Arizona gets intriguing bowl projection after latest win
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Brent Brennan and the Arizona Wildcats took care of business at home against Northern Illinois on Saturday night, 42-17, to move to 2-1 on the year.
After an alarmingly slow start, which had the Wildcats down 10-0 six minutes into the game, Arizona tightened up on both sides of the ball, rattled off 42 unanswered points, and coasted to victory on a night when Noah Fifita broke the program's all-time record for career passing yards.
The win gets UA back on the right track after an agonizing Week 2 loss at BYU, and keeps the Wildcats firmly in position to play in a quality bowl game this winter.
'Bowl'-ing in Texas
An updated prediction from CBS Sports has Arizona playing in the Sun Bowl - for the first time since 1992 - and squaring off against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets out of the ACC.
Arizona is 0-2-1 in three Sun Bowl appearances all time, losing to Auburn in 1968 and Baylor in 1992, with a tie against Georgia in 1985. The Sun Bowl is tied with the Sugar and Orange Bowls as the second-oldest continuous bowl game, of course behind the iconic Rose Bowl.
The Wildcats are 2-0 all-time against Georgia Tech, beating the Yellow Jackets 19-14 in Atlanta in 1994 and 20-19 at home in 1995.
The Big 12 has two teams, BYU and Texas Tech, projected in the CFP after Week 3. Texas Tech is No. 6, while BYU - who beat Arizona 28-17 in Week 2 - is No. 10.
Other Big 12 bowl teams in these projections include Kansas State (Liberty Bowl vs. Missouri), Utah (Holiday Bowl vs. Louisville), Arizona State (Armed Forces Bowl vs. Army), West Virginia (Cactus Bowl vs. Minnesota), Houston (Alamo Bowl vs. Oregon), TCU (Pop-Tarts Bowl vs. SMU), and Oklahoma State (Texas Bowl vs. Florida).
What's next for Wildcats
Arizona is in the midst of a must-win slate of games, with four straight contests against unranked opponents before taking on Texas Tech on Halloween in Lubbock. It's entirely feasible that the Wildcats head into that game with a 6-1 record and serious momentum as a real threat to take down the Red Raiders.
However, any losses in the next month - which includes games at Washington State and at West Virginia and home against Cincinnati and Iowa State - could put a lot more pressure on Arizona's final stretch of games.
The Wildcats finish with four tough matchups, hosting TCU Nov. 6 and Utah Nov. 14, then playing Kansas State on the road Nov. 21 and ending the regular season at home against rival Arizona State on Nov. 28.
For now, the team will turn its attention to the Cougars of Washington State, a former Pac-12 foe who dismantled FCS Duquesne on Saturday, 48-7.
The game is set for Saturday, Sep. 26 at 4:30 PM PT on CBS.
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Andy Patton is a college basketball writer with deep ties to both Gonzaga and Arizona. A Gonzaga alumnus who graduated in 2013, he has hosted the Locked On Zags podcast covering Gonzaga basketball since 2021 and has co-hosted the Locked On College Basketball podcast since 2022. His years covering the Bulldogs have also given him extensive familiarity with Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd, who spent more than two decades on Mark Few’s staff at Gonzaga before taking over the Wildcats in 2021. Andy has worked in sports media since 2017, with experience covering nearly every major sport. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for USA TODAY from 2017–21, where he also spent time covering the USC Trojans and Oregon Ducks, and previously served as lead writer for College Sports Wire. He has also covered the NBA, NHL and MLB for various TEGNA outlets, including KREM in Spokane, 12News in Phoenix and KING 5 in Seattle. Andy now lives in Spokane, Washington, with his wife, daughter and dog.
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