Consensus projections for the postseason for Arizona have come down to the L.A. Bowl at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, or the Sun Bowl in El Paso. Athlon Sports, Mark Schlabach of ESPN and CBS Sports project Arizona to play in the Sun Bowl.
Kyle Bonagura of ESPN, The College Football News and USA Today project Arizona to play in the L.A. Bowl. Arizona has never played in the L.A. Bowl and has three Sun Bowl appearances with no wins, two losses and one tie in El Paso.
Athlon and CBS Sports project Arizona to play SMU and Schlabach predicts the Wildcats to play Pittsburgh. Bonagura, The College Football News and USA Today all project Arizona's opponent to be San Diego State in the L.A. Bowl.
Arizona lost 29-7 at SMU in the first meeting between the programs in 1938. The Wildcats evened the series with a 28-6 win over the Mustangs in 1985, in the only other meeting. SMU is currently 7-3 overall and 5-1 in the ACC. The Mustangs are still alive for a second consecutive College Football Playoff berth if they win the ACC.
Media Outlet | Bowl | Location | Opponent | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Athlon Sports | Sun Bowl | El Paso | SMU | December 31 |
Kyle Bonagura-ESPN | L.A. Bowl | Los Angeles | San Diego State | December 13 |
Mark Schlabach-ESPN | Sun Bowl | El Paso Texas | Pittsburgh | December 31 |
CBS Sports | Sun Bowl | El Paso | SMU | December 31 |
College Football News | L.A. Bowl | Los Angeles | San Diego State | December 13 |
USA Today | L.A. Bowl | Los Angeles | San Diego State | December 13 |
Arizona history against potential bowl opponents
Pittsburgh beat Arizona 16-10 in the 1979 Fiesta Bowl in the only game between the programs. Arizona has 11 wins and six losses all-time against San Diego State. The Wildcats and Aztecs have never played in the postseason. Arizona has won five of its last six games against San Diego State.
Arizona became bowl eligible with a 52-17 win at Colorado on November 1. The 30-24 win at Cincinnati on Saturday guaranteed Arizona its second winning season since 2018. Arizona is also bowl eligible for the second time since 2018. In 2023, Arizona finished with 10 wins and three losses after beating Oklahoma 38-24 in the Alamo Bowl.