Friday is a huge day for Arizona football. That's the day the Wildcats play their first conference game as members of the Big 12. Well….not really. Even though Arizona and Kansas State are both members of the same conference, this game doesn't count toward the conference standings. That's because when this contest was scheduled, Arizona football was still in the Pac-12. Conference realignment can be tricky sometimes.
Arizona is facing Kansas State in a showdown between two ranked teams. The Wildcats enter the contest ranked no. 20 in the country, per the new Associated Press college football poll. Kansas State is ranked no. 14. Both teams enter the game undefeated and Arizona enters the contest with the longest winning streak in college football against FBS teams, per Sports Illustrated. That streak is at 9 games.
Will Arizona football extend that impressive winning streak? Here are some bold predictions for Arizona as the Wildcats face off against another group of Wildcats in a massive road game.
Arizona's quarterback will have a monster game leading this team
Arizona football is led by their quarterback, the astonishing Noah Fifita. This season, Fifita is having his way with opposing defenses. Through two games, the gunslinger posted 595 passing yards and five touchdowns, to two interceptions.
Fifita just unloaded in the team's first game against New Mexico football. The Wildcats posted 61 points, while the quarterback threw for 422 yards and four touchdowns. His high-octane offense was slowed down somewhat in Week 2 against Northern Arizona. In that game, the Wildcats won just 22-10 and trailed at the half.
Fifita finished the Northern Arizona win with just 173 passing yards. He was sacked twice, and seemed to be affected in that game by the Northern Arizona pressure.
The quarterback is out for some vengeance in Week 3. It doesn't hurt that there's going to be a lot of excitement for this game, as Arizona football looks to stay undefeated and stay alive in the race for a College Football Playoff spot. Fifita also has something to prove, after his somewhat underwhelming performance against the Lumberjacks. He's out to show that he could be the best quarterback in the Big 12. In the preseason media poll, Colorado's Shedeur Sanders was chosen instead of Fifita as the league's All-Big 12 First-Team quarterback.
Arizona football's defense will have some struggles
The Wildcats have had uneven performances from their defense this season. Against New Mexico in Week 1, the team gave up 39 points. The Lobos racked up 471 total yards in the game, including 260 passing yards. The Wildcats won't be able to win many games giving up that much offensive production week after week.
Arizona seemed to take that lesson to heart in Week 2. Against the Lumberjacks, the Wildcats defensive unit performed much better. Northern Arizona posted just 198 yards in the game, including 109 passing yards. The defense is clearly on the mend, but the unit has yet to play an offense as explosive, deep and talented as Kansas State.
The Kansas State football team charged back in Week 2 to defeat pesky Tulane, 34-27. Kansas State scored 24 points in the second half to win that game, and remain undefeated. With this game at home, Kansas State will be able to continue that offensive momentum on Friday against an Arizona defense still looking for its identity.
These defensive struggles will lead to the final bold prediction for this battle between Wildcats on Friday.
Arizona's (unofficial) debut in the Big 12 won't end happily
The Wildcats will ultimately fall on the road to Kansas State, and end their 9 game FBS winning streak. Fifita will have a great game, but he won't be able to get his team a victory. The Arizona defense will also struggle to stop a Kansas State offense that is scoring nearly 40 points a game.
This contest would probably be a win for Arizona if it was at home. It is instead a road game, with new head coach Brent Brennan coaching his first contest on the road against a power 4 opponent. That will prove to be part of the difference in this game. The Kansas State home crowd in Manhattan will act as a 12th man, willing their team to victory. Ultimately Kansas State will make fewer mistakes than Arizona and come out on top.
Time will tell if these predictions prove correct. Arizona and Kansas State are two of the best teams in the revamped Big 12 conference this year. The race for the conference title looks wide open, as Texas and Oklahoma left the league for the SEC. The winner of this Arizona-Kansas State contest will likely finish the season in the top four of the conference, even if this game doesn't count toward the standings.
Arizona football and Kansas State play Friday at 8:00 Eastern.
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