The last time members from the Arizona football program trekked to Las Vegas for an event, it was for the final Pac-12 Media Day last summer.
In the hazy Zouk Nightclub (on brand for Las Vegas), conference leadership was cornered to answer questions about the Pac-12 media rights negotiations, realignment and saving the current state of the league without USC and UCLA.
Life drastically changed soon after that for both Arizona and the rest of the Pac-12. Two weeks after Pac-12 Media Day, a majority of the conference’s members officially began their farewell tour with the plan to join other power conferences, including the Big Ten and Big 12; Stanford and Cal announced their plans to join the ACC a month later.
Less than a year later, Arizona is returning to Las Vegas as a member of the Big 12. Sort of. Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah officially on-board the 16-team Big 12 on Aug. 2.
Not only has Arizona’s conference changed, the Wildcats’ expectations have changed, too. After a 10-3 season that resulted in a win at the Alamo Bowl, the Wildcats return their nucleus and a majority of their starters from the 2023 squad despite former head coach Jedd Fisch leaving for Washington.
First-year Arizona head coach Brent Brennan, after seven seasons at San Jose State, takes the reins of a UA football program entering potentially the most highly anticipated season in years.
Ahead of the Big 12 Media Days on Tuesday and Wednesday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, with the Wildcats on the main stage Wednesday afternoon, here are notable Arizona- and conference-related storylines:
The return of quarterback Cameron Rising could have Utah poised to make its first playoff appearance.
Without Oklahoma and Texas, who is top dog? Which team will represent the Big 12 in the CFP?
In football, the Big 12 lost its headliner acts to the SEC: Texas and Oklahoma.
Since the Big 12 played its first conference championship game in 1996, Oklahoma and Texas have combined to win 18 league titles — 14 of them courtesy of OU, which ended its Big 12 membership with a loss to Arizona at the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio in December.
Current Big 12 teams with the most conference titles include Baylor and Kansas State (3), along with Colorado, Oklahoma State and TCU with one apiece.
Which program could potentially reign the conference this season and beyond? The Utah Utes, a potential Top 10 team this season, were voted to win the conference in the preseason media poll, ahead of Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Kansas. Arizona was voted fifth in the conference preseason poll, with Iowa State, West Virginia, UCF, Texas Tech and TCU rounding out the top 10; ASU was picked last.
Utah returns 25-year-old super-senior and star quarterback Cameron Rising, who has 5,572 passing yards, 46 touchdowns, just 14 interceptions, to go along with 953 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. Between Rising, running back Micah Bernard, tight end Brant Kuithe and former UA receiver Dorian Singer, who transferred from USC this offseason, along with a defense that returns a majority of its starters, Utah could make a splash in its inaugural year in the Big 12.
Arizona faces Utah in Salt Lake City to begin Big 12 play on Sept. 28, after a nonconference game against Kansas State in Manhattan on Friday, Sept. 13.
Arizona has six games against Big 12 opponents that were voted in the bottom half of the preseason Big 12 poll: Texas Tech (9), at TCU (10), Colorado (11), at BYU (13), Houston (15) and Arizona State (16). Arizona wouldn’t have to potentially face Oklahoma State, Kansas or Iowa State until the Big 12 championship game in Dallas.
Barring injuries at key positions, Arizona will be favored in most of its games this season, and if the Wildcats can withstand road tests at Kansas State, Utah and UCF in Orlando for the “Space Game,” they have a path to the Big 12 title game — and the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff.
Beyond this season, deep-pocketed boosters and alumni and powerful NIL collectives will likely have an influence on that.
The return of receiver Tetairoa McMillan and an easy home schedule should help UA compete for the Big 12 title in 2024.
Can T-Mac stamp legacy with record-breaking season?
Arizona star receiver Tetairoa McMillan enters his third season as one of the top pass-catchers in college football with several All-American honors, and he’s arguably already the greatest player at the position in UA history.
McMillan, who will be one of four player representatives for Arizona at Big 12 Media Day, needs 1,248 yards this season to become the school’s all-time receiving yards leader, passing his current UA wide receivers coach, Bobby Wade.
McMillan, along with longtime friend and teammate in quarterback Noah Fifita, who is also speaking at media day, lead an Arizona offense that is expected to be amongst the most productive units this season. This season will most likely be McMillan’s last year before he becomes a likely first-round choice in the NFL Draft, which would be the second straight year a Wildcat was drafted in the first round.
In a one-on-one drill with cornerback Tacario Davis during spring practices, McMillan suffered a leg injury and “had a little procedure” in April, “and we expect him back for the season,” according to Brennan. McMillan is now “moving along and progressing great,” Arizona’s head coach recently told the Star. McMillan is expected to not have limitations at the start of training camp, which starts on July 30.
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, left, talks with his son and starting quarterback Shedeur Sanders prior to an Oct. 7, 2023, game in Tempe.
Is this season a make-or-break year for Colorado, Prime?
Despite a strong start, the “Coach Prime” sizzle at Colorado under head coach Deion Sanders tapered off last season, and the Buffaloes finished 4-8.
In his second season at the helm, Sanders revamped Colorado’s roster with Louis Vuitton luggage — err, players from the transfer portal to surround his two star assets in son and star quarterback Shedeur Sanders and CU two-way star Travis Hunter, who both transferred with Prime from Jackson State last year.
Both Sanders and and Hunter will enter the NFL Draft after this season. It will also be the last year for the older Sanders’ other son, free safety Shilo Sanders, who recently filed for bankruptcy and is $11 million in debt.
After adding 42 transfers this offseason, including nine offensive linemen, plus five-star offensive tackle Jordan Seaton, Colorado will either contend for a bowl game or continue to be all sizzle and no steak.
Quarterback Noah Fifita’s emergence is one reason Arizona may still contend for a Big 12 title in its first year in the conference in 2024.
Is Fifita the most underrated QB in the conference?
Fifita had the third-most passing yards last season among current Big 12 quarterbacks behind Oklahoma State’s Alan Bowman and Sanders.
Fifita, who was also the Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year and Football Writer’s Association of American National Offensive Freshman of the Year, concluded his first season as Arizona’s starter with 2,869 yards, 25 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 72.4% of his pass attempts. The Huntington Beach, California native is the only UA quarterback in program history to complete over 70% of his passes in a season.
Fifita went 7-2 as Arizona’s starter, and led the Wildcats on a seven-game winning streak to end the season; the two losses to Washington and USC were by a combined nine points.
Although Fifita didn’t earn preseason All-Big 12 honors, he’s earned Heisman Trophy odds. He has the second-highest odds (+4,000) amongst Big 12 quarterbacks behind Kansas’ Jalon Daniels.
Texas Tech running back Tahj Brooks (28) scores a touchdown on a seven-yard run against California during the second half of the Independence Bowl on Dec. 16, 2023, in Shreveport, Louisiana. Texas Tech won 34-14.
Will the Big 12 continue to grow?
UA president Robert C. Robbins lauded Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark, who will hold a news conference at Allegiant Stadium on Tuesday at 10 a.m., last year for his “very aggressive” approach with adding Arizona and other schools to the Big 12.
Will the Big 12 continue to add more schools beyond this year?
Florida State and Clemson are suing the ACC to potentially avoid outlandish exit fees from the conference with its grant of rights that expires in 2036.“We explore every and all opportunity to create value for our members, for our student-athletes,” Yormark said in May. “It’s what we’ve been doing since I on-boarded and we’ll continue to have that mindset.”
Yormark added: “I’ve said from Day 1, we are open for business. I guess you could say that we are open for business now more than ever before.”
Arizona linebacker Jacob Manu (5) and his defensive teammates celebrate his interception against Utah last November in Tucson.
Will Arizona’s new-look defense complement the offense?
Good news and bad news for Arizona’s defense.
The good news: Arizona returns most of its defensive secondary, including potential first-round draft choice Tacario Davis and safety Gunner Maldonado, who will attend Big 12 Media Day. Preseason All-Big 12 linebacker Jacob Manu, who will also be in Las Vegas this week, leads an Arizona defense that will have a similar 4-2-5 base scheme under first-year defensive coordinator Duane Akina, who was a defensive backs assistant under former play-caller Johnny Nansen.
The bad news? Arizona will have to replace nine scholarship defensive linemen a year after the Wildcats used the transfer portal to bolster the front-six unit and boost Arizona’s defense to a consistent run-stopper.
In addition to multiple rising defensive linemen, including likely starter Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei, the Wildcats added seven defensive linemen in the transfer portal. If Arizona’s defensive line can complement the rest of the defense — and ultimately the rest of the team, Arizona could double-down on another double-digit win season.
