The Unexpected Threat: What Colorado Football Fans Must Know About the Arizona Wildcats’ Secret Weapon

Contact/Follow us@BuffaloesWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.

AI-assisted summary
• Colorado and Arizona will face off in a Big 12 conference matchup, with Colorado looking to continue its dominance after a 34-7 victory last season.
• Arizona, coming off a disappointing 4-8 season, is ranked at the bottom of the Big 12 by USA TODAY.
• Key players to watch include Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita and cornerback Genesis Smith.
• Colorado is favored to win, but their performance may depend on their preparation following a tough game against Utah the previous week.

The Wildcats will head to Folsom Field, looking for revenge after the Buffaloes stomped on them in their own house, 34-7, last season. Colorado’s defense sacked Arizona’s quarterback Noah Fifita seven times in last year’s contest, shutting down any chance for the Wildcat offense.Fifita was the talk of the Big 12 heading into 2024, but his disappointing year has left many questioning if Fifita can truly become a great quarterback. His talent is still there, with the ability to generate magical plays out of structure, but it also leads to him taking a lot of sacks. Losing McMillian hurts, as Fifita was at his best when targeting the future No. 8 overall pick. However, there’s a possibility that no longer having a top-tier guy helps Fifita scan the field and spread the ball around.A starter in all of the Wildcats’ 12 games last season, Genesis Smith was a star in the Arizona secondary. Smith can fly around and has excellent size at the cornerback position at 6-foot-2 and 203 pounds. A typical sure tackler, Smith finds the ball, which helped him rack up the third most tackles on the team, three interceptions and six pass breakups. If Arizona wants a chance in this one, they’ll need Smith to have a big game, creating turnovers to give Fifita more opportunities.The Arizona Wildcats fell to 4-8 in their first season under alum Brent Brennan, a notable decline after they shocked the college football world with an impressive 10-3 season in 2023. Colorado owned this matchup before the two became conference rivals in the Pac-12, winning 12 straight games, but Arizona got the best of them for most of the 2010s.Their season peaked with a win over then-No. 10 Utah, an upset that became less impressive as the season progressed. The Wildcat defense struggled mightily last season, allowing over 31 points and 175 rushing yards per game.

2024 in review

In the thick of Big 12 conference play, Colorado will play host to the Big 12 team coming off their most frustrating and disappointing season in recent memory.Above, I used “disappointing” and “frustrating” to describe Arizona’s 2024 season, and those words might not be harsh enough. The Wildcats collapsed, despite hanging on to the Fifta and McMillian combo that was so successful a year ago. The Wildcats were flat out not good last year, with half of their wins coming against Group of 5 or FCS teams.

Head coach profile

As the Big 12 conference season amps up, the Colorado Buffaloes are gearing up to host an Arizona Wildcats team struggling to regain its footing after a tough 4-8 campaign. Last season, Colorado made a statement with a decisive 34-7 win over Arizona—an outcome that left the Wildcats reeling and the Buffaloes eager to assert their dominance once again. Arizona, under the leadership of Brent Brennan in his first year, saw a steep drop from their surprising 10-3 surge in 2023, and now find themselves near the bottom of the conference rankings. Keep an eye on Arizona’s quarterback Noah Fifita and cornerback Genesis Smith; their performances could spell the difference between a Wildcats resurgence or another difficult outing. Although Colorado enters as the favorite, the question remains: Can they maintain their edge after a bruising battle against Utah the week before? The anticipation is palpable as these two teams prepare to clash once more. LEARN MORE

Top offensive player

Last year, Colorado easily handled Arizona, and it appears that the 2025 matchup will be more of the same. While the Buffaloes’ roster has taken a step back in terms of star power, it should be much deeper, which will benefit the squad in late-season conference games like this. Colorado’s pass rush should get after Fifita again, and the Buffaloes’ run game should have no problem shredding the Wildcats’ front-7.

Top defensive player

Opponent Previews: Georgia Tech, Delaware, Houston, Wyoming, BYU, TCU, Iowa State, Utah

2025 schedule

• Aug. 30 vs. Hawaii
• Sept. 6 vs Weber State
• Sept. 12 vs. Kansas State
• BYE
• Sept. 24 @ Iowa State
• Oct. 4 vs. Oklahoma State
• Oct. 11 vs. BYU
• Oct. 18 @ Houston
• BYE
• Nov. 1 @ Colorado
• Nov. 8 vs. Kansas
• Nov. 15 @ Cincinnati
• Nov. 22 vs. Baylor
• Nov. 28 @ Arizona State

Way-too-early Colorado matchup preview

Now down their best offensive weapon in Tetairoa McMillan, USA TODAY ranked Arizona at the bottom of the Big 12 Conference in their power rankings. But is Arizona as bad as the perception around the program makes it seem? Let’s take a deeper dive into the Wildcats as a part of our 2025 season preview.Former Wildcat star quarterback Brent Brennan took over after Jedd Fisch left for the Washington Huskies in 2023. Brennan floundered in his first season, but the hiring wasn’t without merit. Before Arizona, Brennan took a basement-dwelling San Jose State team to the mountain top, winning the Mountain West in 2020 and nearly getting another crack at the title in 2023. Brennan has dealt with rebuilding bad teams, but if Arizona gives him time to rebuild this squad, it is a whole other question.

The only concern with the game would be that Colorado sleepwalks their way in after a hard-fought conference rivalry matchup against Utah the week prior. However, if there’s one thing that Deion Sanders excels at, it’s getting his team hyped and ready for the game. If Colorado’s preparation is solid, they should have no problems with Arizona.