Washington State's story is completely different. Kirby Moore, hired away from Missouri's offensive coordinator chair in December after Jimmy Rogers bolted for Iowa State following a single 6-6 season, still hadn't named a starting quarterback as of spring ball. UC Davis transfer Caden Pinnick, who threw for 3,206 yards and 32 touchdowns in an FCS Freshman of the Year campaign, looks like the favorite over holdover Julian Dugger and true freshman Owen Eshelman, but Moore has said the competition will run through fall camp.
This is also a landmark date on the WSU calendar in its own right — the Cougars' first season in the reconstituted Pac-12, and this nonconference game against a Big 12 foe comes right in the heart of a brutal opening stretch that also includes trips to Washington and Kansas State. Running back Kirby Vorhees, who nearly transferred out before re-signing, gives Moore's offense a proven workhorse to lean on while the quarterback situation sorts itself out, and backup Maxwell Woods flashed in WSU's bowl game with a huge per-carry average.
Arizona isn't without its own question marks. The offensive line needs real improvement after last season, and a retooled secondary leaning on portal additions has to gel fast against a Big 12 slate that includes road trips to Texas Tech, Kansas State and West Virginia. Still, having Fifita and a defense that forced 31 turnovers a year ago gives the Wildcats a foundation most September opponents won't be able to match.
For Washington State, this is as much about establishing an identity as it is about the scoreboard. A home crowd at Martin Stadium against a ranked-caliber Big 12 team is a good measuring stick for whatever version of the Cougars shows up by late September, whether that's Pinnick running the show or someone else having won the job by then.