The expectations for the second season under head coach Kevin Sumlin are lower than they were this time last year when the Arizona coach was making his debut as the leader of the Wildcats. UA is coming off a disappointing 5-7 season that meant missing out on a bowl game and ended with a loss to rival Arizona State in the Territorial Cup game.

Arizona returns many of its key pieces including quarterback Khalil Tate, running back JJ Taylor and linebackers Colin Schooler and Tony Fields II. However, the media likes the team this year less than it did heading into the 2018 season with UA finishing the 2019 preseason media poll in the South Division's fifth spot.

The 'Cats earned 85 points in the newest preseason media poll and didn't receive any first-place votes. Last year the team was picked to finish third in the division and picked up three first-place votes.

UA struggled last season after Tate went down with an ankle injury that compounded the issues that come along with adjusting to a new offensive scheme and coaching staff. Tate ran the ball much less than he did in the previous season and it changed the look of UA's offense.

In the end there were simply too many hurdles for the Wildcats to climb in the 2018 season and it finished with a 41-40 loss to the Sun Devils keeping the team from making a bowl game.

The team put together a productive spring with a bit more cohesiveness on the offensive side of the ball, but there are still concerns about depth in the trenches heading into the season as well as plenty of inexperience at the receiver positions.

Defensively, UA has to replace one of its key defensive backs, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, and find a way to solve depth problems on the interior of the defensive line.

The Wildcats are set to begin practice this Friday in preparation for its late-August season opener on the road against Hawaii.