College football bowl predictions after Week 3: Are the Arizona Wildcats contenders?

In the preseason, there wasn’t much support behind both Arizona schools in making a bowl game, especially the Arizona Wildcats.

Through three weeks of the college football season, the Wildcats (2-1) are above .500 and on bowl watch for the first time of the Jedd Fisch era.

As for the Arizona State Sun Devils (1-2), they’ve dropped two games in a row and “agreed to a mutual relinquishment of duties” with former head coach Herm Edwards.

In the preseason, expectations weren’t high for either team. ASU’s projected win total was 5.5 on FanDuel Sportsbook, while the Wildcats were at just 3.5.

Of the seven included writers, only three had an Arizona team in a bowl game — two for the Sun Devils, one for the Wildcats. Nobody had both Arizona schools in a bowl game.

However, now three weeks into the 2022 college football season, there is much more support behind the Wildcats making a bowl appearance, while zero predicted the Sun Devils to participate.

Only time will tell if the hype surrounding the Wildcats yields consistent results on the field. That being said, experts are buying into what the Wildcats and head coach Jedd Fisch are doing in Tucson.

Here is what they are projecting now:

ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach

Preseason:

Bonagura: No Arizona school

Schlabach: Sun Devils in the Independence Bowl vs. Army

After Week 3:

Bonagura: Wildcats in the Birmingham Bowl vs. Missouri

Schlabach: No Arizona school

Action Network’s Brett McMurphy

Preseason: Sun Devils in the Frisco Bowl vs. Minnesota

After Week 3: Wildcats in the First Responder Bowl vs. Louisville

CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm

Preseason: No Arizona school

After Week 3: No Arizona school

Sporting News’ Bill Bender

Preseason: Wildcats in the First Responder Bowl vs. West Virginia

After Week 3: Wildcats in the LA Bowl vs. Boise State

USA Today’s Erick Smith

Preseason: No Arizona school

After Week 3: No Arizona school

CollegeFootballNews.com

Preseason: No Arizona school

After Week 3: Wildcats in the Sun Bowl vs. Syracuse