Arizona players on the 2025 roster who played with the Wildcats during the 10-3 2023 season have a chance to make program history in the Holiday Bowl. An Arizona win in the Holiday Bowl would be the tenth for Arizona in 2025.
Arizona has only won at least 10 games in a season four times. The Wildcats finished 10-2 in 1993, 10-4 in 2014 and 10-3 in 2023. Arizona's best season was in 1998 when they finished 12-1 and fourth in the final polls.
Among the key players who are still significant contributors for Arizona in 2025 who were on the 2023 team are quarterback Noah Fifita, cornerback Treydan Stukes, defensive tackle Tia Savea, safeties Dalton Johnson and Genesis Smith and linebacker Taye Brown.
The remaining players from 2023 went through a change in head coaches from Jedd Fisch to Brent Brennan, the high of the 10-3 2023 season and Alamo Bowl victory over Oklahoma, to a 4-8 2024 season and the redemption of being 9-3 in 2025.
Wins Over the Past 4 Seasons for P4 Program in the West:
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1. Oregon - 47
2. Washington - 40
3. USC - 35
3. BYU - 35
5. Utah - 33
6. Arizona - 28
7. ASU - 25
7. UCLA - 25
9. Cal - 23
10. Colorado - 17
11. Stanford - 13
Fifita, Johnson and Stukes particularly have been key players for Arizona over the past three seasons. Fifita has started the last 33 games for Arizona. Johnson was the second leading tackler for Arizona in 2023 and has led the Wildcats in stops in the past two seasons.
Stukes was a key player for Arizona in 2023, but suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the fourth game in 2024, which caused him to miss the rest of the season. After missing the first two games in 2025, Stukes returned to earn third-team All-American from the Associated Press and On3.
Smith has improved every season for Arizona and set career highs with 77 tackles and eight passes defended in 2025. Brown was second to Johnson with a career high of 84 tackles and Savea returned to Arizona after playing for Texas in 2025.
Arizona previously won nine games in 1974, 1975 and 1986. The Wildcats did not earn bowl berths in 1974 and 1975. Arizona lot 24-21 at Arizona State in the final game of the 1975 regular season with a chance to become the first Wildcats' team to win 10 games.
Arizona lost 29-24 to Stanford in Tokyo in 1986, which prevented the Wildcats with an opportunity to win their 10th game in the postseason. Arizona beat North Carolina 30-21 in the Holiday Bowl to finish 9-3. The 1993 team beat Miami 29-0 in the Fiesta Bowl to become the first Arizona team with 10 wins.
The 1998 and 2014 Arizona teams are the only ones to win 10 games during the regular season. Arizona capped its 1998 season by beating Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl. Boise State beat Arizona in the 2014 Fiesta Bowl, in the second major postseason appearance in the Wildcats' history.