What a 10-win season would mean for Arizona football, and what could follow

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Arizona is set to take on SMU in the Holiday Bowl on Friday, and with the win the Wildcats would finish out the season with 10 wins. It’s been a complete turnaround for Brent Brennan in just his second year.

Of course a bowl win brings great meaning to a program. It means that the team played enough good football to extend its season into the postseason.

Getting to that 10th win also brings legacy cementing significance. Only four Arizona football teams have been able to get to 10 wins in one season.

Going back to 1993, Dick Tomey was the first coach to take the Wildcats to the “promised land” of 10 wins. Led by our site’s namesake, the “Desert Swarm” defense led Arizona all the way to the Fiesta Bowl.

Shutting out No. 10 Miami in a 29-0 game, it helped to put Arizona on the radar of college football. It also laid the foundation for what the Wildcats program was. Hard working, underestimated, and never quitting.

Five seasons later, Tomey repeated and exceeded history. Finishing the season at 12-1, it was the best season in program history.

The ‘98 team was one win against UCLA away from reaching its first Rose Bowl, however, Arizona still earned a spot to play Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl.

Beating the Cornhuskers 23-20, it was an amazing way to close out possibly the greatest season in program history.

Arizona did not reach 10 wins in a season for the rest of Tomey’s time in Tucson. After stints with John Mackovic and Mike Stoops, the Wildcats finally got back to 10 wins under Rich Rodriguez in 2014.

In what was considered a season filled with magic, Arizona relied on crazy comebacks to win games.

Beating Cal on a hail mary, Washington on a game ending field goal, and upsetting Oregon in Eugene, it helped the Wildcats become a contender for the college football playoffs. It led Arizona all the way to the Pac-12 championship, where Oregon got its revenge.

The postseason brought Arizona back to the Fiesta Bowl for a matchup against Boise State. Trying to finish the season with another comeback win, the Wildcats fell to the Broncos 38-30.

After nearly a decade following the magical run in 2014, Jedd Fisch led Arizona to one of the greatest runs in program history. Winning six games in a row, the Wildcats earned a spot to play Oklahoma in the 2023 Alamo Bowl.

In a comeback win, Arizona beat the Sooners 38-24, capping off just the fourth time in program history that the Wildcats got to 10 wins.

What comes with this year’s Holiday Bowl game, is an opportunity for Arizona to get back to 10 wins for just the fifth time in program history.

It’s clearly a good thing for the Wildcats to get to 10 wins, but the seasons that have followed those 10-win seasons have not been so fruitful.

Following the ‘93 season, Arizona went 8-4 the next season. While that is still a good record, it was not 10 wins, and that team lost its bowl game.

After the ‘98 season, the Wildcats went into that next season with very high expectations. However, Arizona went .500 on the season with a 6-6 record, falling well below the expectations from last season.

Even after the magical 2014 season, another 6-6 season fell below the expectations going into the season. The only difference is that the 2015 team still went on to win a bowl game and finish above .500 at 7-6.

Of course everyone remembers recent history with the 2024 season being dismal when talking about expectations. It was a big reason as to why this season has been surprising to almost everyone.

While there is still the main task at hand in beating SMU in the Holiday Bowl to get to 10 wins, the work going into next season is crucial. If Arizona can maintain confidence with eight wins or more next season, it can start to establish itself as a force to be reckoned with in the Big 12.

A 10-win season will put this season into conversations of one of the greatest seasons in program history. It could bring more fans into Casino Del Sol Stadium, high ranking recruiting classes, and an overall buzz to Tucson.

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