We want to believe.
We want to believe that Arizona’s 2-0 start is not simply a product of a weaker schedule, but instead due to a much-improved roster led by a greatly-improved coaching staff.
We want to believe that a dynamic offense led by a resurgent Noah Fifita will be bolstered by a defense that even if it does eventually allow some touchdowns, will be not only good enough to keep the Wildcats in games but actually win some. We want to believe that Arizona’s 2-0 start is not simply a product
of a weaker schedule, but instead due to a much-improved roster led by a greatly-improved coaching staff.
We want to believe. But we can’t, not yet.
Friday’s game against Kansas State is not quite the matchup it appeared to be when the season began, with the visiting Wildcats sitting at 1-2 with a recent loss to Army on their resume. No longer ranked in the Top 25, they have the look of a team that may be heading for a disappointing season.
We all know a little bit too much about that.
Regardless of K-State’s struggles though this is indeed a big game for Arizona, who with a win would add legitimacy to their start, roster and coaching staff. A 3-0 record would put them halfway toward bowl eligibility and while this is a non-conference game and wouldn’t impact the Big 12 standings, we all know what a victory Friday could mean for the season.
Lose and the idea that Arizona’s fast start becomes a thing of the past. Win and there will be more, bigger games in the future.
That’s the way it goes for teams who enter the season with little in the way of expectations. Wins are viewed with skepticism while losses are reason for pessimism.
That’s funny, of course, because Arizona seasons – both good and bad – have started off with 2-1 records, including the 2023 team that went on to win 10 games and the 2022 squad that won five.
But this year’s team is different than those, and different from all others that have come before it. This year’s team carries the baggage of last year’s disaster along with hope for the future, which means every play and result will be seen through some sort of filter.
This game being the first against a “real” opponent, that will most certainly be the case.
“Every week we’re trying to prove it, every week we’re trying to prove that we’re a good football team.” head coach Brent Brennan said when asked about this game being a prove-it game. “It doesn’t matter who we’re playing.
“And so this is the most important game of the year because it’s the only one we get to play this week. And it’s against a good opponent, it’s against a conference opponent, an opponent that has been historically very good and they’ve got a good football team this year.”
Unlike Arizona, Kansas State did enter this season with high expectations so their clunky start with a pair of three-point losses (including one to a very good Iowa State team in Ireland) has led to concern that they may not actually be a good team this year. It’s entirely possible, of course, though there’s also a chance that the visiting Wildcats are still a talented team and they may see this game as a chance to turn their season around.
So really both teams are coming into this game with something to prove. Should Kansas State prevail, there will be renewed confidence that the preseason predictions weren’t wrong and that a run to the Big 12 title game is still on the table.
If Arizona wins, it will be even tougher to question the idea that their Wildcats are actually pretty good and, if not ready to compete for the conference title, certainly primed for a competitive and fun season. It would be the first signature win of the Brennan era and serve as the kind to really legitimize the path the coach has the program on.
That’s not to say a loss would end the team’s chances for a fun or competitive season or even validate the worst thoughts about Brennan. The betting lines show this one is expected to be close, which is not something many of us would have predicted just a few weeks ago. Arizona has legitimate chance to win this game, and most of the staff here at AZDS thinks they’ll do exactly that.
Not all of us, though. One writer (me) isn’t so confident. It’s not that Arizona can’t win, because that would not be a surprise. But to beat a team that was preseason Top 25 and is playing with its season on the line?
I need to see it to believe it.
