College Football: 6 potential sleeping giants to monitor

College Football: 6 potential sleeping giants

Nov 21, 2015; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils running back Demario Richard (4) runs the ball under pressure from Arizona Wildcats linebacker DeAndre' Miller (32) during the third quarter of the territorial cup at Sun Devil Stadium. The Sun Devils won 52-37. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports /

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Sep 3, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats running back Nick Wilson (28) celebrates a touchdown against the Brigham Young Cougars during the second half at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cougars won 18-16. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /

6. Arizona

Program Record: 601-552-33
Bowl Game Appearances: 20
Conference Championships: 6
Highest Finish in the AP Top 25: No. 4, 1998
Enrollment: 43,088
Location: Tucson, AZ (population 520,116)
- 116 miles from Phoenix, AZ
- 410 miles from San Diego, CA
- 413 miles from Las Vegas, NV
- 488 miles from Los Angeles, CA
- 827 miles from San Jose, CA
- 867 miles from San Antonio, TX

Arizona has won 601 games in its college football lifetime, which ranks No. 79 on the all-time list across all divisions. The program didn’t begin to play in the Pac-10 Conference until 1978, has never won the league title outright, and has yet to play in a Rose Bowl.

Though things took a turn for the worse in 2016, the Wildcats have also had some success over the years, and have flirted with excellence. Arizona has finished in the top 25 of the AP poll four times, including a No. 4 finish in 1998 and a No. 19 finish in 2014. The 2014 squad even climbed into the top 10 of the College Football Playoff rankings and played in the Fiesta Bowl.

However, Arizona qualifies as a sleeping giant because the Wildcats have never established themselves as a college football powerhouse for any real stretch of time, despite a wealth of resources. Though the state of Arizona lacks the overall talent pool found in hotbeds like California and Texas, the university is located close enough to both states to be a factor in recruiting.

In addition to nearby Phoenix, Tucson (with a metropolitan population of nearly 1 million people) is also relatively close to Las Vegas. Las Vegas has produced quite a few Division I prospects in recent years, including six four-star prospects in the 2017 recruiting class alone, plus four three-star prospects that signed with the Wildcats. In other words, it shouldn’t be too difficult to find good players a short plane ride away.

Also, with a current enrollment of well over 40,000, the University of Arizona has a huge alumni pool from which to draw donations to improve facilities. At the very least, such a large group of Arizona graduates means a passionate fan base that is capable of filling 55,675-seat Arizona Stadium. Making upgrades at the stadium would help, and additional improvements to football facilities are reportedly on the top of new AD Dave Heeke’s agenda.

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