Twice this season, Arizona has found itself up against a ranked opponent with a chance to make a big splash on the national stage, and both times it led at halftime only to fall in the end.
Third time’s a charm?
No. 22 Arizona (7-2, 4-2) plays its biggest game of the year on Saturday, hosting unbeaten No. 2 Utah (9-0, 6-0) with a chance to climb back into the Big 12 title race and the hunt for a College Football Playoff spot.
How will the Wildcats do in this Top 25 clash? Our staff makes its predictions.
Kim Doss — Utah wins 30-28
Utah is not a team that has difficulty scoring. The Utes average 34.3 points per game against their FBS opponents this season. Their lowest output was 21 points against Houston. They’ve only been held below 30 points by three of their FBS opponents: Houston, BYU, and (surprisingly) Colorado.
Arizona will be Utah’s third ranked opponent but first on the road. Will it matter that the game isn’t in Salt Lake City? Doubtful.
The Wildcats had issues with mobile quarterbacks. While Arizona is ranked fifth in the Big 12 with 203.3 pashing yards allowed per game, Devon Dampier doesn’t just rely on his arm to move the ball. He throws for 228.1 ypg. He’s also second on the team in rushing with 53.6 ypg on the ground.
Dampier is going to be playing in his home state against his former head coach. The now-assistant coach at Arizona admits that he should have played Dampier more when they were both at New Mexico. The senior from Phoenix may have something to prove and a group of friends and family members in attendance to prove it to.
On the positive side, Arizona should be able to move the ball, too. Utah is ninth in the Big 12 in passing yards allowed at 233.8 per game. Noah Fifita is fourth in the nation in passing yards per game (310.4), total passing yards (2,794), and total offense per game (325.4).
The Arizona defense has been solid for most of the year, but it barely kept the Big 12’s 15th-ranked scoring offense under 30 points last week. Utah is the No. 2 scoring offense in the league. The Wildcats are No. 6.
To make matters worse for the ‘Cats, Utah has the No. 2 scoring defense in the Big 12. Arizona’s in No. 5.
With some luck, this one could be close. It would be a shocker to see Arizona pull off the upset, though.
Ezra Amacher — Utah wins 27-24
Utah’s Devon Dampier is the type of quarterback that gives Arizona defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales cold sweats at night. The senior from Saguaro High School in Phoenix has grown into one of top dual-threat quarterbacks in the country. He ranks second among all active FBS quarterbacks with 2,811 career rushing yards. He has a dang good arm as well and doesn’t commit many turnovers.
Arizona struggled to stop the other dual-threat QBs it faced this year in TCU’s Jaden Craig and West Virginia’s Michael Hawkins Jr. Dampier is better than either of them and has a stalwart offensive line protecting him. I don’t see the Wildcats defense being able to do enough to keep Utah off the board.
That wouldn’t be as much of a concern against a lesser opponent, but Utah’s defense is outstanding. The Utes give up 16.3 points per game, second-fewest in the Big 12. They’re riding high on confidence after forcing BYU’s Bear Bachmeier into four interceptions last week. I give Utah the edge.
Adam Green — Arizona wins 31-27
Why the hell not.
Here in this space is where I try to convince you all (and myself, really) that this pick is an actual prediction rather than wischasting. So here we go.
Arizona is good — very good — at home. Utah has not beaten a ranked team on the road.
Arizona has everything to play for and is coming off a victory that likely served as a wake up call while inspiring confidence. Utah, on the other hand, has a little bit of breathing room and is coming off an emotional and physical victory over rival BYU.
Finally, Arizona has Noah Fifita. The QB is a perfect 2-0 against Morgan Scalley’s defense, with the most recent victory coming in Salt Lake City during a season in which the Wildcats were not a particularly good team. That Fifita is playing the best football of his career heading into this game and has weapons like Isaiah Mizell and Giovanni Richardson is nothing to feel bad about.
This isn’t to say that it will be an easy game like the last time these teams played in Tucson, because it’s hard to imagine No. 2 in the nation going down without a fight. Utah’s offense is going to be more dynamic than we’re used to seeing but their defense is gettable for an Arizona team that is quite capable of slinging the ball around.
Keep penalties to a minimum and win the turnover battle, and Arizona will win the game.
Juan Serrano — Arizona wins 31-28
Arizona is a different team when it plays inside Casino Del Sol Stadium. Of course, last week’s game was a miracle and not usually how the Wildcats play at home. The defense did only surrendered 21 points to TCU which is usually a winning formula. Noah Fifita’s pick-six was a rarity and kept the Horned Frogs in the game. He cannot afford to have those type of plays against Utah, and I don’t think he will. Fifita usually has some of his best games against the Utes. I also think Arizona missed two shots at a big win against BYU and Texas Tech. It’s time for the ball to bounce in the way of the Wildcats in terms of making a statement. Utah has only been favored by 2.5 since the end of the Holy War, and it has stuck there. That is a very good sign for Arizona.
Devon Dampier does present a big issue for the defense but I would not be surprised if Danny Gonzales presents a different picture for Dampier. He knows his defense has struggled against mobile quarterbacks and it has shown in many games. Something will need to change schematically for the Wildcats to have a chance to win. It all comes down to what is at stake for Arizona. This is a season defining, program defining moment for Brent Brennan’s squad. The home winning streak will continue for the Wildcats and will earn one of the most historic wins in Arizona football history.
Brandon Combs — Arizona wins 30-24
I’m not going to lie, I’ve been tossing this one back and forth in my mind. The Wildcats at home are a force to be reckoned with. I throw out the issues from Arizona last week as kind of fluky. They were coming off an emotional loss against Texas Tech, and on a short week no less. Noah Fifita’s rare and odd pick six, Dwight Bootle’s rough night and the not-great tackling were all things that caused the closeness of the game against TCU.
On the other side, you have Utah coming off an physical and emotional Holy War win against BYU last week. As of this writing, Utah looks like they’ll be without their leader in sacks, DL Karson Kaufusi, who has 3 sacks this year. However, the Utes still have Jireh Moe and Elijah Elliss, who are also fantastic d-linemen and have combined for 62 tackles, 9.5 TFLs and 5 sacks.
Overall, this game is going to come down to QB play. Not breaking any news here, but Noah is a stud and will have to play a near flawless game. If he plays his game and doesn’t force anything, or make any plays like last week’s pick six, Arizona has a legit chance to win. For the Utes, Devon Dampier is a problem. He has been effective through the air this season, however, his legs are his biggest strength. He is a fantastic runner and is Utah’s second leading rusher. Even if he doesn’t gain massive yards, he is able to extend plays and forces the defense to respect his running ability.
Finally, I think Danny Gonzales will change some things up for Utah. I don’t expect to see the same looks that TCU got, mainly due to the injuries on defense. I believe Danny has learned from the Tommy Castellanos issues and won’t make it as easy for Dampier. Couple that with slowing down Wayshawn Parker and playing in front of what seems to be turning into a packed Sol, I think the defense can do it.
Brian Pedersen — Arizona wins 21-20
As I wrote earlier this week, November has traditionally been the month when Arizona has picked up its biggest home wins. It’s been a while, though, and most of those have been when the Wildcats are a decided underdog and the game isn’t in the national spotlight. Not the case this time, with a very small spread and Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff is in town.
The losses at BYU and Texas Tech had a common theme beyond leading at halftime. Both saw the UA struggle mightily in the second half, scoring only nine total points, though each time it was down four and driving with a chance to go back in front. One missed play turned everything.
Utah is a very good team with no weakness, and has the kind of dual-threat weapon in Devon Dampier that Arizona traditionally struggles with. But it’s November, and strange things happen at night in the desert.
2026 Season record
(straight up/against the spread)
Kim Doss (9-0/5-4)
Ezra Amacher (8-1/6-3)
Adam Green (9-0/6-3)
Brandon Combs (8-1/4-5)
Juan Serrano (7-2/3-6)
Brian Pedersen (8-1/6-3)
