SB Nation • 11 min read

Arizona football vs. Iowa State score predictions

Arizona is off to its best start since 2015, winning its three nonconference games by a combined 93 points. But now come the games that really matter, as Big 12 Conference play begins Saturday with arguably

the toughest matchup on the schedule.

The UA (3-0) heads to Ames for a battle against No. 14 Iowa State (4-0, 1-0) and will be the underdogs. According to FanDuel Sportsbook the Wildcats are 6.5-point dogs, but they were not favored last time out and came out ahead.

How will Arizona do in its Big 12 opener? Our staff makes its predictions.

Kim Doss — Iowa State wins 24-21

After a week of going off my preseason predictions, it’s time to go back to what I felt before the season kicked off. Arizona hasn’t been that bad on the road against Power 4/5 teams in the past several years, so being on the road certainly isn’t a reason to write off this game. It is definitely a factor that tilts in ISU’s favor, though.

Truth is that neither of these teams has had an especially difficult schedule, but Iowa State’s has been slightly better. The Cyclones have answered the bell against that schedule.

With the first Big 12 availability reports out, the Wildcats appear to be the healthier team. We’re still learning how coaches will use these reports and how accurate they are going to be, but at face value, the bye week wasn’t enough for ISU to get healthy.

Arizona had to hold on by the skin of its teeth last week against K-State. That was its toughest opponent prior to this one. It raised a lot of questions about how the Wildcats will hold up as the schedule improves. Penalties, consistency, and discipline are all areas they need to improve if they want to get to a bowl game. That’s enough to make the upset extremely unlikely, but Arizona likely has the tools it needs to keep it close.

Adam Green — Iowa State wins 30-20

The last time we saw Arizona the Cats played an incomplete game and still came away with a win over a fairly talented Big 12 opponent. If the team is to pull off a win this weekend in its first road game of the year against what might be its toughest opponent a better performance will be necessary.

Simply put, Iowa State is one of the top-ranked teams in the nation for a reason. They are solid in all facets of the game and well coached, meaning they will present an incredible challenge for a team that is playing with confidence but may still lack the talent to pull off this kind of upset.

That said, there is the idea that we just don’t know how good Arizona can be, especially because the Cats have yet to play a game where they fired on all cylinders. Should that happen Saturday this can be a fun one, but the fear here is that the penalties (especially on the offensive line) will show up and Arizona will give up the ball once or twice, ultimately dooming drives and their chance at starting the season 4-0.

Juan Serrano — Iowa State wins 27-24

This game is going to tell a lot about where this season could go for Arizona. The Cyclones are the conference runner ups from last season, and one of the conference favorites this season. If the Wildcats can keep this a close game, it can keep the new found confidence around longer. However, this is a very solid program that Brent Brennan and the Wildcats are going up against.

Iowa State does not turn the ball over, and the Arizona defense thrives when creating turnovers. Danny Gonzales’ crew is going to have to find a way to create turnovers while also matching the physicality of the Cyclones. With the experience of Rocco Becht, I expect it to be a very interesting chess match.

For the offense, if Arizona offensive line can have success running the ball, like the Kansas State game, it will allow for the passing game to open up. Noah Fifita should be able to find his targets, if the line can hold up long enough. I expect a very physical game from both teams, but I think the experience of Iowa State will be the x-factor to come out with a win.

Brandon Combs — Iowa State wins 20-17

Arizona is 100% better than they were last year, however, I don’t think they are fully there yet. The defense is a massive improvement and I believe that is what will keep the Wildcats in this game. The offensive line has been the biggest problem this year. The tackles, especially right tackle, have not held up their end of the bargain with Noah Fifita and have the amount of penalties have been shocking, in my opinion. The receivers have also popped up on my radar, especially after the second watch of the Kansas State game. The amount of drops they had and the overall lack of separation is interesting…in a bad way. I’m not writing them off, but it was just bizarre. I’m goin to need to see that group bounce back before I feel more comfortable.

Overall, I think the offense will be inconsistent and won’t be able to finish as many drives as it will have the opportunity to. Due to that, the Cyclones win by a field goal.

Brian Pedersen — Iowa State wins 24-14

Arizona has already showed it is better than a year ago, but it has done so against flawed opponents in the friendly confines of its own stadium. Playing on the road against one of the top teams in the Big 12 provides a completely different challenge, one that this year’s squad has yet to show it can handle.

If this game were later in the season, maybe Arizona can pull off the upset. But even with an extra week to prepare it’s a tall task to ask the Wildcats to win this one.