Arizona football: Wildcats’ 2017 over/under win total set at 5.5

Will the Arizona Wildcats make it to a bowl game this season? According to Bovada, it’s a toss up.

The Las Vegas oddsmakers formulated an over/under win total for each college football program, and Arizona’s is 5.5.

That is tied for the third-worst mark in the Pac-12. Oregon State sits at 5.5, too, while Arizona State and Cal are below the Wildcats at 5 and 3.5 wins, respectively.

The rest of the win totals in the Pac-12 show some uncertainty in the conference, as six teams range between 5.5 and 7.5 wins.

Here is the full list:

Washington Huskies — 10

USC Trojans — 9.5

Stanford Cardinal — 8.5

Oregon Ducks — 8

Colorado Buffaloes — 7.5

Washington State Cougars — 7.5

Utah Utes — 6.5

UCLA Bruins — 6.5

Arizona Wildcats — 5.5

Oregon State Beavers — 5.5

Arizona State Sun Devils — 5

California Golden Bears — 3.5

The big question this offseason for Arizona is, how many wins does Rich Rodriguez need to keep his job? It’s no secret that Rodriguez is on the hot seat. Ever since the Fiesta Bowl season in 2014, his teams have gone 10-15 overall and 4-14 in Pac-12 play.

The Wildcats are fortunate they have a rather weak non-conference schedule and don’t have to face Washington or Stanford in conference play this season. And while a six-win season would be outperforming the oddsmakers’ expectations, Rodriguez’s fate may come down to how the team looks on the field.

Will they look like the team that went up against Washington State or Oregon State, with little fight? Or are they coming to compete like they did against Washington and Arizona State? And how will the 2016 and 2017 recruits start shaping up as they earn more playing time?

The talent level at Arizona just isn’t the same as it was earlier in Rodriguez’s tenure, and the depth isn’t in a good spot at any position.

Arizona will likely need to show major progress for Rodriguez to remain the head coach in 2018, and finishing above Bovada’s 5.5-win mark would be a good start.