Once more unto the breach of the Conference of (real NCAA) Champions and its individual schools on Pac-12 Friday … it’s Tucson time as we examine the best seasons of the Arizona Wildcats—not really known as a football school. In fact, the Wildcats won a single co-championship (see below) and have never played in the Rose Bowl. In 45 overall seasons in the league, the Wildcats have just six seasons finishing in the Top 25. Oi!

Let’s look at the numbers: Arizona has posted a .514 overall win percentage while in the league, so the team hasn’t been that bad. Yet the conference win percentage (.453) drops off quite a bit, leaving the Wildcats with just 18 bowl appearances over the years with the Pac-10/12. The 9 bowl victories are highlighted by the 1994 Fiesta Bowl victory, but overall, the legacy of Arizona football during the Pac-10/12 era is not memorable.

5. 2013

An 8-5 record doesn’t seem like much, especially with the 4-5 league mark. But these Wildcats finished No. 22 in the overall SRS rankings facing the No. 23 SOS in the nation. Arizona beat Boston College in the Independence Bowl, while also topping then-No. 5 Oregon in a huge upset. The team was surprisingly balanced on the scoreboard, too, finishing No. 36 in points scored and No. 39 in points allowed. Rich Rod!

4. 1982

This was a year we remember from our childhood as the Wildcats won the Territorial Cup to finish 6-4-1 on the year and deny rival Arizona State (ranked No. 6 at the time) its first Rose Bowl appearance. Arizona posted just a 4-3-1 league mark, but it also beat then-No. 9 Notre Dame on the road. The Wildcats didn’t get a bowl bid, yet they were No. 19 in the overall SRS rankings after facing the No. 10 SOS in the nation, too.

3. 1998

Despite being ranked No. 5 at the time, the 11-1 Wildcats got shunted to the Holiday Bowl, where they beat No. 14 Nebraska to finish 12-1 on the year, including 7-1 in conference play. Arizona finished the season as the No. 4 team in the polls, with the No. 11 overall SRS ranking. The offense was 17th, and the defense was 19th, so this was also a very well-balanced team. The only loss was to then-No. 3 UCLA. Hey, Dick Tomey!

2. 1993

Here it is: the Desert Swarm defense that won Arizona’s only Pac-10 crown. A three-way tie with UCLA and USC still counts, as the Wildcats finished 10-2 after shutting out No. 10 Miami-FL in the Fiesta Bowl, 29-0. The defense allowed the ninth-fewest points in the country, and Arizona ended up No. 10 in the final poll and No. 14 in the overall SRS rankings. The Wildcats only lost to Cal and UCLA on the road during the year.

1. 1986

We are surprised to see this team at the top, since this is the year that ASU finally went to its first Rose Bowl—despite losing the Territorial Cup, again, to these Wildcats. Arizona finished 9-3 with an Aloha Bowl win over North Carolina. It was No. 10 in the SRS rankings overall, and the Wildcats earned the No. 11 final ranking in the poll, too. With a Top 20 offense, a Top 20 defense, and a Top 15 SOS? This now makes sense.