Arizona faces the Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday to begin the final stretch of the season after its second bye week. Here's a look at starting lineups, key matchups and a prediction.
Arizona (4-3) at Colorado (3-5)
When: 4 p.m. Saturday
Where: Folsom Field, Boulder
TV: FS1 (Fox, if the World Series doesn't reach Game 7)
Radio: 1290-AM, 107.5-FM, 92.5-FM (Spanish)
Arizona Wildcats
2025 Record: 4-3 (1-3 Big 12)
WHEN ARIZONA IS ON OFFENSE (PROJECTED):
[Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr.]
WR | 12 | Tre Spivey III | 6-4 | 212 | R-So.
Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita scampers into the Colorado backfield on a scramble into the red zone in the first quarter of their game Oct. 19, 2024, at Arizona Stadium.
WR | 6 | Javin Whatley | 5-10 | 171 | R-Sr.
LT | 75 | Ty Buchanan | 6-6 | 314 | R-Sr.
LG | 55 | Chubba Maae | 6-2 | 349 | R-Sr.
C | 52 | Ka'ena Decambra | 6-3 | 308 | R-Sr.
RG | 63 | Alexander Doost | 6-7 | 330 | R-So.
RT | 71 | Tristan Bounds | 6-8 | 291 | R-Sr.
TE | 84 | Sam Olson | 6-3 | 229 | R-Sr.
WR | 11 | Chris Hunter | 6-1 | 195 | R-Jr.
QB | 1 | Noah Fifita | 5-10 | 195 | R-Jr.
RB | 21 | Ismail Mahdi | 5-9 | 184 | Sr.
WHEN ARIZONA IS ON DEFENSE (PROJECTED):
[Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr.]
DE | 42 | Dominic Lolesio | 6-4 | 252 | R-So.
DT | 0 | Deshawn McKnight | 6-3 | 288 | Sr.
Arizona running back Kedrick Reescano, right, takes a handoff from quarterback Noah Fifita and runs for a 2-yard touchdown during the second half against the Cougars, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, in Houston.
DT | 98 | Tiaoalii Savea | 6-4 | 301 | R-Sr.
DE | 44 | Malachi Bailey | 6-2 | 273 | Sr.
LB | 6 | Taye Brown | 6-2 | 231 | Jr.
LB | 4 | Max Harris | 6-0 | 230 | Sr.
NB | 2 | Treydan Stukes | 6-2 | 200 | R-Sr.
CB | 9 | Ayden Garnes | 6-0 | 183 | R-Sr.
CB | 25 | Michael Dansby | 5-10 | 189 | R-Jr.
BS | 43 | Dalton Johnson | 5-11 | 198 | R-Sr.
FS | 12 | Genesis Smith | 6-2 | 204 | Jr.
UA 2025 SCHEDULE
August
30 | HAWAII | W, 40-6
September
6 | WEBER STATE | W, 48-3
12 | KANSAS STATE* | W, 23-17
27 | at No. 14 Iowa State | L, 39-14
October
4 | OKLAHOMA STATE | W, 41-13
11 | No. 18 BYU | L, 33-27 (2OT)
18 | at Houston | L, 31-28
November
1 | at Colorado
8 | KANSAS (Homecoming, Military Appreciation)
15 | at No. 17 Cincinnati
22 | BAYLOR (Senior Day)
28 | at Arizona State* (Territorial Cup)
Home games in Bold; *=Friday game
UA 2025 STATS
PASSING
[Name | Comp-Att-INT | Yards | TDs | Long]
Fifita | 155-235-4 | 1,829 | 17 | 85
Locke | 5-9-1 | 68 | 0 | 40
Bray | 1-2-0 | 22 | 0 | 22
RUSHING
[Name | Carries | Yards | TDs | YPC | YPG]
Mahdi | 77 | 445 | 1 | 5.8 | 63.6
Craig | 30 | 209 | 1 | 7 | 29.9
Reescano | 36 | 177 | 3 | 4.9 | 44.3
Fifita | 68 | 78 | 3 | 1.3 | 11.4
RECEIVING
[Name | Rec. | Yards | TDs | YPC | YPG]
Whatley | 32 | 370 | 3 | 11.6 | 52.9
Hutson | 24 | 318 | 2 | 13.3 | 53.0
Wysong | 18 | 249 | 2 | 13.8 | 35.6
Hunter | 17 | 239 | 2 | 14.1 | 34.1
Spivey | 10 | 223 | 5 | 22.3 | 31.9
DEFENSE
[Name | Tackles | Sacks | INTs | FR | FF]
Johnson | 52 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0
Brown | 46 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0
Harris | 45 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1
G. Smith | 42 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1
Stukes | 24 | 0.5 | 2 | 0 | 0
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders listens to a question during Big 12 media day in Frisco, Texas.
Colorado Buffaloes
2025 record: 3-5 (1-4 Big 12)
WHEN COLORADO IS ON OFFENSE (PROJECTED):
[Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr.]
WR | 8 | Joseph Williams | 6-2 | 220 | So.
TE | 85 | Zach Atkins | 6-4 | 250 | Jr.
LT | 77 | Jordan Seaton | 6-5 | 330 | So.
LG | 59 | Yahya Attia | 6-4 | 340 | Fr.
C | 58 | Zarian McGill | 6-2 | 320 | Grad.
RG | 72 | Zy Crisler | 6-7 | 340 | Sr.
RT | 53 | Larry Johnson III | 6-7 | 350 | Sr.
WR | 9 | Sincere Brown | 6-5 | 190 | Grad.
WR | 4 | Omarion Miller | 6-2 | 210 | Jr.
QB | 3 | Kaidon Salter | 6-1 | 190 | Sr.
RB | 29 | Micah Welch | 5-9 | 215 | So.
WHEN COLORADO IS ON DEFENSE (PROJECTED):
[Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr.]
DE | 27 | Keaten Wade | 6-4 | 245 | Sr.
DT | 88 | Amari McNeill | 6-4 | 300 | Sr.
DT | 91 | Brandon Davis-Swain | 6-4 | 290 | Fr.
DE | 53 | Arden Walker | 6-2 | 250 | Jr.
LB | 42 | Jeremiah Brown | 6-2 | 235 | Sr.
LB | 50 | Reggie Hughes | 6-2 | 225 | Grad.
Colorado quarterback Kaidon Salter.
NB | 4 | Preston Hodge | 6-0 | 195 | Sr.
CB | 29 | Ivan Yates | 6-0 | 170 | Grad.
SS | 28 | Ben Finneseth | 6-2 | 205 | Sr.
FS | 7 | Tawfiq Byard | 6-1 | 195 | So.
CB | 8 | D.J. McKinney | 6-2 | 180 | Jr.
CU 2025 SCHEDULE
August
29 | GEORGIA TECH* | L, 27-20
September
6 | DELAWARE | W, 31-7
12 | at Houston* | L, 36-20
20 | WYOMING | W, 37-20
27 | No. 25 BYU | L, 24-21
October
4 | at TCU | L, 35-21
11 | No. 22 IOWA STATE | W, 24-17
25 | at Utah | L, 53-7
November
1 | ARIZONA
8 | at West Virginia
22 | ARIZONA STATE
29 | at Kansas State
Home games in Bold; * = played on Friday
CU 2025 STATS
PASSING
[Name | Comp-Att-INT | Yards | TDs | Long]
Salter | 102-164-5 | 1,193 | 9 | 70
Staub | 30-53-1 | 427 | 3 | 71
Lewis | 2-4-0 | 8 | 0 | 11
Williams | 0-1-0 | 0 | 0 | 0
RUSHING
[Name | Carries | Yards | TDs | YPC | YPG]
Welch | 68 | 281 | 4 | 4.1 | 35.1
Salter | 79 | 266 | 5 | 3.4 | 38.0
Price | 21 | 143 | 2 | 6.8 | 35.8
Hayden | 19 | 83 | 0 | 4.9 | 21.2
RECEIVING
[Name | Rec. | Yards | TDs | YPC | YPG]
O. Miller | 23 | 430 | 4 | 18.7 | 61.4
Williams | 24 | 370 | 3 | 15.4 | 52.9
Brown | 14 | 279 | 2 | 19.9 | 34.9
Taylor | 10 | 106 | 2 | 10.6 | 26.5
D. Miller | 11 | 95 | 1 | 8.6 | 13.6
DEFENSE
[Name | Tackles | Sacks | INTs | FR | FF]
Byard | 61 | 0.5 | 1 | 0 | 0
Brown | 49 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0
Hughes | 44 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0
McKinney | 34 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0
Walker | 32 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0
Head to Head
Arizona wide receiver Tre Spivey (12) celebrates after ramming home a touchdown and losing his helmet in the process against Oklahoma State during the first quarter, Oct. 4, 2025, at Arizona Stadium.
12 Tre Spivey vs. 7 Tawfiq Byard
Spivey is coming off one of his top performances since transferring to Arizona. He scored two touchdowns in UA's loss to Houston, including a 70-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Spivey also scored on a jet sweep to put his season touchdown total at six — on just 11 touches. Spivey also has the best run-blocking grade (84.3) on Pro Football Focus.
The South Florida transfer is the younger brother of Chicago Bears All-Pro safety Kevin Byard. The younger Byard graduated from DeMatha Catholic in Hyattsville, Maryland, a national powerhouse near Washington D.C. Byard leads the Buffaloes in tackles and interceptions as a second-year player. Byard had 10 tackles and two pass deflections against Utah last week.
Arizona safety Genesis Smith warms up before taking on the Houston Cougars Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, at TDECU Stadium.
12 Genesis Smith vs. 4 Omarion Miller
Smith was recently named a potential NFL prospect on ESPN NFL Draft guru Mel Kiper Jr.'s "Big Board" rankings. Even though Smith is considered one of Arizona's top defensive players and a potential NFL Draft prospect, he is tied with linebacker Max Harris for the most missed tackles (11), according to PFF. Smith had four missed tackles against Houston.
The Buffaloes lost their top four wide receivers from last season: Travis Hunter, LaJohntay Wester, Jimmy Horn Jr. and Will Sheppard. But Miller, who was a part of Colorado's receiving corps last season, has settled in as Colorado's top receiver. Miller leads the Buffaloes in receiving yards and touchdowns this season. Last week, he was benched after showing up late to a team meeting.
The matchup
When Arizona has the ball …
The Wildcats are facing the worst rushing defense in the Big 12, so the expectation is to run, right? If Colorado looks to stop the run, the Buffaloes could conceivably stack the box and dare the Wildcats to pass. Since Arizona's first loss of the season against Iowa State, UA quarterback Noah Fifita has completed 70% of his passes for 864 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions. Look for Fifita to potentially take off for designed quarterback runs.
When Colorado has the ball …
The blueprint to beat Arizona the last two games included quarterback power runs. BYU and Houston and their big-bodied quarterbacks and powerful running backs bullied their way to a combined 490 rushing yards after the Wildcats only allowed 488 rushing yards the first five games of the season. Good news for the Wildcats: CU has been one of the worst Power 4 rushing teams the last three years. The Buffs could get a spark from their ground game, especially behind their enormous offensive line, highlighted by left tackle Jordan Seaton.
College Football 26 prediction: Colorado 30, Arizona 28
Arizona's second-half comeback fell short. The Wildcats trailed 24-7 in the third quarter and outscored the Buffaloes 14-3 in the fourth quarter, but Arizona was unable to recover an onside kick with less than a minute remaining. Arizona defensive tackle Leroy Palu forced Salter to fumble on a drop-back, and defensive tackle Tiaoalii Savea returned the loose ball 55 yards for a scoop-and-score touchdown.
Salter completed 34 of 48 passes for 300 yards and three touchdowns, and had an 18-yard run on third-and-8 in the fourth quarter. Sound familiar? That was Arizona's reality against BYU and Houston. In the simulated version of the Arizona-Colorado game, Fifita completed 32 of 34 passes (94%) for 274 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions — and the Wildcats lost. Again, sound familiar?
