ESPN’s College GameDay crew was nearly unanimous when picking a showdown in Tucson that is just oozing with Pac-12 After Dark energy.

Arizona welcomes No. 19 UCLA to Arizona Stadium Saturday night. It’ll be a fifth consecutive game against a ranked opponent for the Wildcats, who will be looking for a third consecutive win. Arizona blasted then-No. 19 Washington State on the road in Week 7 and then knocked off then-No. 11 Oregon State at home last weekend.

Can the UA secure bowl eligibility and knock off another ranked Pac-12 squad? Here’s how the GameDay panel picked the game:

  • Desmond Howard: Arizona
  • Pat McAfee: UCLA
  • Nate Bargatze (guest picker): UCLA
  • Lee Corso: UCLA
  • Kirk Herbstreit: UCLA

“Defense travels for UCLA,” Herbstreit said. “That defensive line is so impressive, and that is a great matchup when (Noah) Fifita and Arizona have the football.”

UCLA boasts one of the best defenses in all of college football, led by an aggressive and havoc-creating front seven. The Bruins rank seventh nationally in defensive efficiency, giving up just 4.2 yards per play. This is also the second-best run defense in America. UCLA just makes teams churn out plays and string together drives to score.

That presents a fascinating matchup with Arizona, who, since turning to Noah Fifita at quarterback, has been one of the more efficient teams in the Pac-12. Noah Fifita is fourth among qualified FBS passers in completion rate this year (75.8%). Arizona has been operating at 6 yards a play in each of its last three games.

Kickoff between the two sides is set for 7:30 p.m. PT on FS1.