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Friday Fast Facts – Arizona Week
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Leading off …
— Your “T.I.P.S” for Colorado v. Arizona, my weekly written preview, along with my prediction for CU’s attempt at redemption after the Utah debacle, can be found here.
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The Big Picture …
— First time for everything … Colorado was the only program in the country last season to have every game nationally televised by ESPN or by one of the major networks – with the Buffs appearing on ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox. This season, the streak has continued … until now. The CU/Arizona game is slated to be on FS1 this Saturday, not considered to be a national network. The streak could continue, however, if the World Series (currently tied at two games apiece) doesn’t go to seven games. If either Toronto or Los Angeles win the next two games, the CU/Arizona game will be shown on Fox. Otherwise, it will stay on FS1. and the seventh game of the World Series will air Saturday night on Fox.
In either event, CU’s streak will certainly come to an end next weekend, with the CU/West Virginia game to be televised by TNT (10:00 a.m., MT).
— Seats available? … As of Thursday morning, CU had sold about 46,000 tickets for Saturday’s game vs. Arizona (Folsom capacity: 50,183). Ticket sales are reportedly “going strong” with the weather forecast looking good for Saturday (60 and sunny). The lowest attendance for a game this fall was the Delaware game (50,341). The other three home games to date (Georgia Tech; Wyoming; Iowa State) were all over 52,000;
— Watch the scoreboard … CU is scoring only 22.6 points per game (101st in the nation), so lighting up the scoreboard against Arizona is unlikely. Still, in the Coach Prime era, when the Buffs score over 30 points in a game, CU is 13-3 (with a ten-game winning streak, including wins this September over Delaware and Wyoming). When the Buffs score less than 30 points in a game, however, CU is 3-14 (though the Buffs did defeat No. 22 Iowa State, 24-17. two weeks ago);
— The ESPN Power Index … Last weekend, CU was a 14.5-point road underdog to Utah, with the ESPN Power Index giving the Utes an 83.4% chance at victory. This weekend, the Buffs are 4.5-point home underdogs, with the ESPN Power Index giving the Wildcats a 57.9% chance at winning;
— Broadcast info … The 5:00 p.m., MT, game is slated to be telecast on FS1, with Tim Brando on the play-by-play, Devin Gardner on color, and Josh Sims on the sidelines … 850 KOA radio will have Mark Johnson with the play-by-play, and former CU head coach Gary Barnett as the analyst. The FS1 lead-in game, at 1:30 p.m., MT, features Fresno State at Boise State.
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CU & Arizona … on the field …
— Colorado holds a 17-10 advantage in the all-time series against Arizona … but … the Wildcats hold an 9-5 advantage since the Buffs joined the Pac-12 in 2011 … but … in games played in Boulder, the Buffs hold a 7-6 advantage;
— Colorado won the first 12 games of the series, one of the longest runs for the Buffs against any opponent. The first game was a 27-7 win in Tucson in 1931. The teams then played ten games in 11 years between 1949 and 1960, with the Buffs winning them all. The teams split a pair in 1984-85 before not playing until the Buffs joined the Pac-12 in 2011;
— Dating back to 2013, Arizona is 5-1 against Colorado in games played in Boulder, with the lone loss being a 34-0 shutout in 2021;
— Maybe 14 would be enough … In the 27-game series against Arizona, the Buffs have been held to 14 points only twice … but won both games (14-0 in 1955; 14-13 in 1985);
— In an otherwise forgettable (and regrettable) game against Arizona in 2017 … Kahlil Tate introduced himself to the Buff Nation with 327 rushing yards in a 45-42 Wildcat victory. In a losing effort, Phillip Lindsay had 281 rushing yards. The 608 combined rushing yards remains an NCAA record for two players in a single game.
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Colorado & Arizona … historical …
In historical terms, Colorado has it all over Arizona.
It’s not that Colorado had much of a head start (CU started playing football in 1890; Arizona 1899), but that the Buffs have had much more consistent success over the decades.
In the 12 categories tracked by Winsipedia, Colorado leads Arizona in 11. The only category the Wildcats hold an edge over the Buffs is in bowl record percentage (Arizona: .477; 10-11-1; Colorado: .387, 12-19)
Otherwise …
— CU has a sizable lead in all-time wins, with 735 (31st all-time), while Arizona is at 641 (59th all-time);
— CU has a similar lead in time spent in the Associated Press poll, with 317 weeks (28th), compared to Arizona’s 177 weeks (56th);
— When it comes to producing NFL talent, the Buffs are also comfortably ahead of the Wildcats. CU has had 293 NFL picks (23rd) and 25 first round picks (28th), compared to Arizona’s 191 (50th) and 12 (52nd);
— Perhaps the widest gap is in conference championships. Colorado has 26 in its history (12th nationally), while Arizona has six titles in its 119-year history (91st nationally).
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The last time CU played Arizona …
October 19, 2024, in Tucson … Colorado 34, Arizona 7
Game Story … Colorado dominated on both sides of the ball in picking up a second consecutive Big 12 road romp, defeating Arizona, 34-7. The Buffs went for 398 yards of total offense, while holding the Wildcats to 245 total yards. CU quarterback Shedeur Sanders completed 23-of-33 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns, while also running for a score. LaJohntay Wester collected eight catches for 127 yards, while Will Sheppard and Dre’lon Miller added receiving touchdowns.
On defense, the Buffs not only held the Wildcats out of the end zone for the final three quarters, but did so in convincing fashion. CU collected seven sacks, with two each from by Samuel Okunlola and Keaten Wade, while forcing three turnovers.
“Wonderful game, wonderful victory,” Coach Prime said. “Offense, defense, collectively, both units played great.
“We played a balanced game. We really did. And I’m proud of the young men. I’m proud of the coaches. They called a phenomenal game. Special teams as well.”
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— Getting to Know Arizona … Notes and Numbers …
– Points (and yards) at a premium … While not as dominant as the Utah defense, the Arizona defense is very good. The Wildcats are 17th in the nation in total defense, giving up only 292.9 yards per game, and 36th in scoring defense, surrendering 20.3 points per game. The stats were slightly padded in wins over Hawai’i (40-6), Weber State (48-3) and Oklahoma State (41-13), but the Wildcats do have a good defense;
— Noah the Magnificent? … Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita is 1-1 against Colorado, with varying degrees of success. In the 34-31 win in Boulder two years ago, Fifita went 21-for-35 for 214 yards and two touchdowns. In last season’s 34-7 loss to the Buffs, Fifita went 16-for-26 for 138 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. In that game, Fifita also ran for 71 yards, with his rushing total skewed by the losses taken in seven sacks.
In Arizona’s last game, a 31-28 loss to Houston, Fifita was almost perfect through the air, completing 24-of-26 passes, a 92.3% completion rate. That’s tied for the best in program history (with Kahlil Tate, who went 12-of-13 against Colorado in the above-mentioned 45-42 game in Boulder in 2017). Fifita ranks third all-time at Arizona in passing yards and career touchdowns. Overall, Arizona is 24th in the nation in passing offense, going for 274.1 yards per game;
– Sack Attack (please?) … The Buffs had a field day against Fifita in last season’s game in Tucson, with those seven sacks. This season, things have not improved dramatically for the Wildcats, who are 109th in the nation in sacks allowed.
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Stats Worth Noting …
— Portal Players … After going 4-8 in his first season at Arizona, head coach Brent Brennan went all in on the Transfer Portal. The Wildcats ranked fourth nationally in terms their Division 1 transfer participation, with their 27 transfers bringing in 403 Division 1 starts, with 25,467 total snaps (Colorado ranks 8th on that list, with CU’s transfers accounting for 339 Division 1 starts, and 22,209 snaps);
— CU has faced the nation’s toughest schedule … Colorado has faced the nation’s toughest schedule as noted by the NCAA compiling the record of its opponents. CU’s eight opponents to date have compiled a 43-12 record (.782), the only mark above .750 nationally and one of just six over 70%;
— Not guilty … One of the most penalized team’s in 2024, Colorado has flipped the script and is ranked in the top 25 nationally in fewest penalties (23rd, 5.0) and penalty yards (25th, 43.9).
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Player Notes …
— Preston Hodge … Preston Hodge had five pass break-ups at Utah, matching the most of any player in the FBS this season and the second-highest total in CU history behind Ben Kelly’s six vs. Oklahoma in 1998. He leads the Big 12 and is seventh in the FBS in passes defended (1.38 per game);
— Quentin Gibson … True freshman Quentin Gibson has been close to breaking a kickoff for the distance. He is second in the Big 12 (by a single yard) and third in the FBS in raw kick return yards (483) and he leads the league and is third in the FBS in combined kick return yards (512);
— Tawfiq Byard … Despite missing most of the first two games of the season, the CU safety leads the Big 12 and is 14th in the FBS in solo tackles at 5.0 per game, and he’s 6th in the Big 12 and in the top 60 nationally at 7.8 tackles per game.
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Big 12 Notes …
— Five Big 12 teams ranked … Four the first time since October, 2022, the Big 12 Conference has five teams ranked this week.
- BYU (10th), Texas Tech (13th), Cincinnati (17th), Houston (22nd), and Utah (24th) give the Big 12 five teams ranked in this week’s AP Top 25;
- ESPN’s College GameDay will make a Big 12 visit this week for the top-25 showdown between Cincinnati and Utah in Salt Lake City (8:15 p.m., MT, ESPN);
- As the Big 12 Conference celebrates its 30th season of football, this week’s Kansas State-Texas Tech game is a rematch of the inaugural Conference game played on August 31, 1996.
— Big 12 This-and-That …
- Texas Tech’s average margin of victory of 36.2 points per game ranks second nationally and is the most by a Big 12 team through seven games since 2013;
- After picking up its first AP top-25 win on the road since 2017 in defeating Arizona State, Houston’s seven wins this season nearly match its win total of eight from the previous two seasons combined;
- Among Power 4 teams with only one loss this season, Cincinnati is the only team to have its lone defeat come
away from home by three or fewer points.
— Big 12 lines …
From DraftKings …
- UCF at Baylor … 10:00 a.m. MT … ESPNU … Baylor is a 4.5-point home favorite …
- West Virginia at Houston, 10:00 a.m., MT … FS1 … Houston is a 15.5-point home favorite …
- Arizona State at Iowa State … 11:00 a.m. MT … TNT … Iowa State is a 3.0-point home favorite …
- Texas Tech at Kansas State, 1:30 p.m., MT … FOX … Kansas State is a 7.0-point home underdog …
- Arizona at Colorado … 5:00 p.m., MT … FS1 … Colorado is a 4.5-point home underdog …
Cincinnati at Utah … 8:15 p.m. MT … ESPN … Utah is a 6.5-point home favorite …
- Oklahoma State at Kansas … 2:00 p.m., MT … ESPN+ … Kansas is a 24.5-point home favorite …
BYU, TCU
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