Arizona Football Team Looks to Capitalize on Rare Momentum

The Arizona basketball team's run to the 2026 Final Four has the entire athletic department hungry for consistent success, and that has poured into the football program as it continues its spring practices.

Much of the football staff was lucky enough to travel to Indianapolis to support the Wildcat basketball team, which has always held the upper hand in the sport's popularity at the university. Yet, as that season came to a bitter close, they noticed more positivity being channeled toward head coach Brent Brennan and the product he has created on the gridiron.

"I've been strong on saying that we're going to make a statement that this is Arizona football, from a great disappointment to excitement," defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales told the media at spring practice. "The amount of people at the basketball game ... Everybody, as we were leaving that stadium, they were talking about Coach's football season, which is exciting. We created some magic that they've created here before, and now, everybody's excited."

Motivation From 2025

And why wouldn't they be? After a 4-8 debut season following the departure of former head coach Jedd Fisch, Brennan led the Wildcats to a nine-win season and a tie for fourth place in the Big 12 after many predicted they would finish near the bottom of the league during the preseason.

Now begins the next step of not only replicating it, but moving forward toward competing for a Big 12 Championship and the College Football Playoff. To do so, they'll likely need at least 10 wins, which has only been reached four times in program history. But with so much talent returning, including All-Big 12 quarterback Noah Fifita, it's hard for this team to hide its intentions, and that can be dangerous if used improperly.

Nov 28, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats quarterback Noah Fifita (1) against the Arizona State Sun Devils during the 99th Territorial Cup at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

"The challenge to that is we have a good football team coming back," Gonzales added. "How do we not let that football team think this is going to be easy? Because nothing in life that ever comes easy is good or worth it. That's been the biggest challenge because we've got a very confident group, but we have to maintain and keep them from getting arrogant and being arrogant."

Greatest Wildcat Teams of All Time

Arizona has won at least 10 games in 1993, 1998, 2014, and 2023. That mark meant much more to teams back in the 1990s, and the debate over the truly greatest team in school history remains between the 10-2 1993 team that finished ranked 10th nationally and the 12-1 team of 1998 that reached the top four.

But if the 2026 Wildcats have it their way during the program's 123rd football season, Arizona fans may just forget those squads.

"We want to end that debate," Gonzales said. "We want team number 123 to be the best team there's ever been at the University of Arizona. You don't have to have the most talent to do that. You have to have enough talent."

Frankly, it sounds much like the basketball team. Lute Olson helped take the WIldcats to new heights in the late 1990s and early 200s, and it set the stage for greater expectations now and in the future. It's something Tommy Lloyd and his team have tried to live up to, and on the heels of his colleague's Final Four run, Brennan's program has a chance to set a simialr tone on the football field.

Friday night lights in the desert 😼 pic.twitter.com/mn1qJgESm1
— Arizona Football (@ArizonaFBall) April 10, 2026

"Make it just like McKale," Gonzales challenged the Wildcat faithful, alluding to the raucous environment of the school's basketball arena. "Make it the greatest place to play a football game because, on November 6, when we play TCU on a Friday night after we've just played Texas Tech in Lubbock on Halloween, it ought to be the hardest ticket to buy in the history of the city of Tucson."