Arizona vs Northern Arizona Prediction: A Warm Up For the Wildcats

BYU 33, Arizona 27. That was Arizona’s only home loss last season, and it turned out to be one of the key moments for both teams in the Big 12 race. The Wildcats will face the Cougars in Provo next week to start the Big 12 season.

But first, Arizona can’t afford to look past a dangerous Northern Arizona team that gave Arizona State a bit of a push, and would love nothing more than to screw things up for that program down the road.

• It’s the 19th meeting between these two. Arizona is 16-2, losing in 1932 and in a stunner in early 2021.

• Arizona has won its last four openers. That came after losing four in a row after winning the 2017 season opener against … Northern Arizona.
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• Northern Arizona won the season opener 34-27 over Eastern Washington with a late touchdown and a final stop.

It’s the 19th meeting between these two. Arizona is 16-2, losing in 1932 and in a stunner in early 2021.

Arizona has won its last four openers. That came after losing four in a row after winning the 2017 season opener against … Northern Arizona.

Northern Arizona won the season opener 34-27 over Eastern Washington with a late touchdown and a final stop.

Date: Saturday, September 5, 2026
Game Time: 8:30 pm ET
TV: ESPN+
Location: Casino Del Sol Stadium, Tucson, AZ
– CFN Week 1 Schedule, Predictions
– CFN Week 1 Expert Picks

The Lumberjacks have to keep control of the game throughout with their balance against a rebuilding Arizona defense. The Wildcats will be fine in time, but they lost six of their top seven tacklers and need the new parts in the secondary to shine right away.

Just play pitch and catch with the short-to-midrange passing game. Eastern Washington went Eastern Washington and threw 47 times against the Lumberjacks, and it almost worked.

Arizona veteran quarterback Noah Fifita has been around long enough to know what he’s doing. Running back Ismail Mahdi can do a little of everything, and all will be fine as long as the Cats keep the chains moving.

The Lumberjacks will come out hot with a good first quarter. The energy of the in-state aspect of this will matter, and then Arizona will settle in. The lines will take over, the Wildcat defense will start making plays in the backfield, and then it’ll all open up.

Arizona 45, Northern Arizona 13
Latest Consensus Line: Arizona -31.5, o/u: 58.5
ATS Confidence (out of 5): 2
Must See Rating (out of 5): 2

Consensus line based on BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.