, Sept. 19.

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