Previewing 1st half of Arizona football’s 2026 schedule
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Arizona football is right around the corner and with training camp soon to commence, we are taking an early look at the opponents the Wildcats will be facing this season. Compared to last season, the competition level has increased so trying to get to the Big 12 championship will be as hard as it can be.
Noah Fifita is set to return for one last ride in Tucson and Brent Brennan is hoping to build off of the success of last season. Arizona returns almost all of its coaching staff so continuity in the program is as strong as it has ever been.
Here is a look at the opponents Arizona will face in the first half of the 2026 season:
Week 1 vs. NAU
- Date: Saturday, Sept. 5
- Kickoff/TV info: 6:30 p.m. PT, ESPN+
- Opponent’s 2025 record: 7-5
- Last meeting: 2024 (Arizona 22, NAU 10)
Arizona leads the all-time series against the Lumberjacks 17-2 and Team 123 will be kicking off the season looking for a third consecutive win in the series. NAU finished in sixth place in the Big Sky in 2025.
Averaging 31.67 points per game, offensive leader Ty Pennington returns as quarterback for the Lumberjacks and had 3,116 passing yards for 19 touchdowns. He also only threw four interceptions and had a 65.7% passing completion rate.
NAU did lose leading rusher Seth Cromwell to the transfer portal but Quran Gossett did return and he ran for 394 yards and eight touchdowns. The top two leading receivers are gone but tight end Jeter Purdy who was third in receiving yards does. Purdy had 415 yards and two touchdowns.
On the defense, NAU’s returner with the most tackles from last season is senior safety Michael Beresford who had 30 tackles and two interceptions.
The Lumberjacks forced 21 turnovers last season with 13 fumbles and five interceptions. They struggled on third down with a 35.63% conversion rate. NAU has proved in the past that if not taken seriously it can steal a win.
Week 2 at BYU
- Date: Saturday, Sept. 12
- Kickoff/TV info: 12:30 p.m. PT, Fox
- Opponent’s 2025 record: 12-2, 8-1 Big 12
- Last meeting: 2025 (BYU 33, Arizona 27, 2 OT)
BYU leads the all-time series against the Wildcats with a 14-12-1 record, and after last season’s thriller Arizona will be looking for revenge. The Cougars are coming off a 12-2 season where they earned a spot in the Big 12 championship.
After a strong freshman year performance, Bear Bachmeier returns at quarterback who threw for 3,033 yards and 15 touchdowns. He was the second leading rusher with 527 yards and 11 touchdowns.
LJ Martin, the Big 12 offensive player of the year, also returns for BYU and he had 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns. BYU does not return its three leading receivers making Martin the leading returner in receiving yards with 255 yards.
Behind Martin, Jojo Phillips is the second leading returner in receiving yards with 161 yards. Safety Faletau Satuala returns as last season’s leading tackler with 84 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss.
BYU averaged 31.43 points per game and 399.5 yards per game. It also forced 15 fumbles and seven interceptions. The Cougars are one of the favorites to reach the Big 12 championship.
Week 3 vs. Northern Illinois
- Date: Saturday, Sept. 19
- Kickoff/TV info: 7:30 p.m. PT, TNT
- Opponent’s 2025 record: 3-9
- Last meeting: None
The Huskies are set to face off for the first time against Arizona, and not only does this season bring a new opponent for them but a new conference. NIU is entering the Mountain West conference after going 2-6 in the MAC and had a 3-7 record overall.
There will be a new quarterback at the helm but Brady Davidson did see action last season. He had 384 passing yards and three touchdowns, however he had three interceptions. Jalen Macon did see limited action last season so he could end up being the starter for the Huskies.
Telly Johnson Jr. was the second leading rusher last season with 712 yards and four touchdowns. NIU’s leading receiver returns this season in DeAree Rogers who had 506 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
A leader on defense will need to be established as the Huskies do not return a top ten leading tackler from last season. NIU averaged 17.1 points per game and had a 31.79% conversion rate on third down.
Week 4 at Washington State
- Date: Saturday, Sept. 26
- Kickoff/TV info: 4:30 p.m. PT, CBS
- Opponent’s 2025 record: 7-6
- Last meeting: 2023 (Arizona 44, Washington State 6)
An old Pac-12 foe, Washington State will be looking for revenge since the last meeting when the Wildcats went to Pullman and blew the Cougars out. Arizona does lead the all-time series with a 28-19 record.
The quarterback is up in the air for Washington State. Julian Dugger saw very limited action last season so he might be taking the starting spot, but transfer Caden Pinnick could also be the eventual leader. Pinnick helped UC Davis get to a 9-4 record and a third place finish in the Big Sky.
Kirby Vorhees returns as the leading rusher with 576 yards and five touchdowns. Tony Freeman was last season’s leading receiver with 590 yards and three touchdowns. Similar to NIU, the Cougars do not return a top ten tackler from last season.
Last season, Washington State averaged 22.54 points per game and had a 38.3% third down conversion rate. It also forced 12 fumbles and had six interceptions.
Week 5 vs. Cincinnati
- Date: Saturday, Oct. 3
- Kickoff/TV info: TBD
- Opponent’s 2025 record: 7-6, 5-4 Big 12
- Last meeting: 2025 (Arizona 30, Cincinnati 24)
In the first meeting ever, Arizona went into Nippert Stadium and left with an upset win over Cincinnati. The Bearcats make the trip to Tucson with revenge on their minds.
With Brendan Sorsby transferring, there will be a new quarterback leading the offense. Cincinnati brought in two redshirt seniors from the transfer portal who could potentially be leading the offense. JC French IV and Liam O’Brien will more than likely be battling for the starting spot.
The top four leading rushers are gone but Zion Johnson did have 106 yards and a touchdown last season. Isaiah Johnson is the leading returner in receiver yards with 222 yards and had three touchdowns.
Antwan Peek Jr. had 59 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles. As a redshirt senior, Peek Jr. should be the leader on the defensive side of the ball.
The Bearcats averaged 30.31 per game last season while forcing six interceptions and 21 fumbles. A 7-1 start to the season last year ended with five straight losses and a 5-4 conference record with a tenth place finish.
Week 6 at West Virginia
- Date: Saturday, Oct. 10
- Kickoff/TV info: TBD
- Opponent’s 2025 record: 4-8, 2-7 Big 12
- Last meeting: 2024 (West Virginia 31, Arizona 26)
Two years ago, the Mountaineers came to Tucson and took the first meeting between the schools. Arizona looks to return the favor this season and will also look to beat former Wildcats head coach Rich Rodriguez.
Scotty Fox Jr. returns for West Virginia, he passed for 1,276 yards and seven touchdowns. Michael Hawkins Jr. transferred in from Oklahoma and showed flashes of playmaking so the starting quarterback spot may be up for grabs.
Cam Cook transferred in from Jacksonville State and will be looking to lead a strong rushing attack. He rushed for 1,659 yards and 16 touchdowns.
The Mountaineers will be looking for a new leader at the receiver spot and brought in many new candidates. Prince Strachan came in from USC, Taron Francis came in from LSU, and DJ Epps from Troy.
Ben Cutter is the leading returner in tackles with 38 and also had two interceptions. West Virginia had 11 interceptions and forced 12 fumbles. Averaging 21.8 points per game, West Virginia had a 29.61% third down conversion rate, two figures it hopes to improve on this season.
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