Arizona football announces dates for Big 12 play, finalizes 2026 schedule

Arizona announced dates for Big 12 play for the 2026 schedule Wednesday morning, and the Wildcats will have an unorthodox schedule in the program's third season under head coach Brent Brennan.

For now, every game on Arizona's 2026 schedule is slated for a Saturday, which is subject to change. The Wildcats had two regular-season games land on a Friday in 2025. Kickoff times will be announced at a later date. 

All of Arizona's games will be broadcasted on either ESPN's family of networks, Fox, FS1, TNT, TruTV and HBO+. 

A week after the Wildcats open the season on Sept. 5 against Northern Arizona for Week 1, the first full season at the newly named Casino Del Sol Stadium, Arizona kicks off Big 12 play against BYU on Sept. 12 in Provo.

BYU was previously a nonconference opponent for Arizona for the ’26 and ’27 seasons, but it was moved to a Big 12 game, with the final nonconference slot being replaced by the Washington State home-and-home series.  

The Wildcats are 12-14-1 all-time against BYU dating back to 1936. Arizona and BYU have matched up as non-conference opponents in recent years, and the Wildcats lost their two conference games to BYU since joining the Big 12 two years ago, including a 41-19 beatdown in Provo in 2024. 

Arizona kicked off the 2016 season against BYU in Glendale, then opened up the Kevin Sumlin era in 2018 with a loss in Tucson, and started the Jedd Fisch era against BYU in Las Vegas, with the Cougars winning, 24-16.

Since Arizona beat BYU in the 2008 Las Vegas Bowl, the Wildcats have lost five straight games to the Cougars. BYU's most recent win was a double-overtime thriller in Tucson in 2025. 

Arizona returns to nonconference action to play against Northern Illinois on Sept. 19 and Washington State in Pullman on Sept. 26. The Wildcats and Cougars are starting a home-and-home series that will continue in Tucson in 2027. The first matchup between Arizona and WSU will be at Gesa Field in Pullman in 2026.

Washington State was one of two teams to stay in the Pac-12 in 2024 despite conference realignment, along with the Oregon State Beavers. Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah bolted for the Big 12, while USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon joined the Big Ten. Cal and Stanford left the “Conference of Champions” to compete in the ACC.

Arizona is 28-19 all-time against Washington State since the first contest in 1963. The Wildcats won the previous contest, a 44-6 drubbing in Pullman, which kick-started Arizona’s seven-game winning streak to end the 2023 season.

The Wildcats kick off their Big 12 home opener against the Cincinnati Bearcats on Oct. 3. 

Arizona upset Cincinnati on the road last season, which was also the same game Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita set the program's career passing touchdowns record. Fifita could conceivably set UA's passing yards record against Cincinnati in 2026. Fifita needs 829 yards to pass Nick Foles for all-time passing yards by a Wildcat. 

Before Arizona's first bye week, the Wildcats will trek to Morgantown to face the West Virginia Mountaineers, led by former UA head coach Rich Rodriguez, who is entering his second season at WVU. The Wildcats lost their only game against West Virginia, 31-26, in Tucson in 2024. Former West Virginia wide receiver Rodney Gallagher III and punter Chase Ridley are playing their first season at the UA. 

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Arizona's only bye of the season is on Oct. 17, before the Wildcats return to Casino Del Sol Stadium to play Iowa State, one of four losses for the Wildcats in 2025, on Oct. 24.

The 39-14 loss in Ames was the largest margin of defeat for the Wildcats all season. The Wildcats won the previous two meetings in 1968 and 1966. Arizona is 3-2-1 all-time against Iowa State. The Cyclones are going into their first season under first-year head coach Jimmy Rogers, who succeeds Penn State head coach Matt Campbell. 

Arguably, Arizona's toughest matchup of the season is on Halloween, when the Wildcats face the Texas Tech Red Raiders in Lubbock. The Red Raiders won the Big 12 championship, went to the College Football Playoff and are reloading again for 2026, especially with the addition of former Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby.

It'll also be a homecoming of sorts for Arizona offensive coordinator Seth Doege, who quarterbacked Texas Tech from 2009-12. Doege, who played for head coaches Mike Leach and Tommy Tuberville at Texas Tech, won the 2012 Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas and was named MVP of the bowl game. Doege has the fifth-most passing yards in Texas Tech history. 

The Wildcats are 5-27-2 all-time against Texas Tech. The last time the Wildcats played in Lubbock was in 1989. Arizona's only win over TTU in Lubbock was in 1935. 

Arizona will begin the month of November with back-to-back home games against TCU on Nov. 7 and Utah on Nov. 14. 

This upcoming season will be the fourth all-time meeting between Arizona and TCU. The Wildcats lost their first conference matchup against TCU in 2024, when former wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan set Arizona's all-time receiving yards record. Arizona beat TCU in overtime in Tucson in 2003. TCU is led by fifth-year head coach and former UA offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes.  

Arizona is 21-26-2 all-time against Utah. The Utes will be without longtime head coach Kyle Whittingham, who's now at Michigan after leading Utah from 2005-25. Longtime Utah defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley is going into his first season as the Utes' head coach. Arizona won its last two meetings against Utah. 

The Wildcats' road finale will be against the Kansas State Wildcats in Manhattan, Kansas, on Nov. 21. Arizona lost to KSU, 31-7, in Manhattan in 2024, which snapped the UA's nine-game winning streak. Arizona avenged its loss to Kansas State with a 23-17 win this past September. 

Arizona will conclude the regular season against in-state rival ASU on Nov. 28 in Tucson. The Senior Day game will be the final game in Tucson for Fifita and several other seniors. The Wildcats have won three out of the last four Territorial Cups, including the 2025 matchup in Tempe. 

The Big 12 championship game is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 4, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. 

The Big 12 teams not on Arizona's schedule are Baylor, UCF, Oklahoma State, Colorado, Kansas and Houston. Arizona will have seven home games and five road games.

Arizona is coming off a 9-4 season that ended in a 24-19 loss to SMU in the Holiday Bowl. The Wildcats were one of eight teams in program history to win at least nine games. Arizona is 13-12 in two seasons under Brennan.