Breaking Down Arizona’s Position in the Big 12 Standings
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The Big 12 is an unpredictable, chaotic mess every year. Every team seemingly has a shot to either crack the title game or wreck someone's season every given Saturday.
This season, however, a group of teams has seemingly separated itself from the pack through the first part of conference play. Texas Tech, BYU and Cincinnati remain undefeated in Big 12 play and continue to steadily rise in the rankings.
Meanwhile, Arizona hasn't made a big impact on the conference yet. They've had chances, but a blowout loss on the road at Iowa State and a narrow home loss this past weekend to BYU in double overtime have derailed the team's momentum in year two in the Big 12.
Brent Brennan is also in year two in Tucson, and he's done an admirable job bringing in talent to surround his quarterback, Noah Fifita, and has a pack of seasoned veterans on the defensive end, like safety Dalton Johnson.
The one thing he's missing is a signature Big 12 win. After just four wins a year ago, the Wildcats are poised to surpass that mark with their next win.
That win could come on Saturday at Houston, which has jumped out to a 5-1 start this season, and is a slim favorite over the Wildcats. Many of the teams left on Arizona's schedule are flirting with .500, and a road trip to Cincinnati is their only remaining ranked opponent.
At 1-2 in conference play, and three undefeated teams in the conference left, the Wildcats would likely need to go undefeated to have a chance to travel to Dallas for the title game. But, if those teams were to drop a few games, how would it happen?
BYU has a challenging slate coming up, with matchups against rival Utah and trips to Iowa State, Texas Tech and Cincinnati all on deck. The Red Raiders, who look like the best of the bunch, have a fairly straightforward path should they get past Arizona State this weekend.
Arizona's loss to BYU makes it challenging to jump, but the Wildcats could play season-wrecker against Cincinnati, Baylor and Arizona State, all with one loss or fewer still on the Arizona schedule.
All three have shown the ability to become big-time offenses this season. While the Wildcats' defense has been valiant, offensive coordinator Seth Doege's unit is not suited for a shootout-style game.
Saturday's loss is a great case study. The Arizona defense forced turnovers and the Wildcats' offense led sustained drives in the first half to take the lead, but ran out of gas down the stretch.
There is plenty of time for fortunes to change. Fifita seems to have one of the better receiving cores in the conference at his fingertips, which could lead to more explosive plays. Wideouts Javin Whatley, Chris Hunter and Kris Hutson have all shined in recent weeks and could be due to spark a more aggressive offense.
Bottom line, the Wildcats' defense should keep Brennan's squad in every game remaining on the schedule, and they have the offensive capabilities to take each game as well.
However, the inconsistencies on offense make it tough to see a path to the end of the road in Dallas. While Arizona might not be a contender for the conference crown this season, they have plenty of pieces to be excited about going forward. And, they could play spoiler for a number of teams left on the schedule, shaking up the race in November.
Logan Brown is an alumnus of the prestigious Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He currently works as a General College Sports Reporter On SI. Logan has an extensive background in writing and has contributed to Cronkite Sports, PHNX Sports, and Motion Graphics.
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