2024 Arizona College Football Schedule Preview

Arizona was one of the biggest surprises of the college football season going 10 and three with an alamoo bile victory over Oklahoma the wild cats now come in at number nine and are way too early top 25 as they make the transition from the Pack 12 to the Big 12 a conference they very well could win in 2024 so welcome back to the GD IR expert guys we're so glad you could join us today to break down Arizona's schedule for this upcoming conf college football season as always please continue to like comment subscribe share our videos and check out everything down in the description below including our website the grid iron expert.com so much exclusive content over there you guys to help you get through this off season the season though Never Dies here at our Channel but we want you to become a member of our GE Nation we don't want you to miss out on any of the future content especially prediction season which is right around the corner so we take a look at Arizona full disclosure we put out our way too early top 25 before the shocking announcement of Jed fish leaving to go to Washington you know we put it our way too early top 25 a week after the national championship and we thought the coaching Carousel was slowing down and it wasn't kayin debor leaves Washington to go to B Jed fish leaves Arizona to go to Washington and so Arizona has to hire Brent Brennan from San Jose State which wasn't the biggest or best hire in the world but he's a guy that I think can find success at Arizona at least this year and the major reason for that is that talent that He retained Noah fafo was one of the best quarterbacks in the country last year and did it as a freshman tedar Ro McMillan is going to be an elite wide receiver not just in the Big 12 but in the entire country so the offense is very elite last year this was a pretty young Arizona team so they have a lot of debt they have a lot of experience a young team that got experience last year that's going to be even better this year if they can continue to be solid on defense this is a team that will challenge for a big 12 title in their first year in the conference and you take a look at their schedule it really is very favorable very favorable uh in some aspects I should say the home slate is great Arizona has a really good chance and we're not predicting wins and losses today but they've got a very good chance to go undefeated at home this year uh the road slate on the other hand is very very difficult you've got a road slate at Kansas State a non-conference game but at Kansas State at Utah at BYU at UCF at TCU very difficult games there but the home record the home games the combined record of their home opponents excluding Northern Arizona excluding them out of the FCS the combined record of their home opponents from last year was 31 and 43 their toughest home game is going to be West Virginia on October 26 A West Virginia team that returns a lot of talent from a nine- win team last year the only other team that had a winning record that they faced at home was what uh Texas Tech is that right I mean that's it right I mean this was a very very very easy slate at home for the Wildcats the road record of their combined opponents or the the combined record of their Road opponents was 33 and 30 so a little bit above 500 but you got to play again a wild cats team that's very dangerous a you team that's very dangerous we'll break those down for you right now again you look at the schedule the home slate favorable if they run the table there they're going to be a solid Bowl team but Arizona obviously wants more they're a team that with the talent that they have they believe they can go on and contend for a big 12 title and be in the hunt for a conference title late in the year and let's keep in mind Arizona with 12 team playoff now has a chance to maybe make that 12 team playoff if all things can go in their favor it's going to be interesting to see how it plays out with a new coach and new schemes but the forgetting of the schedule New Mexico Northern Arizona shouldn't be much of an issue it's that Kansas State game and that Utah game that to me is going to define the season because like we mentioned they've got some tough road games down the stretch we get that but you got back-to-back Road games and I know the bye-week breaks it up but back-to-back Road games against A Wildcats team that's been a perennial contender in the Big 12 under Chris kman is going to have a great quarterback in Avery Johnson a great run game a def defense is always strong they're playing them in the non-conference so it won't hurt them in the Big 12 standings but could hurt them in terms of their playoff hopes then you get a byee and you've got to go to Salt Lake City in a place where I like to say dreams go to die Utah is such a difficult place to play this is a huge team also in their first year in the Big 12 former Pack 12 teams Arizona did win 42 to 18 last year but it was a Utah team that didn't have Cham Rising didn't have some of their best offensive weapons and it was team that was kind of deteriorating at the end of the year unlike Arizona who was peing at the end of the year getting really really hot to close out the season they've now got to go out to Ryle Stadium to play a use team although getting that week of rest is massive so that's the thing guys you look at those first four games they're probably going to start 2-0 but is Arizona 2-2 going into October if that's the case they're in trouble granted only one of those losses would be a conference loss they're still in the hunt for a big 12 title and they can win the Big 12 they're going to the playoff and things like that but you want to try to uh have as little amount of damage as possible although I I always say that if you're going to lose it's better to lose lose early than it is to lose late but Kansas State and new car are going to define those are two very tough road environments two very good teams two teams that will be in the hunt for a big 12 titles you're playing two of the better teams in the entire conference uh in back-to-back games both of them on the road that's unfortunate it really is but then you come out of that right you survive that if you're if you're Arizona and you're three in one or better coming out of September I think that's a major success three and one are better that's a major success then you get Texas Tech at home team that was really just pointing last year they were kind of a dark horse for many of us including myself maybe win the Big 12 in 2023 fell flat on their face quickly after that 0 and2 start all the more reason to get off to a strong start you see you know a Texas Tech team that had sky high expectations Dash like that Arizona same thing sky high expectations if they lose to Kansas State and Utah they're Dash just like that before the season really even gets going then they got to go to BYU a by team out in Provo that is not easy to play that's a very difficult place to play so two the two Utah teams and there Iona has a travel to both of them and and neither of those places are easy plac to play at all BYU team that just missed out in a bowl game in their first year in the Big 12 hoping to take that extra step forward be a little bit better and at least clinch six wins they take on Colorado another former Pack 12 member beat them 34- 31 last year uh the Buffalo won't stand a chance if they can't fix their defense the offense isn't terrible the defense was atrocious they've got to fix it but Arizona getting them at home is Big we mentioned West Virginia that's their toughest home game it really is I mean Mexico Northern Arizona Texas Tech Colorado outside of West Virginia it's Houston under a new coach in Willie Fritz and Arizona State Big Time rivalry game Arizona won 59 to 23 last year and the sunnd Devils under Ken Dillingham just aren't there quite yet be year or two for them they're not going to be there quite yet we're not predicting wins and losses today but again I would expect Arizona to be favored in that game so all the home games Arizona State losing record Houston losing record Colorado losing record New Mexico losing record northern Arizona out of the FCS only teams that finish with a little bit above 500 were Texas Tech and West Virginia you get them both at home the Mountaineers are going to be the toughest by far by far and if Arizona's defense is up to the challenge they shut down that running attack by West Virginia they'll be just fine UCF is going to be a tough one KJ Jefferson transferring in from Arkansas to run Gus ma On's offense uh this is a UCF team that maybe could be your Dark Horse this year the big 12's expanded it's big you got Arizona and Utah and Colorado and Arizona State and then all the teams that joined last year to expanding conference but UCS is one of those sneaky teams offensively can hang with anybody if they can just have a mediocre defense they could find themselves in the hunt for a big 12 title in November so I would be cautious of UCF for sure especially coming off what's probably going to be a very hardfought Victory or a hardfought game Over West Virginia coming out of the bye we mentioned Houston shouldn't be too big of an issue Arizona State at TCU a team that missed out on a bowl game last year after being the national runner up in 2022 we're not quite sure what to expect from uh the horn frogs really don't know what Sunny D is going to have up his sleeves or they they're not going to go you know be a repeat playoff team or anything like that but maybe a bowl team and you got to be cautious of that this is one of those things where if Arizona is Meeting those expectations uh every game gets scarier and scarier because one slip up especially this late in the season could cost you everything uh so what will the pressure be like for the wild cats on November 23rd at TCU so all all things considered guys the schedule has its pros and cons if you're Arizona you're looking at this and you've got one two three four five six seven home games that I expect them to be favored in and let's say they did take care of business boom that's seven wins bowl game but they won more we haven't projected as a top 10 team early on so obviously you're expecting better things you got seven wins there where do they win on the road Kansas State and Utah very very difficult those are by far the two biggest games and toughest tests of the Year BYU UCF and TCU I could see Arizona be favored in all of those or at least two of those but do they take care of business business do they fall victim to any of these traps does Brent Brennan who had a really up and down career only like one good year at San Jose State does he come in in year one with all this Talent this young talent and Lead Arizona to a conference title or at least a conference championship appearance in his first season in Tucson so many questions surrounding this Wildcats football program but the schedule is there the talent is there will they deliver that is the question so guys as always thank you so much for watching us here at the grid iron expert on YouTube make sure check out everything down in the description below including our website the Gridiron expert.com tons of exclusive content over there guys to help you get through this offseason we want you to check it out and become a member of our GE nation and once again guys as always thank you so much for watching and we'll see you next time right here on the GD iron [Music] expert [Music] yeah