Arizona moved up to 66th in the most recent update of the ESPN Football Power Index. Arizona was 69th in the June update. The Wildcats remain 15th out of 16 teams in the Big XII in the FPI. Houston is the only team lower than Arizona in the FPI.
Arizona being ranked 66th is a huge improvement after finishing the 2024 season 80th in the FPI. The FPI projects Arizona to have five wins and seven losses in 2025. Arizona was projected to have 4.9 wins and 7.1 losses by the FPI in their June projections.
Arizona is projected with a 34.9 percent chance to get to six wins to become bowl eligible. Anything beyond the six wins has less than a 1.0 percent chance. ESPN simulates the numbers 20,000 times to determine their projections.
The updated FPI projects Arizona with the seventh toughest schedule in the Big XII and 50th nationally. Arizona has the top six Big XII teams in the FPI on its 2025 schedule. The projections do not specify conference records, but based on the FPI, the likelihood is that it expects Arizona to finish 2-9 in the Big XII.
🚨ESPN FPI UPDATE🚨
— CSG Big XII (@CSG_BigXII) August 19, 2025
I've heard say that ESPN FPI is entirely inaccurate. Did they get it right this year? pic.twitter.com/M1Wu67FzQC
Hawaii, who Arizona opens the season against on August 30 is 112th in the FPI. The FPI projects Hawaii with 5.3 wins and 6.7 losses. Arizona hosts Weber State, who is not in the FPI as a Football Championship Subdivision team and Kansas State, 18th nationally and first in the Big XII in their non-conference games.
BYU who is 22nd nationally and second in the Big XII is the highest-rated team in the FPI Arizona will play in a 2025 conference game. Kansas State is first with a 19.9 percent chance to win the Big XII. BYU, Arizona State, Kansas and Baylor also have better than a 10.0 percent chance to win the Big XII.