Breaking Down the Wildcats' Bowl Game Predictions

Cornerback Treydan Stukes came up with an interception in the red zone with the Wildcats leading 21-17 at the start of the fourth quarter to help the Bears stay out of the end zone.

Arizona went on to score on the falling drive that led to a 41-17 victory over Baylor (5-6, 3-5) to capture the eighth win of the season.

Arizona now sits at 8-3 after going 4-8 a season ago and will head up to Tempe to take on in-state rival Arizona State in the Territorial Cup. 

After going 4-3 through the first seven games, the Wildcats have won four-straight games, shocking the fan base, media and the nation.

With the game in the books, we at Arizona Wildcats On SI took a look at the national landscape of bowl projections and where the Wildcats stack up against the rest of the country.

National Bowl Projections

• CBS Sports: LA Bowl | Arizona vs. San Diego State (Dec. 13)

• College Football News: LA Bowl | Arizona vs. San Diego State (Dec. 13)

• ESPN No. 1: Sun Bowl | Arizona vs. Wake Forest (Dec. 31)

• ESPN No. 2: Sun Bowl | Arizona vs. Clemson (Dec. 31)

• Sports Illustrated: Sun Bowl | Arizona vs. Clemson (Dec. 31)

• USA Today:  LA Bowl | Arizona vs. San Diego State (Dec. 13)

The win over Baylor and ASU beating Colorado sets up a battle of two 8-3 teams in the Territorial Cup with both teams potentially being in the latest College Football Playoffs rankings. 

It would be the first time since the 2014 season that Arizona and Arizona State faced off ranked in the CFP when then-No. 11 UA beat then-No. 13 ASU 42-35 to clinch a Pac-12 South Title.

There will be conference title, or division title on the line this time in the Duel in the Desert but the magnitude of both programs moving in the right direction and the impact it has on the rivalry game can not be understated.

Ahead of the game, we at Arizona Wildcats On SI have put together our bowl prediction for Arizona with just one game remaining.

Bowl Prediction

• Arizona Wildcats On SI: Sun Bowl | Arizona vs. Miami (Dec. 31)

Reason

When you look at the Wildcats as a whole, Arizona has improved drastically from the first year under Brennan but still has room to grow on both sides of the ball. Now, getting out to the fast 3-0 start, which went a long way to help the Wildcats clinch a bowl berth against the Jayhawks a few weeks back.

At the beginning of the season, we predicted Arizona winning seven games going 7-5 during the regular season. Now, Arizona is sitting at 8-3 and has a realistic shot at winning nine games this season and exceeding our expectations.