While Brent Brennan and the Arizona Wildcats received three first-place finish votes in the preseason Big 12 Media Poll, the Late Kick’s Josh Pate believes there could be a wide range of outcomes for the first-year Big 12 team.
Pate dubbed the team one of the nation’s most volatile and discussed the possibility of winning the league or finishing in the bottom half.
“Arizona, with Brent Brennan and his staff coming over from San Jose State, they’ve been written off because everyone just assumes, ‘Well, with Jedd Fisch walking out the door, whatever magic Arizona had walked out the door.’ Well, it didn’t because the magic was at quarterback, the magic was at wide receiver, among other things, and those dudes stayed,” Pate said.
Pate mentioned Brennan’s incredible job of retaining both rising star quarterback Noah Fifita and one of the nation’s best receivers, Tetairoa McMillan, following the departure of Jedd Fisch.
“Arizona has a game. It’s pretty early in the season, it’s a Friday night game, and they go to Kansas State,” Pate continued. “That one right there will be one of the sneaky must-see games of the year – good luck picking that one – but also you start to learn a little more about the team. Even I’m not going to be foolish enough to sit here and tell you, ‘I’ve got a pretty good read on what Arizona will be this year.,'”
Arizona is one of five teams to receive first-place votes in the preseason poll, alongside Utah, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, and Kansas. However, with a new head coach and a trip to a new conference, the Wildcats could be somewhat of a gamble in the fall.
Pate concluded his thoughts by saying, “They’re a wildcard team. They could win the Big 12 or finish in the bottom half of the pack, and neither of those scenarios would surprise me.”
Arizona kicks off its season on Saturday, August 31st, against the UNM Lobos.
