2018 Arizona Wildcats Season Win Total Picks and Predictions for NCAA Football

2017 Record: 7-6

2018 Las Vegas Season Win Total: 8.0

2018 Season Win Total Picks NCAA Football: 'Over'

The tumultuous era of Rich Rodriguez is over as Arizona made a clean break this offseason after six turbulent and underachieving seasons. The Wildcats made a surprise move and grabbed Kevin Sumlin off the SEC scrap heap. And Sumlin's hiring is the type of boom-or-bust maneuver that will make this Wildcats team one of the more intriguing stories in the country.

Sumlin will tweak Rodriguez's offensive system a bit. But he's an aggressive play caller and will keep the Wildcats offense going full throttle after Arizona averaged 41.3 points per game last year.

Of course, it certainly helps to have Khalil Tate.

Tate was one of the most exciting players in the country last year, albeit for a limited time. He made eight starts at quarterback last year, rushing for 1,411 yards and 9.2 yards per rush. He was less effective as a passer but still managed to throw for 1,591 yards while completing 62 percent of his passes. Tate managed 26 combined touchdowns and should be even better now that he has some experience.

Arizona has another exciting player in 5-foot-6 running back J.J. Taylor, the team's second-leading rusher last year. They also have their top three receivers back.

Defensively, the Wildcats have eight of the top nine tacklers back from a unit that was ranked No. 108 in the country in scoring, No. 118 in total defense, and No. 123 in passing defense. So is it really a benefit to have nine starters back on this side of the ball? Sumlin also decided to retain defensive coordinator Marcel Yates for a third season, hoping that his scheme will finally stick.

Sumlin is definitely being thrown into the fire. Arizona opens at home with an always-competitive BYU team. Then the Wildcats have to go on the road to take on a Houston team that beat them last year. The Wildcats also face USC at home in the opening month.

Arizona really does have a manageable schedule. They host their two toughest opponents, USC and Oregon, as well as getting their rivalry game in Tucson. They avoid Washington and Stanford out of the North as well. Meaning that if they can take out USC and survive back-to-back road games at Utah and UCLA in mid-October then this team has a realistic shot of making it to the Pac-12 title game.

I'm bullish on Arizona this year. If Tate gets injured then these guys are screwed. But I think that Sumlin is a decent coach. And with a lot of experience and some explosive players on both sides of the ball, these guys could make some noise. I think Sumlin will find the sledding a little easier in the Pac-12 versus his years in the SEC. And with so much transition going on in the league, with a lot of coaches and star players moving on, I think that there is a window here for Arizona to finally break through.

Robert Ferringo has been the top football handicapper in the country the past seven years, earning nearly $28,000 in total football profit. He has also posted seven of nine winning seasons (including back-to-back winning years) and produced 26 of 41 winning football months and an amazing 45 of 70 winning football months over the past decade. Robert has eight of 10 winning NFL preseasons and he is at nearly 60 percent winners over his last 900 totals picks. Also, Robert's proprietary KING College Football Betting System has posted three of five winning seasons. Robert is looking for a third straight winning football year and wants more profit this fall. SIGN UP HERE TODAY AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR 3-FOR-1 FOOTBALL SPECIALS!

We are offering new clients $60 in free college football picks for Robert's picks or any Advisory Board handicapper of your choosing. Get your free college football picks now!

Read more articles by Robert Ferringo