Arizona Wildcats Future Odds
The Wildcats are 15-23 ATS Since 2016; 5-6 in 2022Â
The Arizona Wildcats finished the 2022 season 5-7, and 3-6 in the Pac-12. It was a four-win improvement over 2021 when they finished 1-11. Head Coach Jedd Fisch is heading into his third season in Tucson where the Wildcats have not been in a bowl game since 2017 when they lost to Purdue (38-35) in the Foster Farms Bowl. Arizona has not won a bowl game since 2015. Over the last three seasons, the Wildcats are 12-15 ATS (-395 units), and 22-28-1 ATS (791 units) since 2018.
Arizona Wildcats At A Glance
| Odds to Win | Opening Odds | Current Odds |
| National Championship | +50000 | +50000 |
| Conference | +10000 | +8000 |
| Regular Season Win Total | 5 (o-110, u-120) | 5 (o-110, u-120) |
| To Make Playoffs (if applicable) | N/A | N/A |
Wildcats Fate Will Be Determined In The Trenches
Scrolling through the Arizona Wildcats Future odds there is much that want to put our money behind, usually, the season win total prop is the option among teams that simply don’t have a chance to win a conference championship, let alone a National Championship.
That’s the case for Arizona who need to figure out how to win the line of scrimmage battle before we can talk about being one of the top NCAAF teams in the Pac-12 or whatever conference the ‘Cats will land in next season (Big 12). Arizona’s rushing defense allowed 209.1 yards per game last season, ranking them 125th in College Football. That led to Arizona allowing 26.5 points per game (126th). Even worse, the defense forced just four turnovers the entire season (129th).
This defense was a far cry from ‘Desert Swarm’ in the early 90’s, but that’s a standard that will never be duplicated again. However, in order for the Wildcats to get back to respectability the program can’t be sixth worse in College Football. Their projected NCAAF standings will settle the school in the lower half of the Pac-12 in 2023.
Perhaps success in 2023 will come from the offense being a little less explosive than in 2022 when the Cats averaged 464 total yards behind quarterback Jayden de Laura who finished with 3685 yards passing, helping the school finish 8th nationally with 318.4 passing yards per game. For Fisch.
It may be better to squeeze a few more time of possession minutes from his offense until he is sure that the defense will give some stops in 2023. Let’s continue our Arizona Wildcat future odds preview with a look at various preseason odds, and where is the smartest place to put your Wildcat money this season.
National Championship Odds: Don’t Throw Your Money Away
A few of these we’re touching on to give you the current odds, but there is no way there is a path for the Wildcats to win a National Championship. It appears the oddsmakers have less confidence in Arizona this season at +50000 than they did last year when they sent the Wildcats out at +40000.
Not a surprising position considering a look at their NCAAF schedule shows home games against Washington, Oregon State, UCLA, and Utah. On the road, they’ll face Mississippi State, USC, Washington State, and in-state rival ASU to finish the season. Even if they somehow get through that, they won’t win a Pac-12 championship game. We can’t even begin to have this conversation until their defense resembles what it was under Dick Tomey.
Conference Odds: At +8000, Arizona Finishes In Bottom Half
Among the best College Football bets in 2023, betting the Wildcats to win the Pac-12 isn’t one of them. Seven teams own better odds to win the Pac-12, with Arizona coming in at +8000, a small bump up after opening at +10000 in 2022. We continue to harp on rushing defense, but only once since 2012 has their defense finished in the top half of the Pac-12.
Three times they allowed 300 yards rushing last season (Cal, Oregon, and Utah). Luckily, only Utah is on the schedule this year, but the opponent won’t matter if they can’t simply wrap up on tackles (7.2 missed tackles per game average). Fundamentals and execution have to be better before we can have a serious conversation about winning a conference title. We conclude our Arizona Wildcat odds preview with a look at the Cats projected season win total.
Regular Season Wins: Cats Slink Backwards In 2023
We crushed last season’s Arizona Wildcat win total of 3 (-145 over) when Arizona found themselves one game shy of becoming bowl eligible after a 5-6 season, that included five losses to six conference foes, sealing their postseason fate. Arizona did win two of their last three games, including an upset at the Rose Bowl at #12 UCLA (34-28).
This year, the oddsmakers have increased the Wildcats’ projected win total to 5 (under -120), but we think that’s too much of a leap for a defense that has a lot to prove. Over the course of the offseason, Arizona lost 40 NCAAF players, 5 players to graduation, 3 to the NFL with the others transferring. According to 24/7 Sports, the Wildcats had the 51st-ranked transfer class after adding 13 players via the transfer portal.
Five is a difficult number to put our money behind because we can find four wins for sure, but this number is asking us to find six to win our wager. As we documented with the schedule earlier, the conference gauntlet won’t be easy but there is an outside chance that the Cats can make something of a schedule that features a combined opponents record of 69-79 (113th SOS).
Our guess is that Arizona falls right on five wins again, but we’d rather have our money on the under than count on six wins to cash our ticket. That does it for our Arizona Wildcat odds preview, we wish you nothing but the best this College Football season.
For NCAAF betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
