Just a month ago, the college football world received a gift from EA Sports: for the first time in 11 years, a new college football video game was released: EA College Football 25, updated to fit the current state of the college football world.
The game also takes into account conference realignment, the recruiting world (including the transfer portal) and even the updated College Football Playoff format. In anticipation of Arizona’s football season, we simulated the 2024 season to see what might happen.
To make the simulation as realistic as possible, the gameplay level has been increased to the “Heisman” level, which can be selected from Freshman, Varsity, All-American, and Heisman levels. The schedule has not changed, but is represented by “FCS Midwest” since NAU does not appear in the game. The depth chart has also not changed, as it was pre-set by EA Sports.
Here’s what the 2024 campaign will look like.
Strong start in non-conference games
Arizona began the season ranked 16th in the Associated Press rankings and won its season opener. The Wildcats’ season started strong with a 35-14 win over New Mexico. Tacario Davis had three interceptions and Tetaloire McMillan had a 64-yard touchdown run on a jet sweep handoff.
The Wildcats then defeated FCS Midwest (substitute for NAU) 35–17 with Noah Fifita throwing five touchdown passes and Jacob Manu recording his second career interception. Fifita earned Big 12 Conference Player of the Week honors heading into the final non-conference game against Kansas State, where the Wildcats lost 41–34.
The setback dropped UA from 11th to 16th in the Associated Press rankings going into the bye week before Big 12 play.
Big 12 kicks off with fierce battle
After the break, Arizona was back in action against No. 5 Utah, ranked 14th. It took three overtimes for Arizona to beat Utah, 39-37, but Rayshon “Speedy” Luke ran in the two-point conversion to secure the win.
Arizona advanced to ninth place in the Big 12’s first home game against Texas Tech, winning 37-31 behind four touchdowns from Fifita and two fumble recoveries from Tre Smith.
The win lifted the Wildcats to No. 7 in the polls ahead of a tough trip to BYU, where they won 49-35 on the road behind Quali Conley’s three rushing TDs and 141 yards.
In the top five, and on the rise… and on the fall
Currently ranked fifth in the nation, Arizona went into their homecoming game against Colorado knowing that a win would secure them bowl eligibility. Their 51-24 domination of the Buffaloes also made Arizona a favorite to qualify for the College Football Playoff. McMillan also had a season-best performance with 268 yards receiving and five touchdown catches, leading to him being named Big 12 Player of the Year and moving into fourth place in the Heisman Trophy odds.
However, the first disappointment of the season came just before the first CFP rankings, a 35-30 home loss to West Virginia. The setback was weighed heavily by the playoff committee, and Arizona dropped to 17th in the initial Top 25.
Things got even worse, as a long trip to UCF saw UA blow a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter and end in a 56-54 double-overtime loss that knocked them out of the playoff rankings.
Challenging for the title at the end of the season
After the bye week, Arizona, once again ranked 25th, got back on track with a 35-24 home win over Houston. The Wildcats were once again led by T-Mac, with the receiver catching three TD passes for 295 yards. Arizona then beat TCU 48-34 to set the stage for the Territorial Cup.
ASU came to Tucson looking for bowl eligibility, while Arizona was gunning for a spot in the Big 12 championship game, and after a back-and-forth game, No. 14 Arizona won, 36-31, to earn a spot in the conference title game.
As the regular season concluded, Arizona had some very impressive individual performances.
Fifita led the Big 12 with 3,655 passing yards and 41 touchdowns, while Conley rushed for 1,049 yards and 10 touchdowns. McMillan led the Big 12 with 1,287 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns, second-most in the nation. He was also the Wildcats’ second-leading rusher. Safety Genesis Smith led the Big 12 with 95 tackles, Davis had four interceptions, and Tyler Loup made 9 of 12 field good attempts and 57 of 61 extra point attempts. Arizona led the nation in total offense with 5,866 yards, gaining nearly 500 yards per game.
Postseason
Coming into the Big 12 Championship Game, Arizona knew they had a chance to make the College Football Playoff, and McMillan, who was third in the odds, also had a chance to win the Heisman Trophy. But UCF was once again a formidable opponent for the Wildcats, and a 31-21 loss dashed Arizona’s playoff hopes, forcing them to face Iowa in the Independence Bowl.
After a season full of ups and downs, Arizona’s campaign ended on another low note. Trailing by eight points, Fifita threw a touchdown pass to McMillan, but the two-point conversion sent the game into overtime and the Hokies won, 24-22.
UA finished the season with a 9-5 record and 7-2 record in the Big 12 Conference, and McMillan finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting.
But as it turns out, it was just a video game simulation. The real season starts next Saturday against New Mexico.