In early July, Big 12 media members predicted Arizona would finish fifth in the conference in its inaugural season, while earlier this month the Wildcats opened at No. 21 in the Associated Press Top 25 for its first preseason ranking since 2015.
Those assessments are all well and good, but everyone knows the oddsmakers are the ones that really matter when it comes to preseason predictions. And depending on the book, Arizona’s outlook for 2024 is either really good or not nearly as strong as previously thought.
Per VegasInsider.com, the UA’s odds to win the national championship range from as low as +7500 (on Bet365 and Caesars Sports) to as high as +30000 (on BetRivers and FanDuel). To win the Big 12 title the Wildcats’ odds are a little more consistent, going from +1000 (Bet365/Caesars) to +1600 (BetRivers) but in general are 7th-best in the 16-team league.
Winning the Big 12 would get Arizona an automatic bid to the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff, but it could also get there as an at-large selection based on its final ranking. That’s the case with the preseason playoff prediction published this week by ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura, who has the Wildcats getting the No. 10 seed (with Utah winning the regular-season title and earning the No. 4 seed) but losing in the first round at No. 7 Texas.
Where things are most consistent is in predicted win total. Every major sports betting app has Arizona’s line set at 7.5 victories, a figure our entire staff expects it to surpass.
The opening line for Arizona’s 2024 opener against New Mexico, set for Aug. 31, will come out after New Mexico wraps up its Week Zero matchup with Montana State. Preliminary lines have the Wildcats favored by 30 or more points, but that could change if the Lobos win—they’re double-digit home underdogs to an FCS school—or look even worse than projected.
