Arizona Wildcats stats, records, schedule, and standings

Wildcats

Arizona Wildcats

NCAAF – PAC – 12

Arizona Wildcats

2022-2023 TEAM LEADERS

Arizona Wildcats

Arizona Wildcats News and History

The Arizona Wildcats are an NCAA Division I FBS football team for the University of Arizona. The Wildcats compete in the PAC-12 Conference. They have been a member of the PAC-12 Conference since 1978, competing in both the PAC-10 and the PAC-12.

Prior to the PAC-12, the Wildcats were WAC, Western Athletic Conference, from 1962-1977. Before the WAC, they were members of the Border Conference for 30 years. Arizona has had seven College Football honorees, two coaches, and five players.

How Arizona became the Wildcats is an interesting story. The team played a football game back in 1914 against Occidental College Tigers. Afterward, a newspaper columnist described Arizona as having the fight of Wildcats. From that point on, the Wildcat name stuck.

Arizona Wildcats Standings

The Arizona Wildcats are a competitive team in the NCAAF and have a dedicated fan base. Their current stats show that they have a balanced offensive game, with a strong running game and a talented passing attack. In the current standings, the Wildcats are in the middle of the pack, but with their solid all-around performance, they’re a force to be reckoned with.

Arizona Wildcats Betting Trends

Recent Arizona History

Arizona may not be the most prestigious football school in the country, but they have had some decent years. The team has had one double-digit win season since 2000; the 2014 team went 10-4. In the last ten years, the team has had five winning seasons.

The Wildcats have made a coaching change prior to 2021, hiring Jedd Fisch from the New England Patriots. After three seasons in the NFL, Fisch has returned back to NCAA football. Fisch is definitely an offensive-minded coach, holding positions as offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars, as well as the offensive coordinator at UCLA.

Arizona came into 2021 on a 12-game losing streak. The team lost their last seven games of 2019 and then went 0-5 in 2019. In the last four seasons, Arizona has only had four players drafted to the NFL. This is a slight downtick; in 2010-2012, the team had eight players drafted.

Key Players in History

Chris McAllister was drafted in 1999 by the Baltimore Ravens. He played ten seasons for the Ravens and a single season for the Saints. McAllister was a three-time pro bowler and won a Super Bowl in 2000.

Lance Briggs was drafted in 2003 by the Chicago Bears in the third round. Briggs played for the bears for ten seasons. He was a seven-time pro bowler and was the catalyst for a Bears defense that led the Bears to their most recent Super Bowl appearance.

Teddy Bruschi was a linebacker for the New England Patriots, drafted in 1996 in the third round. Bruschi was a member of the Patriots for 13 seasons and had a single pro bowl selection. Bruschi was a member of three Super Bowl Championship teams.

Rob Gronkowski may be the most famous name to come from the University of Arizona. Drafted in 2010 by the New England Patriots in the second round, Gronkowski has been named to the pro bowl three times. He has won four Super Bowl titles.

Key Championships

Arizona has been a part of six different conference championship titles, two outright and four shared. Arizona won two Border Conference titles in 1935 and 1936 while sharing the title in 1941. They shared the WAC conference championship in 1964 and 1973.

The Wildcats have only shared the PAC-12 conference title one time, in 1993. The 1993 team was one of the best teams in recent history for Arizona, finishing their season with a 10-2 record. Arizona has never competed for a National Championship.

Conference Outlook

The conference outlook for Arizona is not great for 2021. With teams like Oregon, Washington, Utah, and USC in the Conference, Arizona is more than likely a bottom-of-the-standings type of team. It has been years since the team has competed at the top of the Conference.

The team lacks the big-time playmaker who can go out and put points on the board all by themselves. The team has three quarterbacks who will see time this season. Two freshmen Gunner Cruz and Will Plummer, are more than likely going to see occasional time behind COVID sophomore Jordan McCloud.

The team really lacks any type of veteran leadership on the offensive side of the ball. Their main skilled players are all either freshman or sophomores. The team will take its lumps this year, but hopefully, a year of experience will help the team to be more competitive in the years going forward.

Coaching History

As previously stated, there have been two coaches inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Pop McKale was the first coach in the history of Arizona to establish himself for several years. McKale was the head coach from 1914 to 1930. In 16 seasons, McKale accumulated an 80-32-6 record. While at Arizona, McKale also coached basketball, track, and baseball.

Darrell Mudra was the head coach at Arizona for just two short seasons. Mudra has the nickname of Dr. Victory due to his ability to find ways to get his teams to win. He coached at seven different universities in his career, compiling a record of 200-81-4. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2000.

Jim Young was another coach at Arizona that was both successful at Arizona, as well as just about everywhere else he coached. In four seasons at Arizona from 1973-1976, Young compiled a 31-13 record and a 20-8 conference record. Young was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999.

Dick Tomey was the coach at Arizona from 1987-2000. Tomey is the winningest coach in Arizona history, with a record of 95-64-4. Tomey was the coach in 1998 when Arizona went 12-1 and finished fourth in the polls that would go on to be the highest-ranking they have ever received.

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