Ranking the Top 131 College Football Programs of the Last 40 Years: 45. Arizona
Bear Down
The spooky Wildcats come in as the 9th ranked Pac-12 team above Washington State, California, and Oregon State. Known as one of the best party schools in the nation, Wildcat games feel like such, having once prematurely threatened to rush the field multiple times in one game against Oregon in 2009. Rob Gronkowski is about as perfect of a stereotype for Arizona as you can get: work hard, play hard, and do it again the next day.
Best Seasons and Highlights
+------+---------+------+--------------+--------+
| rank | team | year | resume score | record |
+------+---------+------+--------------+--------+
| 6 | Arizona | 1998 | 36.975 | 12-1 |
| 12 | Arizona | 1993 | 28.309 | 10-2 |
| 19 | Arizona | 2014 | 23.228 | 10-4 |
| 15 | Arizona | 1986 | 22.215 | 9-3 |
| 22 | Arizona | 1988 | 16.307 | 7-4 |
| 22 | Arizona | 1983 | 15.996 | 7-3-1 |
| 25 | Arizona | 1985 | 14.76 | 8-3-1 |
| 24 | Arizona | 1989 | 13.657 | 8-4 |
| 33 | Arizona | 2009 | 11.753 | 8-5 |
| 23 | Arizona | 1992 | 11.505 | 6-5-1 |
| 37 | Arizona | 2008 | 9.652 | 8-5 |
| 40 | Arizona | 2013 | 8.667 | 8-5 |
| 33 | Arizona | 1994 | 7.418 | 8-4 |
| 39 | Arizona | 2012 | 6.662 | 8-5 |
| 32 | Arizona | 1997 | 5.792 | 7-5 |
| 39 | Arizona | 1984 | 5.528 | 7-4 |
| 44 | Arizona | 2010 | 1.464 | 7-6 |
| 43 | Arizona | 1990 | -0.208 | 7-5 |
| 39 | Arizona | 1987 | -0.485 | 4-4-3 |
| 48 | Arizona | 2006 | -1.022 | 6-6 |
| 49 | Arizona | 1995 | -2.726 | 6-5 |
| 56 | Arizona | 2017 | -4.102 | 7-6 |
| 62 | Arizona | 2007 | -8.664 | 5-7 |
| 67 | Arizona | 2015 | -8.846 | 7-6 |
| 57 | Arizona | 1999 | -8.96 | 6-6 |
| 62 | Arizona | 2000 | -9.25 | 5-6 |
| 55 | Arizona | 1996 | -11.841 | 5-6 |
| 82 | Arizona | 2018 | -13.943 | 5-7 |
| 81 | Arizona | 2022 | -15.669 | 5-7 |
| 75 | Arizona | 2001 | -18.726 | 5-6 |
| 69 | Arizona | 1991 | -20.795 | 4-7 |
| 83 | Arizona | 2011 | -21.122 | 4-8 |
| 84 | Arizona | 2005 | -23.318 | 3-8 |
| 82 | Arizona | 2004 | -26.641 | 3-8 |
| 78 | Arizona | 2002 | -26.883 | 4-8 |
| 104 | Arizona | 2019 | -29.385 | 4-8 |
| 112 | Arizona | 2020 | -35.381 | 0-5 |
| 104 | Arizona | 2016 | -36.722 | 3-9 |
| 100 | Arizona | 2003 | -43.468 | 2-10 |
| 123 | Arizona | 2021 | -53.749 | 1-11 |
+------+---------+------+--------------+--------+
Overall Score: 21801 (45th)239-227-6 record
1 conference title
9-7-1 bowl record
15 consensus All-Americans
96 NFL players drafted
Well damn Arizona, 15 consensus All-Americans, save some for the rest of us. Arizona has the lowest win total of any Power 5 school with a winning record on this list, beating out Texas Tech, Pitt, and Ole Miss because of their high highs (thanks Dick Tomey!). Because there are so many All-Americans from Arizona, their 2-time AAs include Ricky Hunley (1982-83) whose first selection falls just outside the list as Arizona’s 16th consensus AA, DL Rob Waldrop (1992-93) who won the Nagurski and Outland Trophies, DL Tedy Bruschi (1994-95) who’s in the New England Patriots Hall of Fame, and RB Ka’Deem Carey (2012-13) who ran for 3814 yards and 42 TD in 2 years. LB Scooby Wright III (2014) deserves an honorable mention for his name and stellar play, winning a whole bunch of awards and putting up eye-popping stats in 2014. Top NFL players from Arizona include TE Rob Gronkowski, Bruschi, LB Lance Briggs, DB Chris McAlister, LB Antonio Pierce, and QB Nick Foles.
Top 5 Seasons
Worst Season: 2021 (1-11 overall, 1-8 Pac-12)
Don’t blame head coach Jedd Fisch for this one. Kevin Sumlin somehow left the program in tatters after just 3 years with the Cats, and Fisch used 2021 as a complete rebuild season for the program. The team wasn’t totally helpless, losing just 16-24 in the opener to BYU. But embarrassing 14-38 and 19-21 losses to San Diego State and FCS Northern Arizona would follow. By the tail end of the year, Arizona was 0-8, riding a 20 game losing streak that dated back to 2019. On November 6, they finally broke the streak, beating Cal 10-3 at home. Cal was missing 24 players, 8 starters, and 5 coaches due to COVID protocols, but hey, a win’s a win. Finishing the year at 1-11, Arizona also placed last in the Pac-12 South at 1-7. 5 QBs combined for 12 TD 18 INT, while the leading rusher had just 385 yards. At least their special teams were good, with P Kyle Ostendorp averaging 49.2 yards per punt, earning 1st Team All-Pac 12.
5. 1988 (7-4 overall, 5-3 Pac-10)
Despite just a 7-4 record, 1988 beats out a bunch of other 7-4-1, 8-3-1, and 8-5 teams. Playing the 4th ranked strength of schedule has a lot to do with that. Zona played a murderers row of a non-conference slate, beating Oregon State 24-13, Texas Tech 35-19, losing to #4 Oklahoma, and beating 6-3-1 Eastern Michigan 55-0. They finished 3rd in a strong Pac-10, beating Washington State (who finished #16) 45-28, 6-5 Washington, 6-6 Oregon, and 6-5 Arizona State to claim the Territorial Cup. 3 of their 4 losses were to top 10 teams (#4 Oklahoma, #4 USC, #1 UCLA), thus their #22 final ranking in my rankings (unranked in the AP Poll). Arizona won the Pac-10 Defensive POTY for the third straight year with NT Dana Wells winning. C Joe Tofflemire completed a tremendous career with his third straight All-American selection, this time on the 1st Team. The team as a whole was just very stacked and built to handle the tough schedule, with NFL picks 1st round LB Chris Singleton, 1st round DE Anthony Smith, 2nd round C Tofflemire, and 2nd round DB Darryl Lewis.
4. 1986 (9-3 overall, 5-3 Pac-10)
This team was LEGIT, and a very memorable season for older Arizona fans. Coming off an 8-3-1 year, Arizona was unranked to start 1986, but expectations were high. Combined 74-13 wins over Houston and Colorado State changed that quickly, moving up to #17, and after beating Oregon and Colorado, climbed all the way to #11. Arizona would remain in the AP Top 20 all year, getting to a 7-2 record in time for the Territorial Cup vs #4 Arizona State. Future Ohio State coach John Cooper had the Sun Devils dreaming of a potential national title with a #4 ranking and 9-0-1 record, already Rose Bowl-bound. Down 10-24, ASU was building momentum to mount a comeback with a 3rd and Goal from the 5, when Arizona DB Chuck Cecil stepped in front of a pass in the end zone and returned it 106 yards for the game winning TD, a play which has since been voted as the best in Arizona school history. #16 Arizona beat North Carolina in the Aloha Bowl to clinch their first bowl win in school history, finishing the season with the best ranking in school history at #11. Tons of talent on this team. C Joe Tofflemire, just a sophomore, made his first of three All-American teams. LB Byron Evans was a 2nd Team All-American as well, and Cecil, who had the pick six against ASU, was a 3rd Team All-American.
3. 2014 (10-4 overall, 7-2 Pac-12)
It was anything but a regular year for Arizona. Down 43-45 to Cal with seconds to go, Arizona threw up a 47 yard hail mary for the win, 49-45, despite leading for 0 seconds in the game. Despite a 4-0 record, they were 24 point underdogs on the road to #2 Oregon, who was led by eventual Heisman winner Marcus Mariota. It was as if the oddsmakers hadn’t learned anything from last season, when Arizona upset #5 Oregon 42-16. This time Zona completed the back-to-back upsets; you can think of the two teams’ relationship as the West Coast’s Ole Miss-Alabama from that same era. All-American LB Scooby Wright had 7 tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble in the 31-24 win. Zona would lose 2 of their next 3 to fall to 6-2, but won out with a strong showing, beating Washington 27-26 on a last second 47 yard FG, #17 Utah 42-10 on the road, and #13 Arizona State in one of the biggest Territorial Cup games in the rivalry’s history. With #8 UCLA losing to Stanford on the same day, Arizona clinched a spot in the Pac-12 title game, a rematch with Oregon. This time Mariota had his way in a 51-13 win, and while Arizona still made the Fiesta Bowl, they’d lose 30-38 to #20 Boise State.
QB Anu Solomon, maybe one of the more forgotten players in recent college football memory, threw for 3800 yards 28 TD 9 INT as just a freshman, and fellow freshman RB Nick Wilson ran for 1375 yards and 16 TD. The two surprisingly wouldn’t pan out, with Solomon only starting 1 year more in college and Wilson never rushing for more than 750 yards in a season again. LB Scooby Wright III was basically All-World, leading the nation in tackles (164), total TFL (31), forced fumbles (5), and was 3rd in sacks (15), earning consensus All-American honors and winning the Nagurski, Bednarik, Lombardi, and Pac-12 Defensive POTY Awards.
2. 1993 (10-2 overall, 6-2 Pac-10)
The Desert Swarm. That was the name given to the 1993 Arizona defense, whose rush defense was the best by any team since 1959, giving up just 30.1 rushing yards per game, on 33 carries per game!!! They were also 2nd in total defense, and 6th in PPG allowed. College Football Hall of Famers DT Rob Waldrop and DE Tedy Bruschi manned the defensive line, helping Arizona jump out to a 7-0 start with a #7 ranking, the average score being 23-10. A 2-2 finish dropped them to #16, but they managed to beat ASU for the first time in 3 years, clinching a share of the Pac-10 title, their only one of the last 40 years. In the Fiesta Bowl, they completely shut down a #10 Miami (FL) team that had won 3 of the last 6 national titles, winning 29-0 to finish the year #10. Waldrop was a 1st Team All-American and won just about every award you can think of, winning the Pac-10 Defensive POTY, Bednarik, Nagurski, and Outland Awards. Bruschi was a 2nd Team All-American, and LB Sean Harris a 3rd Team All-American. Bruschi would go on to be a 2x consensus All-American in 1994 and 95, and of course, he and Waldrop would go on to make the College Football HOF.
1. 1998 (12-1 overall, 7-1 Pac-10)
The best team in school history. #24 Arizona opened by beating Dick Tomey’s former team Hawaii 27-6, followed up by wins over Stanford and Iowa in Hayden Fry’s final year. Down 24-28 to #20 Washington with just 6 seconds left, Wildcat QB Ortege Jenkins ran in a 6 yard TD for the win in what became known as the “Leap by the Lake”, taking a hit on the leg and flipping into the end zone. ESPN College GameDay almost attended #3 UCLA at #10 Arizona, but went elsewhere, and Arizona ended up losing 28-52. That loss would go on to be the “what if” all year, as Arizona went unbeaten the rest of the way while UCLA was also unblemished in the Pac-10, going 8-0. Unbothered, Arizona kept winning, beating #12 Oregon 38-3, Washington State 41-7, and Arizona State 50-42 for the Territorial Cup. With UCLA going to the Rose Bowl, #5 Arizona played in the Holiday Bowl against #14 Nebraska, who similar to Miami in 1993, had won 3 of the last 4 national titles. Arizona beat the Huskers 23-20, scoring the winning touchdown with just a few minutes remaining. RB Trung Canidate led the offense with 1220 rushing yards and 10 TD on 7.3 YPC, while basketball/football dual-sport athlete Kelvin Eafon ran for 16 TD as the power back. OG Yusuf Scott paved the way, winning the Pac-10’s Morris Trophy given to the best lineman, and CB Chris McAllister was a unanimous All-American.
5th Quarter
Which team was better, 1993 or 1998? Who would win if they played each other, could Trung Canidate run the ball against Waldrop and Bruschi? Where does the Desert Swarm defense rank among the best in college football history? Was it the best defense of the 90’s at least? How good was the 2014 team, they had a few great wins, are they Arizona’s 3rd best team though? Who was the best defensive player from Arizona, was it Rob Waldrop, Tedy Bruschi, Scooby Wright, Chris McAllister? Thoughts on Arizona’s ranking in this list at #45?
Ranking the Top 131 College Football Programs of the Last 40 Years - Main Hub
