The team entered 1981 with expectations that they would improve on their record, with fans believing that Smith was building a success with the program.
[21] After the Trojans took an early 10–0 lead, the Wildcats scored 13 unanswered points to shock the college football world for a huge upset victory.
[23][24][25] It was the second straight year that Smith's Wildcats upset top-5 team, as they defeated UCLA (the other Los Angeles school), who was ranked second at the time, in the previous season.
[26] The Wildcats hosted 16th-ranked Washington State in a late October homecoming matchup, looking for another upset victory of the season.
[28] In the previous season, Smith remarked that ASU was the “NFL team in Arizona” after the Sun Devils embarrassed the Wildcats in Tucson.
[39] Arizona would also continue its resurgence by bringing in recruiting classes that would help the program restore its formula of winning once more.