As the wise man once said, “You’ve got to know when to hold ’em (when to hold ’em) and know when to fold ’em (when to fold ’em),” and for the Arizona Wildcats It’s been evident for quite some time that they need to retire.

With their latest loss, their fifth in a row to be exact, the Wildcats have now fallen to 3-6 overall, with a 1-5 record in conference play, just one year removed from a 10-3 overall record with a 7-2 mark. in conference play.

Arizona has faced a much tougher level of competition this season, its first in the Big 12 after being in the PAC-12 (in every iteration) since 1978, but the team hasn’t seen much change from year to year. -year, not enough to be (at least) three losses worse than last year.

The performance on the field this year has Will Backus CBS Sports stating that the team is now “in a bind.”

“Arizona was left in a difficult position when former coach Jedd Fisch left for Washington after turning the Wildcats back into a 10-win program with potential as a conference contender,” Backus writes, “So the university went out and hired to San Jose State’s Brent Brennan, who never won more than seven games in a single season and went 0-3 with the Spartans.”

And therein lies the biggest change the program experienced year after year, a change in the man under the headphones on Saturday.

Now, the Washington Huskies They haven’t performed as well this year as they did last year, but they’ve also joined a much tougher conference than the PAC-12, and they’ve still done much better than the Wildcats, as the Huskies have an overall record from 5-4. after his last victory.

Even with the struggles Arizona has already faced during Brennan’s tenure, including its lack of ability to recruit effectively, it may be nearly impossible for the program to find a replacement.

“It doesn’t help his case that the athletic director who hired him and the president who presided over the transition are no longer with the university. Both left, or were fired, in the midst of a financial crisis that has Arizona facing a crisis.” “A deficit of $177 million is projected during fiscal year 2024,” Backus adds, “Arizona may not have the money to simultaneously pay for the Brennan buyout while also attracting a significant upgrade.”

It’s quite a pickle the Wildcats are in moving forward, and it will take a lot of effort to find a way out.