Successful season?

[Little George]

What do we consider a successful season?

Most expected 5 wins this year. We have 4. I had both BYU and Houston as losses. Any surprise there? Not really, except that we really should have won both. Our OC is in his second year as an OC and learning. Our HC is a play not to lose coach, which I do not like. Our D actually is not bad at all.
They are prone to the big play from time to time though. The biggest issue has been beating ourselves with mistakes.

I have us winning the next two to get to 6-3 and bowl eligible. I also have us winning at home against Baylor. That is 7.

If I could have guaranteed 7 wins preseason, I think most on here would have taken that with smiles on their faces. We can see some growing pains as well as some areas we lack talent. Recruiting is going well. I believe we are on an upward path.

There you have my thoughts on the season and why I thought we were a 7 win team. Now, can we steal another game somewhere? Maybe. Could we lose one of these three we should win? Yea! We are all looking for progress. Let's follow through the rest of the year now.

Bear Down!

[KansasCityCats]

After last year's debacle, 7 wins is a success.

Our coordinators proved that they can immediately impact a team that has significantly less talent than last year's roster.

Regardless of the last two games (which absolutely should have resulted in W's), Arizona is on the right track if they can become bowl eligible.  Double bonus if they upset the tridents in the season finale.

[CactusCat]

Arizona had an over/under of 5.5 wins before the season started and expectations were generally low.
What we've seen from Arizona goes beyond just the record.
Here's why Arizona deserves credit, even in losses:
Competitiveness in Close Games
The recent narrow losses show they're not getting blown out — they're right there until the final moments. That says a lot about effort, preparation, and culture.
Clear Improvement
Compared to last season, there's a visible upgrade in execution, discipline, and situational football. Whether it's limiting turnovers, better third-down efficiency, or cleaner special teams play, Arizona looks sharper.
Coaching Impact
The coaching staff clearly has these players bought in. The staff is aggressive and giving the players opportunities to make plays on fourth down, the schemes look more creative, adjustments are being made, and the team is staying engaged for four full quarters — something many sub-.500 teams fail to do.

Bottom line, the most important game of the season is beating ASU.

[|ᴘ|ʀ|ʏ|ᴍ|ᴇ|]

Good post. As for our philosophy, playing not to lose can be great if we don't lose lol but if we're playing not to lose and it's increasing the odds of us losing, maybe we should just grow a spine and play to win.

[CactusCat]

Good post. As for our philosophy, playing not to lose can be great if we don't lose lol but if we're playing not to lose and it's increasing the odds of us losing, maybe we should just grow a spine and play to win.

Arizona football team has already attempted 15 fourth downs in the 2025 season, compared to 18 fourth-down attempts in the 2024 season.
I get that winning is the thing, but it's not for a lack of spine or test tickular fortitude.

[KansasCityCats]

Good post. That's the epitome of "playing to win".

[arxpert]

If I could have guaranteed 7 wins preseason, I think most on here would have taken that with smiles on their faces.

The thing here is when you get to the point of "how we lost", it becomes a "woulda, coulda, SHOULDA" season.

In the era of Auto Bids to the CFP, squandering becomes an absolute real measuring stick.

Coach Brennan aka Mark Harmon from "Summer School", the 80's film, it just simply not a Power4 Head Coach and our QB is not a Power4 level QB.

The rest of the team, arguably, has lived up to my expectations. Zigging, while the others zag. Learning to win is a process, but in this landscape, you can't just assume that talent will stick around.