Big 12 football power rankings: Are Arizona Wildcats underrated in 2024?

Arizona football fans have some high expectations for their first season in the Big 12 in 2024 after a successful 2023 season.

Do college football writers share those same high expectations for the Wildcats in the team's first season under coach Brent Brennan?

We decided to take a look at some post-spring Big 12 football power rankings to find out.

CBS Sports' Shehan Jeyarajah recently unveiled his Big 12 power rankings (post-spring) and had the Arizona Wildcats ranked No. 5 in the conference.

Is that about where Arizona fans were expecting?

Of Arizona football's prospects in the upcoming season, Jeyarajah wrote: "The Wildcats were one of the most underrated stories in the country last season, jumping from 1-11 to 10 wins in just two seasons on the arm of quarterback Noah Fifita and receiver Tetairoa McMillan. If coach Jedd Fisch and the full roster returned in 2024, the Wildcats might rank No. 1 in the league. Still, even after a few key losses in the transfer portal, new coach Brent Brennan has Arizona sitting in a great spot to contend for the conference."

Utah, which also is joining the Big 12 this season, was No. 1 in the ranking of the Big 12 Conference teams for 2024.

The other Big 12 newcomers this season, Colorado and Arizona State, came in at No. 11 and No. 16 respectively.

Do the Wildcats really deserve to be ranked No. 5 in the power rankings for the Big 12 or should they be higher?

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More Big 12 football power rankings for Arizona Wildcats

Athlon Sports had the Wildcats No. 4 in its post-spring ranking of the Big 12's football teams.

Steven Lassan wrote: "As with any coaching transition, Arizona could have a few ups and downs under new coach Brent Brennan. However, the overall transition is certainly eased by having quarterback Noah Fifita and receiver Tetairoa McMillan leading the way for a dynamic offense. The Wildcats have a few holes to fill on defense and lost two potential starting linemen to transfer earlier this spring."

Heartland College Sports ranked Arizona football at No. 6.

Bryan Clinton wrote: "After Jedd Fisch left to take the Washington job, it appeared that Arizona might get ransacked ahead of the Big 12 move. The losses of Jonah Coleman and Ephesians Prysock are tough, and it looked like things might get worse when Tacario Davis entered the portal. Then, Davis never left. Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillan stuck around. Jacob Manu, Dalton Johnson, and Gunner Maldonado were the top three tacklers a season ago and are all set to return. There’s a ton of shuffling along the defensive line, but if the Wildcats can figure that out, they’ll be just fine. Noah Fifita isn’t getting enough credit for the kind of season he could have, and if he improves from his incredible freshman season a year ago, there might not be a better offense in the league."

Last Word on Sports put the Arizona Wildcats football team at No. 5.

Andrew McCleary wrote: "In these Big 12 power rankings, Arizona finds itself in a very unfamiliar position. That position is a team with conference title expectations. When former head coach Jedd Fisch left in January to take the job at Washington, everyone assumed he would bring all his best players with him. However, two key offensive leaders remained in Tucson. The first was Quarterback Noah Fifita, the Pac-12 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year. Fifita also gets his top receiving target, Tetairoa McMillan, back as well. Both will help new head coach Brent Brennan guide the Wildcats into the Big 12 and possibly challenge for the top conference in 2024."

Read more: What Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark had to say about conference additions

Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Big 12 football power rankings 2024: Are Arizona Wildcats underrated?