It’s been an entertaining start to the 2022 college football season in Tucson, with the Arizona Wildcats surpassing their win totals over the last two seasons in just five weeks of action.
The 3-2 Wildcats are fresh off a 43-20 shellacking of Colorado, giving them a shot at reaching a bowl for the first time in a half decade.
First things first, the Wildcats will need to find a way to pull off at least one Arizona sports betting upset of an Associated Press top 25 team over the next five weeks to reach the six wins needed to become bowl eligible.
That gauntlet begins at 6 p.m. Saturday when the Wildcats host No. 12 Oregon at Arizona Stadium for the first time since upsetting the Ducks, 44-15, in 2018.
Saturday’s game, which will air on the Pac-12 Network, gives coach Jedd Fisch a shot at his first real upset win after going 1-11 in his opening campaign.
It wouldn’t be the first time that Arizona has pulled off an upset against a ranked Ducks team at home. They’ve previously done so in 2018, as well as in 2013 (42-16) and 2007 (34-24).
BetArizona.com took a look at the 2022 bowl game cycle for the Pac-12 to see where the Wildcats could find themselves playing this December, should they go 3-4 or better down the stretch.
To do so, we utilized Arizona sports betting apps lines provided by Caesars Sportsbook Arizona, as well as ESPN’s Football Power Index and the Wildcats’ history since 2012 against each opponent to determine the odds Fisch’s squad reaches a bowl game in 2022.
Given the Pac-12 will have no fewer than six bowl games to place their members, from the Rose Bowl to the LA Bowl, there is no shortage of options.
Here’s where we see the Wildcats heading come the bowl season.
Arizona Wildcats Bowl Game Odds
Arizona’s Remaining Schedule
vs. No. 12 Oregon (6 p.m., Pac-12 Network)
- Spread: Arizona +13/+360
- Series since 2012: 3-5
at No. 21 Washington (TBD, Oct. 15)
- Spread: N/A
- ESPN FPI: Arizona 11.5%
- Series since 2012: 2-6 (lost five straight)
vs. No. 6 USC (TBD, Oct. 29)
- Spread: N/A
- ESPN FPI: Arizona 14%
- Series since 2012: 1-9 (lost 9 straight)
at No. 11 Utah (TBD, Nov. 5)
- Spread: N/A
- ESPN FPI: Arizona 5.3%
- Series since 2012: 4-5 (lost 5 straight)
at No. 18 UCLA (TBD, Nov. 12)
- Spread: N/A
- ESPN FPI: Arizona 16.2%
- Series since 2012: 2-8
vs. Washington State (TBD, Nov. 19)
- Spread: N/A
- ESPN FPI: Arizona 44.7%
- Series since 2012: 2-5
vs. Arizona State (1 p.m., Nov. 25)
- Spread: N/A
- ESPN FPI: Arizona 56.4%
- Series since 2012: 2-8 (Lost five straight)
Spreads provided by Caesars Sportsbook Arizona.
Why We See Another Bowl-Less Season in Tucson
The Wildcats would be miracle workers to be 5-5 after their next five games, given the way the Ducks, Huskies, Trojans, Utes and Bruins have played so far.
The most winnable of those contests are the showdowns against Oregon and USC, who have struggled in Tucson of late.
Husky Stadium in Seattle, as well as Rice-Eccles Stadium (Salt Lake City) and the Rose Bowl (L.A.) have been houses of horror for Arizona over the past decade — with the Wildcats going 0-3 in Seattle, 2-2 in SLC, and 0-5 in L.A. since 2012.
If Arizona can pull off enough marquee wins to reach 6-6 or 7-5, then we could see the Wildcats playing in the LA Bowl. But the Pac-12 is also able to place a team in either the Armed Forces, First Responder or Gasparilla bowls.
If the Wildcats can show the offensive firepower they did against an overmatched Buffaloes team Saturday, in which Washington State transfer quarterback Jayden de Laura tied a school record with six touchdown passes and UTEP transfer receiver Jacob Cowing continued his red-hot start to the season (with 12 catches for 180 yards and a score), then Arizona can go toe-to-toe with anyone on their schedule.
For those betting college football — or any sport — come to BetArizona.com for the best Arizona sports betting promo codes.
