Arizona receiver Tetairoa McMillan, a Biletnikoff Award finalist, looks to make an impact in Saturday’s rivalry game against Arizona State despite a challenging season for the Wildcats. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES – With just days left in the regular season, the Arizona Wildcats have accepted a difficult truth: Postseason football is not in their immediate future. That said, no matter what transpired during the season, one game on the calendar is always marked, and beating Arizona State Saturday could dramatically shift the Wildcats’ mood.
“Huge week for us,” Arizona coach Brent Brennan said. “Obviously the ASU game is such a special rivalry in college football and it means so much to everybody here, everybody at this university, everybody in Tucson and thousands in the state of Arizona.”
Arizona sits at 4-7 heading into the Territorial Cup matchup in Tucson and is in 13th place out of 16 teams in the Big 12. ASU, meanwhile, was initially picked to finish last in the conference but is first at 9-2. The Sun Devils are likely one win away from a Big 12 title game appearance in their inaugural season with the conference.
Although Arizona can spoil ASU’s dream of a spot in the College Football Playoff, Brennan said that is not the team’s primary messaging.
“The mindset is that this is the biggest game of the year, every year, and that doesn’t change,” Brennan said. “For us, whether we’re bowl-eligible or not, all that matters is that we’re playing the team from up north. … We’re all in on right now, and this week and what we need to get done to play good football on Saturday afternoon.”
Spoiling conference championship hopes for their biggest rival would be an added bonus to a third consecutive Territorial Cup win. Brennan just wants his team to respect the intensity of the rivalry.
“We’re just worried about what’s ahead of us right now,” senior offensive lineman Josh Baker said. “We’re worried about not necessarily the game but the fist fight, the dogfight that’s right in front of us.”
The Wildcats’ hopes of making consecutive bowl games for the first time since a 2012-2015 run have not lived up to expectations The frustration includes not making the most of a Biletnikoff Award finalist in receiver Tetairoa McMillan after the team started strong, winning three of its first four games.
Even with the adversity, Brennan doesn’t see this matchup as fueling the fire of hate toward ASU, but as a culture-building opportunity for his program moving forward in the face of trials.
“We’re not where we want to be right now, but we have an opportunity in front of us that is incredible and special in every way, so what are you going to do when you have that opportunity in front of you?” he said. “How are you going to attack that work that’s required to play good football on Saturday?”
Time will tell how the Wildcats respond to what is surely going to be an electric atmosphere at Arizona Stadium Saturday. Ultimately, the coaching staff is looking for a way to kickstart things going into the offseason, especially with early signing day set for Dec. 4.
For Arizona, the spoiler mentality may not be made public, let alone be the root of the motivation for the game. It’s a matchup that hasn’t held much weight since about 2013, when ASU beat Arizona to solidify its spot to represent the Pac-12 South over UCLA. Nevertheless, a big bout is the accurate depiction of what is still at stake for the Wildcats Saturday.
“Obviously, given the fact that ASU is playing really well, you know, they beat some really good teams that we’ve lost to, it gives us an opportunity to come in and play a rival team at home, it really gives us some big momentum going into the offseason,” wide receivers coach Bobby Wade said.
“It will be a fun game, and obviously, beating a ranked team, beating a rival team at home, it’s big.”