Arizona is fourth among the "Big 12 football schedules 2025: Ranking the league’s toughest slates next season" posted by Cody Nagel of 247Sports. Nagel utilized the 2024 records of all the 2025 Big XII opponents to rank the toughest schedules in the conference in the upcoming season.
For the second consecutive season, Arizona will play 10 Big XII opponents. After playing at Kansas State in a non-conference game in 2024, Arizona will host the Wildcats in an out of league game in 2025. Arizona State, BYU, Colorado and Houston are the returning conference games Arizona will play in 2025.
Arizona begins the season hosting Hawaii on August 30, Weber State on September 6 and Kansas State on September 13. Baylor, BYU, Kansas and Oklahoma State play at Arizona in 2024. Arizona plays road games at Cincinnati, Colorado, Houston and Iowa State in Big XII games.
The Big XII has not announced the dates or times for 2025 conference games. Arizona at Arizona State should continue to be the last weekend of the season. Arizona faces the daunting tasks of playing the top five 2024 teams in the Big XII. Iowa State, Arizona State, Colorado and Baylor all finished 7-2 in the Big XII in 2024.
"Optimism is hard...for Arizona heading into 2025. The Wildcats stumbled significantly in Year 1 under coach Brent Brennan while adjusting to life in the Big 12. The schedule next season does not offer much relief...Arizona faces what is essentially an extra conferece game, as the second leg of a home-and-home with Kansas State will not count toward the Big 12 standings. That matchup is just one of six games against opponents that won at least eight games in 2024."Cody Nagel, 247Sports
Baylor tied with TCU and Texas Tech with 6-3 Big XII records in 2024. Arizona earned its only two Big XII wins in 2024 over Houston who tied for 11th with Cincinnati at 3-6 and Utah who finished tied for 13th with Central Florida and the Wildcats at 2-7 in the conference in 2024.
Arizona has had a tumultuous off-season with 30 players leaving via the transfer portal, 26 incoming transfers and three who withdrew. The most important development for Arizona during the offseason thus far has been the return of quarterback Noah Fifita.
Head coach Brent Brennan as expected has made multiple staff changes. Brennan hired Seth Doege from Marshall as offensive coordinator, elevated linebackers coach Danny Gonzales to defense coordinator and brought in Wildcat alum Joe Salave'a as defensive line coach and Josh Miller as the tight ends coach.