Arizona Wildcats' Bowl Projections Heading Into Houston

Arizona will be looking to get back on track after a disappointing loss against BYU.

Dec 28, 2023; San Antonio, TX, USA; Arizona Wildcats running back DJ Williams (8) scores on a 19-yard touchdown run against the Oklahoma Sooners in the second half of the Alamo Bowl at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-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.

Oct 11, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Tre Spivey (12) catches the ball while Brigham Young Cougars cornerback Evan Johnson (0) fails to block it during the third quarter of the game at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

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 have gone 1-2 in their last three games with losses to Iowa State and most recently BYU at home this past Saturday night.

Oct 11, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Brigham Young Cougars running back LJ Martin (4) gets tackled by the Arizona Wildcats during the first quarter of the game at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Arizona (4-2, 1-2 Big 12) was looking to stay on track after an impressive 28-point win over Oklahoma State as the Wildcats faced off against No. 18 BYU, with the game on ESPN2, showcasing two of the better defensive teams in the Big 12.

The forecast called for rain and after an hour weather delay, the game lived up to the billing of a defensive grudge match with both teams coming up with clutch stops and key takeaways to keep the offenses in check.

Arizona put itself in perfect position in the fourth quarter up 24-14 with just over 10 minutes left in the game. However, the Wildcats saw BYU tie the game up with 19 seconds left in the game due to two pass interference calls on defensive back Michael Dansby.

In overtime, BYU went on to fight its way to an impressive 33-27 double overtime win over Arizona and keep its undefeated streak alive. The Wildcats had an opportunity to pull off the upset but fell flat in the last minutes of regulation, which led to the overtime loss.

Oct 11, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Brigham Young Cougars head coach Kalani Sitake celebrates a win against the Arizona Wildcats after overtime with his team and the crowd at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Still, Arizona is in a solid position to make a bowl game with the Wildcats just needing two wins in the last six games to lock up the bowl berth.

So, we at Arizona Wildcats On SI took a look around the national landscape to see where outlets have the Wildcats going when looking at the bowl predictions.

• CBS Sports: Holiday Bowl | Arizona vs. Virginia (Jan. 2)

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

• ESPN No. 1: Frisco Bowl | Arizona vs. UTSA (Dec. 23)

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

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

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

Oct 11, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats defensive back Dalton Johnson (43) tackles Brigham Young Cougars running back LJ Martin (4) during the fourth quarter of the game at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

After seeing the team go 4-8 in the first year of the Brennan era, Wildcats fans became worried about the hiring of the new coach.

However, in the second season, Brennan was able to get his team off on the right foot with a 4-1 record. Still, the Wildcats were in position to capture their fifth win of the year with the team leading 24-14 with under 11 minutes left in the game.

Oct 11, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Brigham Young Cougars quarterback Bear Bachmeier (47) scores a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

The Wildcats not only saw the lead slip away with BYU scoring a game-tying touchdown but at the end of the game, Brennan decided to take a knee and go into overtime despite having two timeouts and 19 seconds on the clock at the 25-yard line.

You have a kicker that hit a 60-yard field goal the previous week and who Brennan calls “Money Mike,” in Michael Salgado-Medina. Yet, with two timeouts and only needing to pick up around 30 to 35 yards, he takes a knee to go into overtime.

Now, do we know if the Wildcats would’ve had a shot for the kick, or even made a long kick?

Oct 11, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats kicker Michael Salgado-Medina (19) kicks a field goal during the second quarter of the game against the Brigham Young Cougars at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

No, but you need to give your team a shot at going for the win and especially with a defense that seemed to be getting tired later in the night.

Still, Arizona is in good position to make a bowl game and we at Arizona Wildcats On SI have come up with our own prediction for the Wildcats bowl berth.

Bowl Prediction

Oct 11, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Kris Hutson (4) celebrates a touchdown he made during the first quarter of the game against the Brigham Young Cougars at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

• 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 11, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats defensive back Treydan Stokes (2) celebrates an interception he made during the second quarter against the Brigham Young Cougars 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.