In the later window of Saturday’s loaded Week 1 college football slate, the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks will face off with the Arizona Wildcats.
Looking at the odds, Arizona enters as a 32.5-point favorite with -6500 moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. Northern Arizona is +2000 to pull off the upset, with the game total set at 59.5 points.
This article previews both teams and offers a pick for the Week 1 matchup.
Northern Arizona Lumberjacks vs. Arizona Wildcats
Northern Arizona Lumberjacks
The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks kicked off their season with a 34-27 victory over the Eastern Washington Eagles. It was an impressive comeback, as Northern Arizona fell behind 24-3 in the first half. Northern Arizona scored 31 of the next 34 points, including two touchdowns in the final three minutes of the first half to spark the effort. The Lumberjacks were outgained 429-365, with over 200 yards allowed on the ground. While Northern Arizona’s execution was far from perfect, the comeback effort opened some eyes.
Last season, Northern Arizona went 7-5 and 4-4 in Big Sky play. It was an extremely encouraging season for the Lumberjacks in the second season with Brian Wright at the helm, as he has guided the program to back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2015. But the season finished with a frustrating 48-28 upset loss to Weber State. The program returns with some pressure on them, with All-Big Sky QB Ty Pennington returning under center. Pennington threw for 3,071 passing yards last year, along with 19 touchdowns and just four interceptions. Quran Gossett will be asked to lead the rushing production, while Kenveon Stone will also be in the mix. Wide receiver is a question mark, with the three top pass catchers off the roster. All-American tight end Jeter Purdy will play a major role and kicked off the season with seven receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown. No other member of the roster recorded more than two catches.
There is far more turnover on the defensive side of the ball. Braeden Kaczmarek is the lone returner to record over 200 snaps played. Dom Rausch joins him on the defensive line with the next-most snaps logged, after playing just shy of 130 snaps last season. Some of the early struggles in the season opener stemmed from the defense not being on the same page. This rag-tag group of transfers will need to keep learning to play with each other, but some intriguing talents entered the program.
Arizona Wildcats
Brent Brennan is entering his third season in charge of the Arizona Wildcats program. He is looking to build off of a 9-4 record last year, in which they finished 17th in the college football rankings. This marked just the eighth time in program history that Arizona has won nine or more games in a season. The Wildcats succeeded on both sides of the ball and will look to repeat it. Arizona averaged 31.5 points per game, ranking 30th in the country, and held opponents to 19.3 points per game, the 21st-best rate among D1 teams.
Noah Fifita will return for his fifth season with the Wildcats, looking to build off his most productive year yet. The 5-foot-10 field general threw for 3,228 passing yards, 29 touchdowns, and just six interceptions while showcasing more mobility with his legs. Kedrick Reescano returns at running back after recording nine touchdowns last season, and Quincy Craig will also add to the backfield production. The offensive line struggled a bit last year and remains a question mark entering this season, but the skill positions are largely a strength of Arizona.
The Wildcats elevated former New Mexico head coach Danny Gonzales to defensive coordinator last season and benefited from this decision. Arizona went from 13th in the Big 12 in opponent yards allowed in 2024 to second in the conference last season. They also forced 16 turnovers on the season, making this a clear point of emphasis and a significant change. Arizona returns much of this defensive core and brought in notable talent from high-profile programs to add to it.
Northern Arizona vs. Arizona Pick
Two different versions of the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks were seen in their season opener. Many of their early-game issues were self-inflicted and execution-based, and it looked like a sloppy team that drastically underwhelmed. But a spark before halftime got them on the right track, producing the victory and making them look more like the team they are designed to be. They will not, however, have the same margin for error against this Arizona team.
Noah Fifita arrives with some of the most experience of any quarterback in college football, especially considering he has remained with the same program for all five years. He has continued to improve throughout his college career, and the flashes he showed with his legs last year further opened the playbook for this Wildcats offense. Arizona has largely leaned on their offensive identity to decide their fate in recent years. Since 2021, Arizona is 0-12 when it fails to score 20+ points.
However, the improvements on the defensive side of the ball diversify the ways that the Wildcats can win games. Northern Arizona has fair reasons for that over the course of the season. But this is a level of competition they should be expected to struggle with. The limited sample size in the early weeks of the season always carries risk. But the combination of talent and continuity on this Arizona roster should allow them to get a strong start right from the opening kick. Even with Northern Arizona holding a strong outlook on their respective level of competition, it is tough to find any area in the matchup where they have a worthwhile advantage.
Expect Arizona to control this matchup in all three facets of the game and gradually push this into blowout territory. Fifita provides a high floor for what to expect from the offense, and it is very much on the table for the Wildcats’ defense to find a new gear this season with even more success. 31.5 is a significant spread, but a margin that Arizona cleared in three wins last year. Count on Arizona to make a statement in their season opener and deliver with a victory by more than this margin on Saturday night.
