Arizona earns No. 21 spot in college football coaches’ preseason poll

Arizona is among five Big 12 schools ranked in the top-25 of the preseason edition of the coaches poll released on Monday.

The Wildcats sit at No. 21, behind No. 13 Utah, No. 17 Kansas State and No. 18 Oklahoma State while No. 24 Kansas also earns the designation.

Arizona is following up on its first double-digit win season since 2014, a 10-3 campaign led by Jedd Fisch, who departed to join unranked Washington. Brent Brennan takes the place of Fisch and high expectations have been set for a group that has a chance to immediately win its new conference.

The Wildcats are led by two junior stars on the offense in quarterback Noah Fifita and wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, a duo that could have left in the transfer portal after a coaching change but chose to stay in Tucson. Arizona’s defense has its fair share of impactful contributors as well in cornerback Tacario Davis, linebacker Jacob Manu and safety Gunner Maldonado.

In the first full season since major conference realignment took place and shrunk the Pac-12 to just two teams, 24 of the 25 ranked teams are from four conferences: the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC. Independent Notre Dame at No. 7 is the lone outsider.

Preseason college football coaches poll

1. Georgia

2. Ohio State

3. Oregon

4. Texas

5. Alabama

6. Ole Miss

7. Notre Dame

8. Michigan

9. Penn State

10. Florida State

11. Missouri

12. LSU

13. Utah

14. Clemson

15. Tennessee

16. Oklahoma

17. Kansas State

18. Oklahoma State

19. Miami

20. Texas A&M

21. Arizona

22. North Carolina State

23. USC

24. Kansas

25. Iowa

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