Closing out an unexpected and tremendous 10-3 season, along with a massive victory over then No. 12 University of Oklahoma, the Wildcats faced postseason turmoil as head coach Jedd Fisch announced his departure to the University of Washington. This would put the program on edge, having many players enter the transfer portal and  losing a majority to Fisch’s Washington. 

However, the shining light during this time was the announcement that most of the team would return for the upcoming season, most noticeably Noah Fifita, Tetairoa McMillan and Jacob Manu. This would be followed by the announcement of the program’s next coach, San José State’s Brent Brennan. This also would be their first season moving from the Pac-12 Conference and into the Big 12.

History:

The Arizona Wildcats enter the season with their highest preseason ranking (21) since the 1999 season when they were ranked fourth. This position comes with pressure, as the Wildcats hope to live up to the ranking as well as build on the success within the program. The coaching trio of Brennan, Duane Akina and Dino Babers come back once more’ the three were all present at Arizona in 2000. When these coaches were last together with the Wildcats, Arizona also moved conferences for the first time since 1977 when they left the Western Athletic Conference to join the Pacific-10 Conference, which later turned into the Pac-12.

Impact Games:

The Wildcats open their first season in the Big 12 conference with some serious matchups on the road against two ranked opponents in their first two conference games of the season. The Wildcats face No. 18 Kansas State University in Week 3 and No. 12 University of Utah in Week 4. The last time Arizona faced Kansas State was in 1978, which resulted in a 31-0 victory for Arizona. The Wildcats faced the Utes in 2023 and Arizona thrashed Utah in a 42-18 victory.

The latter games of the season pit the Wildcats against the University of Colorado in Week 7; when the teams last faced each other in 2023, Colorado lost to Arizona 34-31. Other games against the University of Central Florida, West Virginia University, Texas Christian University and Texas Tech University will be sure-fire introductions for the Wildcats as they hope to put the Big 12 on notice this season.

Impact Players:

The Wildcats will be looking toward returning stars like Noah Fifita, Tetairoa McMillan, Jacob Manu and Tacario Davis to come back in prime form. The new additions, however, made during the transfer portal and recruitment this offseason also have plenty of shoes to fill. The two new running backs, Kedrick Reescano from the University of Mississippi and Jacory Croskey-Merritt from the University of New Mexico were some of the most sought-after players acquired from the transfer portal. Both will be looking to replace Jonah Coleman and Jordan Washington, who left this offseason to follow Jedd Fisch to the University of Washington. Reescano played sparingly on special teams as a true freshman for Ole Miss and Croskey-Merritt is looking to grow on his previous season which saw him record 1,190 yards and 17 touchdowns.

The Wildcats have also brought in some defensive help via the transfer portal in defensive lineman Tre Smith from SJSU, defensive lineman Kevon Darton from Syracuse University and cornerback Marquis Groves-Killebrew from the University of Louisville to name a few. These newcomers look to provide for an Arizona defense that got torn apart during the transfer portal.

Preseason Power Rankings and Predictions, Kellen O’Halloran: 

This is one of the most highly anticipated college football seasons in a while, mostly due to conference realignment across the country. The Big 12 lost Oklahoma and Texas, but Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State and Utah all joined the conference after the Pac-12 essentially disbanded. The Big 12 will be a deep conference this year thanks to its new additions, but it is not projected to be a conference with many national title contenders. Bet365 gives Utah the 16th best odds in the country to win the College Football Playoff, which are the highest odds for a Big 12 team. However, a Big 12 team is guaranteed a chance as the new playoff format gives all major conference champions a first round bye. Here are my 16 best teams in the Big 12 headed into Week 1. 

1. University of Utah

• • Kyle Whittingham has orchestrated 17 winning seasons in his 19 years as head coach of the Utes, including two Rose Bowl appearances in the last three seasons. If not for injuries plaguing Utah’s roster last year including losing starting quarterback Cam Rising for the year, they would have outperformed their 8-5 2023 record. Rising is back for the season and so are other key starters. Rice-Eccles being one of the toughest venues to play in as an opposing team combined with Utah’s experience and quarterback play puts them at the top of my list. 

2. Kansas State University

• • Although Kansas State lost QB Will Howard, they bring in a talented roster for this season. Sophomore QB Avery Johnson brings more mobility and quickness to this offense than before. The Wildcats have finished the season ranked inside the top 25 the past two seasons, and I expect them to continue that level of success this season.

3. University of Arizona 

• • Arizona has arguably the best quarterback-wide receiver combination in the country in Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillan. However, Jedd Fisch leaving created too many holes in their roster with players departing after he left. Brent Brennan has a tough task ahead of him as a first year coach leading a team into a new conference.  

4. Oklahoma State University 

• • After finishing last season with a strong 10-4 record and falling just short in the conference championship, Mike Gundy aims to steer his team back to the top. Leading the charge is Doak Walker Award recipient Ollie Gordon II, accompanied by key returnees like veteran QB Alan Bowman, WR Brennan Presley, offensive tackle Dalton Cooper and linebackers Collin Oliver and Nick Martin who look to lead the Cowboys to a playoff berth. 

5. University of West Virginia 

• • QB Garrett Greene and running backs CJ Donaldson Jr. and Jahiem White return after propelling West Virginia to a top-four national ranking in rushing yards per game. The wide receiver group is deep and the defense, especially the secondary, has been bolstered by key transfers. With these strengths, the Mountaineers have a legitimate shot at contending for the Big 12 Championship.

6. TCU

• • After making the National Championship game in 2022, the Horned Frogs underperformed and finished the 2023 season with a 5-7 record. Sonny Dykes is one of the most underrated coaches in the country, and has one of the more talented rosters in the conference. 

7. Iowa State University

• • Entering his ninth season, Matt Campbell ranks among the longest-tenured coaches in the conference. The Cyclones exceeded expectations with a winning record last year and now bring back almost all their starters on both offense and defense.

8. University of Colorado

• • Colorado’s stars Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter showed out in their week 0 win, beating North Dakota State 31-26. Although Colorado has many talented players on their roster, their lack of depth, chemistry and physicality will prevent them from being real contenders in the Big 12. 

9. University of Kansas 

• • Will Jalon Daniels be able to stay healthy? That is the biggest question mark for the Jayhawks headed into this season. Daniels has missed 14 games in his career due to injury, so his health is a major factor in the team’s performance. Even with Daniels, it would take a lot of upsets for the Jayhawks to find themselves contending for a Big 12 title.

10. University of Central Florida

• • UCF has some of the best skill players in the conference, and now they have a proven QB in transfer KJ Jefferson. UCF could make some noise but their lack of depth and winning experience will halt them. 

11. Texas Tech University

• • Texas Tech entered last season as a dark horse contender for the Big 12 title, but injuries at the QB position led to a 7-6 finish. If QB Behren Morton can stay healthy, the Red Raiders are a much better team. 

12. BYU

• • BYU went 5-7 last year and they don’t project to be better headed into this season. The Cougars have too many question marks at key positions.     

13. Baylor University

• • Head coach Dave Aranda is on the hot seat after a disappointing 3-9 finish in 2023. They turned to NIL in hopes of adding new talent, with a marketing campaign centered around the slogan “we pay players.”

14. University of Houston

• • Houston had a tough first season in the Big 12, despite beating West Virginia last season. Unfortunately, this season doesn’t seem much more promising for the Cougars as they are still rebuilding to compete in the Big 12. 

15. University of Cincinnati

• • Like Houston, Cincinnati struggled in their first year playing in the Big 12. They too are in the beginning stages of a rebuild. 

16. Arizona State University

• • Arizona State went 3-9 in the Pac-12 last year, and you could argue they are returning a worse team. They will struggle in their first year playing in the Big 12.

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