Quarterback Noah Fifita wants to lead Arizona to its first outright power conference championship in program history in 2026. Arizona won its only shared power conference title in the Pac-12 in 1993. The Wildcats also won three titles in the Border Conference and two in the WAC.
Fifita will become the most prolific passer in Arizona history in nearly every category in 2026. The rising redshirt senior QB has always put the team above himself. Arizona has 20 wins and 14 losses with Fifita as the starting QB. That number is marred by a four-win, eight-loss 2024 season.
Arizona had a redemptive 2025 season, finishing with nine wins and four losses. If Fifita leads Arizona to the 2026 Big XII title, the Wildcats would receive an automatic berth to the College Football Playoff. Arizona plays at number eight Texas Tech and 12th-ranked BYU in 2026.
Arizona would likely have to split those games or at the very win out in their other seven Big XII games to have an opportunity to earn a berth in the conference championship game. Northern Arizona is at Arizona to open the 2026 season.
"I don't want to just be the guy that stayed...I want to be the guy that won. We've never had an outright conference title, at least in a power conference in Arizona history. So why not us?...I didn't come back for a 10-win season. I came back for it all."Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita via ESPN
Arizona 2026 projections
Arizona is ranked by some 2026 Way-too-Early top 25s, including On3 and NCAA.Com. Fifita and all three coordinators return for Arizona in 2026. Seth Doege is the first offensive coordinator Fifita will work with in consecutive years during his collegiate career.
Since becoming the starting QB in 2023 and particularly in the last two years, Fifita has been the face of the Arizona football program. Fifita's legacy at Arizona is already established. Leading Arizona to an outright conference title in 2025 would make him unquestionably the most heralded player in program history.
Arizona State, Cincinnati, Colorado, and Houston also play at BYU and Texas Tech in 2026. BYU and Texas Tech will be the favorites to win the Big XII in 2026. Arizona winning at either BYU or Texas Tech would be another accomplishment on Fifita's mantle in his final season with Arizona.
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