Arizona Schedule Reveal Takeaways

The Big 12 schedule release means the puzzle was complete. We knew the pieces, just not quite where they fit up until Wednesday morning.

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Arizona Football Schedule
9/5 – NAU
9/12 – @ BYU
9/19 – Northern Illinois
9/26 – @ Wazzu
10/3 – Cincinnati
10/10 – @ WVU
10/17 – BYE
10/24 – Iowa State
10/31 – @ Texas Tech
11/7 – TCU
11/14 – Utah
11/21 – @ Kansas St
11/28 – ASU pic.twitter.com/OoZx7LFeKI

— Jordan Hamm (@JordyHamm) January 21, 2026

Here are some takeaways for what it means for the Arizona Wildcats:

Swinging early

After NAU, there is a game with big conference implications when the Wildcats head to Provo to take on BYU. 

A member of the Big 12 championship game last year, the Cougars are returning a ton of talent and look to be contenders in the conference yet again. 

The 2026 iteration of the Wildcats could certainly announce themselves with a win against BYU.

Well-placed bye

The bye is smack-dab in the middle of the season for the ‘Cats. I think that’s a good thing. Aside from BYU, the schedule looks a bit softer than the back-half (at least on paper). If the ‘Cats are able to get rolling quickly, they could be sitting right around bowl eligibility before mid-October. 

After that, they’ll host a new-look Iowa State team, go to Texas Tech, host TCU and Utah, go to Kansas State and then how ASU. 

That could turn into a brutal stretch.

Rich Rod reunion

The ‘Cats head to Morgantown on October 10 to take on former Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez. Rich Rod went 43-35 in six seasons in Tucons, highlighted by a Fiesta Bowl appearance in 2014, and the Wildcats hit the seven-win mark five times in that span.