After finishing the 2025 season with nine wins and four losses, Arizona is 23rd in the final CBS Sports 136. CBS Sports ranked 136 teams for their 2025 seasons. Arizona had a five win turnaround after winning four games and losing eight in 2024.
The 23rd ranking from CBS Sports came after Arizona fell out of the final Associated Press Top 25 and USA Today Coaches polls. CBS Sports ranked Arizona at the top of a logjam that emerged among fringe top 25 teams from the Wildcats through Navy who was 28th.
Chip Patterson of CBS Sports stated that from Arizona at 22 through Navy at 28th were teams that were tightly grouped in their balloting. Per Patterson, "College football experts from CBS Sports and 247Sports contribute ballots each week, which are averaged together for our rankings."
Unlike the AP Top 25 and USA Today Coaches polls, the points teams receive and first-place votes are not published. Indiana, as expected, finished first in the final CBS Sports 136 with Miami second. BYU finished 10th in the CBS Sports 136 as the highest-ranked team that Arizona played in 2025.
A special 2025 season
BYU was the only team Arizona played in 2025 that finished ahead of them. Conference champion Texas Tech is seventh in the CBS Sports 136 as the highest-ranked Big XII team. Utah is 14th in the CBS 136 as the only other Big XII team ranked ahead of Arizona.
After entering the 2025 season on the hot seat, head coach Brent Brennan led a significant turnaround for Arizona. Arizona lost in double-overtime to BYU and at Houston on a walk-off field goal. If Arizona won those games, the Wildcats would have been in the Big XII Championship Game and been in contention for a College Football Playoff berth.
Arizona had 15 players who earned All-Big XII recognition in 2025. Quarterback Noah Fifita and defensive backs Dalton Johnson and Treydan Stukes were all named first-team All-Big XII. Cornerback Jay'Vion Cole, Fifitia, linebacker Taye Brown and wide receiver Tre Spivey are All-Big XII players returning for Arizona in 2026.