Five takeaways on the Arizona Wildcats' 2023 football schedule

After finishing last season 5-7, which included winning the Territorial Cup for the first time since 2016 and a marquee triumph at UCLA, the Wildcats enter Year 3 of the Jedd Fisch era with expectations to qualify for a bowl game.

Here are five takeaways on Arizona’s 2023 schedule release:

1. Stanford is back

For the first time since 2019, Arizona will face the Stanford Cardinal in Palo Alto to open up Pac-12 play on Sept. 23.

However, there have been a few changes within the programs since Stanford’s win over the Wildcats nearly four years ago.

The week after Stanford’s victory over Arizona, the Wildcats fired — under the Kevin Sumlin regime — then-defensive coordinator Marcel Yates, who was replaced by current UA safeties coach Chuck Cecil. Then the pandemic kicked off several months later. Then Sumlin was fired as Arizona’s head coach at the end of the truncated 2020 season and replaced by Jedd Fisch.

The influx of players and the advent of the transfer portal created an immense amount of turnover between the ‘19 season and ‘23. Only three starters on the current roster were with the Wildcats in 2019: offensive tackle Jordan Morgan, running back Michael Wiley and punter Kyle Ostendorp. This upcoming season will mark the first year the Wildcats will not have a Rich Rodriguez-era player since the former UA head coach was fired after the 2017 season.

For Stanford, its changes include a new head coach in Troy Taylor, who replaces longtime leader David Shaw after he resigned following back-to-back 3-9 seasons.

Arizona is riding a six-game losing skid to Stanford. The Wildcats haven’t beaten the Cardinal since 2009, when Jim Harbaugh and Andrew Luck were one of the top head coaching-quarterback tandems in college football.

The Wildcats haven’t won a game in Palo Alto since 2006.

2. Goodnight, L.A.

Last season could’ve been the final time Arizona played in the Rose Bowl, when it upset 12th-ranked UCLA. This season, Arizona’s matchup with USC at the Coliseum could be the last time the Wildcats play a regular season game in L.A., with the Trojans and UCLA entering the Big Ten Conference in 2024.

In the second showdown between Fisch and USC head coach Lincoln Riley, Arizona is slated to play the Trojans, quarterbacked by Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, on either Friday, Oct. 6, or Saturday, Oct. 7.

More notably, three former Wildcats will face Arizona for the first time since transferring to USC: wide receiver Dorian Singer, cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace and defensive tackle Kyon Barrs. In his final season at the UA, Singer finished second in the Pac-12 in receiving yards. He had seven catches — some acrobatic and one-handed — for 141 yards and three touchdowns in Arizona’s loss to the Trojans in Tucson.

The trio of Singer, Roland-Wallace and Barrs transferred to USC in December. The Wildcats return two receiving standouts in Jacob Cowing and Tetairoa McMillan.

3. Time away from Tucson

For now, Arizona doesn’t appear to have a daunting stretch similar to the one from this past October and November, when the Wildcats faced four top-15 teams (Oregon, USC, Utah and UCLA) and Washington (a borderline Top 25 team that finished in the top 10) in Seattle.

The Wildcats will spend nearly a month away from Arizona Stadium, though, between road games and a bye week.

Following the Pac-12 home opener against Washington on Sept. 30, Arizona has back-to-back road games at USC and Washington State, then a bye on Oct. 21.

Arizona returns home to face Oregon State on Oct. 28.

4. JDL’s homecoming

When Arizona quarterback Jayden de Laura was asked about battling his former team, Washington State, he said, “It’s personal” — the UA’s mantra since Fisch was hired.

Maybe a little too personal.

De Laura, who last year had the third-most passing yards in a single season by an Arizona quarterback, completed 28 of 46 passes for 357 yards and a touchdown — but threw a career-high four interceptions in a loss to his former team. De Laura also was shown on the television broadcast getting into a skirmish with Singer on the sideline.

On Oct. 14, de Laura will quarterback the Wildcats against WSU at Martin Stadium, where he played in 2020 and ‘21. He was named the Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year in ‘21 after passing for 2,751 yards with 23 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

De Laura committed to Washington State to play for late coaching icon Mike Leach before he left for Mississippi State. Leach was replaced by former Hawaii head coach Nick Rolovich, who was dismissed after failing to meet vaccine requirements for state employees.

De Laura transferred to Arizona last year and led the Wildcats to the sixth-best passing offense in FBS.

Other Wildcats facing their former teams in 2023 include Cowing (UTEP), linebacker Daniel Heimuli (Washington), defensive linemen Tyler Manoa (UCLA) and Tia Savea (UCLA), safety D.J. Warnell (UCLA), defensive lineman Jason Harris (Colorado) and linebacker Jeremy Mercier (Utah).

5. Territorial Cup on Saturday

The Territorial Cup game between Arizona and Arizona State is back on the Saturday slate during rivalry week on Nov. 25. The Wildcats and Sun Devils have played each other on a Friday 11 times since 2000, including Arizona’s drought-ending 38-35 win over its archrival in Tucson in 2022.

ASU will host the UA for the first time since hiring head coach and former Oregon offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham.

Arizona hasn’t won in Tempe since 2011.