Arizona’s fast start puts Brent Brennan in familiar company | Greg Hansen

For Tucson football fans, Arizona’s five and one start is more than a promising record. It is a rare moment in the modern history of a program that has not often reached this point so early in a season. Since 1976, the Wildcats have opened five and one or better only eight times. Brent Brennan now has the opportunity to turn an encouraging beginning into one of the most memorable seasons in Arizona football history, but the program’s past offers a clear warning: strong starts in Tucson have not always lasted.

Arizona reached the five and one mark after defeating Washington State, 34 to 24, on Sept. 26 at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. The Wildcats entered a bye week with time to assess their progress, and Arizona Daily Star sports voices Justin Spears and Michael Lev used the break to discuss the team’s performance, midseason awards and questions surrounding the Wildcats. They also looked ahead at the Big 12 schedule, where Arizona’s ability to maintain its momentum will be tested.

Brennan’s position in college football is unusual. After a decade as a head coach, he has a career record of 52 and 61, a winning percentage of .460. That figure places him near Rich Brooks, who finished his career at 130, 156 and four, for a .455 winning percentage, and Mike Price, who went 131 and 146, for a .473 mark. Although those records do not resemble the traditional profile of a celebrated coach, the comparison is intended as praise. Brooks, Price and Brennan each built competitive teams in programs that lacked the advantages enjoyed by the sport’s wealthier and more established football powers.

Brennan’s first head coaching job came at San Jose State in 2017, when he inherited a program in deep trouble. His first two teams combined for a record of three and 22, including losses to Utah State by scores of 61 to 10 and 62 to 24. Rather than ending his tenure, that difficult beginning became the foundation for a turnaround. Brennan eventually guided San Jose State to three bowl games in four seasons, a rise that led to his hiring at Arizona. Through his first 31 games in Tucson, he is 18 and 13.

Brooks followed a similar rebuilding path at Oregon, taking over a struggling Ducks program before Phil Knight’s financial support transformed the school’s football fortunes. Oregon went two and nine in each of Brooks’ first three seasons, then two and eight and one in the next. The long rebuild eventually produced a Pac 10 championship and a Rose Bowl appearance in 1994. Even though Brooks finished only 91, 109 and four at Oregon, the school later honored him by naming the field at Autzen Stadium Rich Brooks Field.

Price inherited another difficult assignment at Washington State. Before his arrival, the Cougars had finished above .500 in the Pac 10 standings only three times in the previous 15 seasons. His first three teams went 13 and 20, but Price developed Washington State into a program known for its quarterbacks and led the Cougars to Rose Bowl appearances in 1997 and 2002. His overall record at Washington State represented only a narrow majority of victories across 14 seasons, yet the school later named part of its practice facility in his honor.

Arizona’s own history shows why the current record matters in Tucson. The Wildcats have started five and one eight times since 1976, and the results have varied considerably. In 1983, Arizona reached five and one before losing to Brooks’ Oregon team and finishing seven, three and one. The 1985 team also began five and one, then lost to Stanford and ended eight, three and one. The 1986 squad reached the same mark, beat California, lost to USC and finished nine and three.

The 1993 Wildcats started six and oh, defeated Price’s Washington State team and then lost to UCLA, finishing 10 and two. In 1994, Arizona was five and one before losses to UCLA and Brooks’ Oregon team left it eight and four. The 1998 team became one of the great exceptions, winning after its five and one start, beating Oregon and finishing 12 and one. The 2010 Wildcats instead lost their final five games and ended seven and six. In 2014, Arizona reached five and one, won the Pac 12 South title, then lost its final two games and finished 10 and four.

Brennan now has to determine which of those paths Arizona will follow. His record at San Jose State shows that he understands the work required to sustain improvement after a poor beginning, but the Wildcats are operating in a program that has rarely been treated as a national football power. Hansen’s broader comparison is to Arizona coaches Larry Smith and Dick Tomey, regarded as solid winners who built success in Tucson. For Brennan, the five and one record is important, but the remaining schedule will decide whether it becomes a footnote or the beginning of a season remembered by the community. The lesson from Brooks and Price is equally relevant: at Arizona, success is measured not only by how a team starts, but by how it finishes.