Arizona football 2022 season win predictions

Training camp is over for the Arizona Wildcats, who in less than two weeks will begin the 2022 season with a trip to San Diego State.

After that follows a pair of challenging nonconference home games before Pac-12 play kicks off in late September.

According to DraftKings, the UA’s projected win total for 2022 is three. That’s triple what it managed in Jedd Fisch’s first season. Our readers overwhelmingly think the Wildcats will surpass that projection, but what about our staff?

Brian J. Pedersen — 5-7

• at San Diego State — W
• Mississippi State — L
• North Dakota State — W
• at California — L
• Colorado — W
• Oregon — L
• at Washington — L
• USC — L
• at Utah — L
• at UCLA — L
• Washington State — W
• ASU — W

What would make this a successful season? Being able to win some of those many close games Arizona had a year ago, when it lost four by single digits and was within a score in the fourth quarter.

What are your keys to pulling off a successful season? The Wildcats have to be more efficient in the red zone on offense, while on defense they have to force turnovers and get off the field on third down.

Kim Doss — 5-7

• at San Diego State — L
• Mississippi State — L
• North Dakota State — W
• at California — W
• Colorado — W
• Oregon — L
• at Washington — L
• USC — L
• at Utah — L
• at UCLA — L
• Washington State — W
• ASU — W

What would make this a successful season? Like last year, I leaned towards the optimistic side in my win predictions. I think Arizona State has a good chance of beating Arizona yet again, for example, but I am optimistic that the Wildcats will have put things together by the end of the season and have a real shot at defeating the Sun Devils. The question is whether Arizona will still be there mentally and emotionally after going through the gauntlet of the midseason when I expect them to have five losses in a row. A 3-9 season would be a success (and is probably more likely than my 5-7 projection) as long as those nine losses are competitive and it looks like the program is taking the next step towards putting together winning seasons on a yearly basis.

What are your keys to pulling off a successful season? The ability to be effective in the red zone will determine Arizona’s season. The last thing the Wildcats need is for their punter to be the guy getting the most national hype. Arizona needs to get the ball down the field, but that wasn’t the real problem last year. The problem was actually doing something once they got there.

Last season, the Wildcats were just as effective as their opposition in getting the ball into the red zone. They got into the red zone 39 times compared to 38 for their opponents. They just couldn’t do real damage once they got there.

Arizona scored just 12 touchdowns once it got into the red zone compared to 29 by its opponent. On 10 occasions, Arizona didn’t even manage a field goal while its opponents only walked away without points once all season. If the offensive line can hold its own and Jayden De Laura can live up to his freshman season, Arizona has a good chance at improving those red-zone stats.

Ezra Amacher — 4-8

• at San Diego State — L
• Mississippi State — L
• North Dakota State — W
• at California — W
• Colorado — W
• Oregon — L
• at Washington — L
• USC — L
• at Utah — L
• at UCLA — L
• Washington State — W
• ASU — L

What would make this a successful season? This will be a successful season if Arizona can show consistent strides on the offensive side of the ball. In 2021, it took the Wildcats eight game to put three touchdowns on the board. Arizona only had two games where it scored more than 19 points. I expect to see a lot more scoring this season, which will keep Arizona in games longer and drive excitement amongst fans.

What are your keys to pulling off a successful season? The team needs to stay healthy and resilient. Arizona is sure to get punched in the mouth in non-conference play. It’s imperative that the coaching staff manage players properly, both physically and mentally, so this group can stay competitive through November.

Adam Green — 5-7

• at San Diego State — W
• Mississippi State — L
• North Dakota State — L
• at California — W
• Colorado — W
• Oregon — L
• at Washington — L
• USC — L
• at Utah — L
• at UCLA — L
• Washington State — W
• ASU — W

What would make this a successful season? Beating Arizona State, ideally by at least 64 points, would be a start. But really, Arizona needs to show it can not only be competitive, but take the necessary step to win football games. The team’s additions — be it through the transfer portal or the recruiting trail — stepping up and playing well would show the coaching staff can identify and attract talent, which along with a handful of victories would deem 2022 to be a success.

What are your keys to pulling off a successful season? Staying healthy might just be enough. While Arizona is not the most talented team in the conference, there are enough good players at every position to feel good about their chances of improving in the red zone and limiting opponents' chances — that is, if the depth isn’t relied upon too much.

Brandon Combs — 6-6

• at San Diego State — W
• Mississippi State — L
• North Dakota State — W
• at California — W
• Colorado — W
• Oregon — L
• at Washington — L
• USC — L
• at Utah — L
• at UCLA — L
• Washington State — W
• ASU — W

What would make this a successful season? Arizona showing continued growth and improvement over last season would be successful enough. Winning more than one game would EASILY make the 2022 season a success, which if I’m being honest, is highly likely. To top off a successful season, UA will have to beat ASU. I still believe fans would be more optimistic about the future of the program if the ‘Cats secure 3-6 wins. However, I think it is time for the Territorial Cup to come back to Tucson. The fanbase would put a lot of stock in that victory, and for good reason.

What are your keys to pulling off a successful season? Arizona has to be successful in the red zone. Last season was a travesty every time the ball crossed the 20 yard line. It was like a curse was set upon the offense. If that is remedied, even a fraction of improvement, Arizona will win more games.

To go along with the offensive red zone improvement, the new weapons that Jedd Fisch and Company added will need to be used effectively. There is a lot of talent and size in the wide receiver/tight end rooms. Not to mention the quarterback situation is way more stable than it was last year. All they need to do is execute the game plan when the lights come on.

Finally, I’m going to go switch over to the defensive side of the ball. Last year, the defensive as a whole was a lot better at creating pressure and getting TFLs and sacks. However, they were not very good at creating turnovers. That will need to change. If the defense can couple turnover creation with the new-found pass rush success, this should create almost instant results that have been missing on that side of the ball for a long time.

Gabe Encinas — 4-8

• at San Diego State — W
• Mississippi State — L
• North Dakota State — L
• at California — L
• Colorado — W
• Oregon — L
• at Washington — L
• USC — L
• at Utah — L
• at UCLA — L
• Washington State — W
• ASU — W

What would make this a successful season? Given a 1-11 record last year, there are a lot of areas of improvement. To start the year I’d love to be able to get at least one non-conference win. It’s a baby step but to me that’s just the state of the program after the last 6 years. With that, two conference wins seems like an achievable goal. I don’t necessarily care where they come from, as long as there are two, with a chance at three, I feel good.

What are your keys to pulling off a successful season? The roster last year was awful yet the team still found themselves in a dogfight. I think with all of the additions and key pieces coming back Jedd Fisch is in line for an encouraging season. Arizona needs good quarterback play, which seemed to ultimately be the difference in key games last year. Special teams should be in a good spot with the legs there and I think will sneakily help as well.

Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.