Take a look at Arizona’s remaining home football schedule: Oklahoma State, BYU, Kansas, Baylor. It creates an urge to think the Wildcats can go undefeated, 7-0 at home.
The Pride of Arizona takes the field for the pre-game entertainment as the Wildcats prepare to face Hawaii to open their season, Aug. 30, 2025, in Tucson.
It’s not exactly like the old Pac-12 days when USC or Oregon or Washington — or suddenly strong Stanford, UCLA or Utah — visited Arizona Stadium.
But keep this in mind: Arizona has gone undefeated in Tucson just twice since 1950 — the 8-1-1 team of 1961 went 6-0, and the 10-2 club of 1993 also went 6-0. That’s it. This isn’t McKale Center.
When Arizona plays at undefeated Iowa State’s Jack Trice Stadium this week, it will likely be performing in front of the Big 12’s most hostile road facility (although Utah and BYU would disagree). The Cyclones went 6-1 at home last season, and in home games against South Dakota and Iowa this month, sold out all 61,500 tickets. Saturday’s UA-ISU game is already sold out.
It’s not that Iowa State has a long history as a hostile venue in college football. The Cyclones haven’t had an undefeated home season since 1919. But in the Big 12 in 2025, playing in Ames, Iowa, is as difficult as it gets.
