Ka’Deem is ka’done with 2012. Can anyone beat his rushing total?
Photo by Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The words are there. Here are the numbers.

This is the bottom-line for Arizona Wildcats running back Ka’Deem Carey, what each of his biggest challengers needs to pass him for the NCAA FBS rushing title. This page will be updated after each back’s bowl game.

Update (Jan. 4): Arizona’s Ka’Deem Carey has won the NCAA FBS national rushing title. Kenjon Barner of Oregon rushed for 143 yards in the Fiesta Bowl. No player in the three remaining bowls is closer than 577 yards away from Carey’s total of 1,929 and the UA back’s 148.38 per-game average will officially win the rushing title.

Remember, the official rushing champion is the player with the highest average yards per game.

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“Need” is the rushing yardage total each player needs (or needed, if his season is over) to take the rushing lead. “Got” will be what each guy ended up with in his bowl game.

Carey wasn’t able to hit his goal of 2,000 yards for the season, coming up 71 short in the New Mexico Bowl. But the Wildcat sophomore is currently the only player with over 1,900 rushing yards this year.

Here is what each player would need to pass Carey’s raw total of 1,929:

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Next is when each guy plays in case you want to tune in:

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Finally, here are the official top 10 rushers in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (through Dec. 15):

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The Cats are done playing this year but Ka’Deem Carey can still win a championship.

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Scott Terrell won’t be rooting for people to fail, just to not succeed that much. Follow the statistical drama on Twitter and Facebook.

The New Mexico Bowl is Matt Scott’s last option.
Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

The wheels were set in motion to get there when Rich Rodriguez was hired 13 months ago. Four months ago the hope was the Arizona Wildcats could get there this season.

In just a couple more days there will be here.

The Cats are playing in the very first bowl game of the 2012-’13 season. The early date has caused logistical issues for the team and fans but at least the players get some paint out of the deal.

Wait, the New Mexico Bowl sponsor isn’t Glidden, the paint company? Oh, Gildan? What do they do?

[Google break]

Socks? All right then. I hope the players get some cool socks.

Rich Rodriguez has waited six years to hoist a bowl game trophy.
Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images

RichRod doesn’t have a lot of experience with lower tier bowls. All six of his teams’ postseason appearances at West Virginia were as either the first or second place team in the Big East. He coached in the 2002 Continental Tire Bowl on Dec. 28 but every bowl after that was in January. Even his one bowl game at Michigan, after going 7-5 in 2010, was the Gator Bowl played on New Year’s Day.

The short turnaround makes it more like an extended bye week than a full bowl preparation. The positive is it decreases the chances of the team coming out rusty and it’s less time for the Wildcats to hear how big a favorite they are against Nevada.

The challenge for Rodriguez and his coaching staff is to get their team ready to play its best and not worry about what bowl they’re in and what conference the Wolf Pack is from.

What I really want to see is Matt Scott completing some passes early. The big storyline is obviously the battle between the nation’s top two rushers but Scott hasn’t completed over half his passes in a game since returning from his injury. Scott excelling as a redshirt senior this year was a huge part of the team’s surprising success and it would be great to see him end his college career on a high note.

Challenging Nevada from sideline to sideline with the passing game will also open up running lanes so Ka’Deem Carey can break the long runs needed to win the rushing title.

We took a look at all the backs still in the hunt for that title but on Saturday it’s a two-man race. Arizona’s Carey and Nevada’s Stefphon Jefferson will share the same field with the Wildcat holding a 55-yard advantage.

The Arizona defense gives up 190 rushing yards a game while the Wolf Pack surrenders an average of 213 yards per game on the ground. The race may end up looking like a track meet.

It’s been a topic of conversation for the past month but don’t take it for granted. Arizona has a consensus All-American who is leading the FBS in rushing on a team that was 11th in Pac-12 in rushing last year.

Incredible.

Losing a bowl game is not incredible. I realize it happens to 35 teams each year but it still ruins half your trip. I don’t regret going to either of the UA’s last two bowls but those were not fun rides home. Add in the bad taste of losing the Territorial Cup and the Wildcats could really use one last 2012 victory. Taking a two-game losing streak into the offseason would put a damper on what has otherwise been an excellent first year for RichRod.

A win would mean an 8-5 record (matching Mike Stoops’ best two years) with five victories in the team’s final seven games. That would take the excellent first year and add an exclamation point.

One last game to enjoy and then we start counting down to the start of the second year of the Rich Rodriguez era.

Next stop…Albuquerque!

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Scott Terrell could use some extra socks to stay warm this weekend. Can’t make the trip? Look for reports on Twitter and Facebook!

Everybody is chasing Ka’Deem Carey’s national rushing lead.
Photo by Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

‘Tis the season for the college football postseason games that don’t mean anything…except to the players, coaches, families, friends, fans, administrators, alumni and aspiring entourage members.

Pac-12 teams will be on your television a record eight times this bowl season. The previous high for Pac bowl teams was, well, the seven last year. Upward trend!

This Week in the Pac-12 is here to get you ready for the bowl season so you don’t end up scheduling a white elephant gift exchange at the most inopportune time.

TWit-Pac got you a present and it’s a bowl TV schedule (all times Arizona/Mountain). I hope it fits.

Only two games share the same day so it’ll be easier to sneak in “family time” and “holiday memories.”

Let’s bowl!

New Mexico Bowl
ARIZONA (7-5) vs. Nevada (7-5)
Remember last year when Wildcat Universe was looking enviously at the Pac-12’s unused spot in Albuquerque? That’s another reason to enjoy this game and not dwell on what might have been. An additional reason to get into the game is at the bottom of this here page.

Las Vegas Bowl
Washington (7-5) vs. #19 Boise State (10-2)
This is Boise State’s third straight appearance in this bowl on the heels of BYU going five consecutive years. And they say relationships formed in Vegas don’t last.

Holiday Bowl
#17 UCLA (9-4) vs. Baylor (7-5)
So the Bruins are the team making the short drive to San Diego instead of the Trojans. I’m going to go out on a limb and say Baylor doesn’t match the 67 points it scored in last year’s Alamo Bowl.

Alamo Bowl
#13 Oregon State (9-3) vs. #23 Texas (8-4)
A) It only took two Pac-12 bowl picks before my predictions were screwed up. B) Good to see the fine folks in San Antonio reward a deserving team and not just go for the most recognizable name. C) It does, however, mean that three Pac-12 North teams came off the board before the first South squad. The southern Pac teams have some catching up to do. D) Beaver fans should be building a statue of Mike Riley and not grumbling the next time he has the occasional losing season or two.

Fight Hunger Bowl
ASU (7-5) vs. Navy (7-4)
An excellent opportunity to let your patriotic pride burst forth!

Sun Bowl
USC (7-5) vs. Georgia Tech (6-7)
Yes, the Trojans went from preseason No. 1 to playing in a bowl against a team with a losing record. That’s one heck of a Lane change.

Rose Bowl
#6 Stanford (11-2) vs. Wisconsin (8-5)
We all know the Badgers have more losses than any previous Rose Bowl participant but did you know they aren’t the worst team to make it in terms of win/loss percentage? The 1983 UCLA team won the Pac-10 with a 6-1-1 conference record but had an overall mark of 6-4-1 (.591) which is worse than Wisconsin’s 8-5 (.615).

Fiesta Bowl
#4 Oregon (11-1) vs. #5 Kansas State (11-1)
Three weeks ago this was the national championship game. And here’s your extremely stumpable holiday party sports trivia question: Which team has the worst all-time bowl winning percentage in the Pac-12? As you may have guessed by the placement of this question, it is in fact Oregon. The Ducks have only won 10 of their 25 bowl games for a win percentage of .400. Nike can’t buy everything.

* * *

Ka’Deem Carey’s rushing lead survived conference championship week. Now the UA All-American has his final say in the matter and he’s going to have to speak loudly.

Here are the nation’s top 10 rushers after last week’s games. Remember, the official title is awarded to the player with the highest yards-per-game average.

Below we have the estimated yardage amount each ball-carrier would need on top of Carey’s New Mexico Bowl total in order to pass Carey’s season total:

So, for example, Stefphon Jefferson would have to out-rush Ka’Deem by 55 yards to overtake Carey’s season average. Kenjon Barner would need to match Carey’s New Mexico Bowl total plus another 134 yards, and so on down the list.

The numbers aren’t exact because we’re dealing with per-game averages between guys who haven’t played the same number of games but it shows what kind of head-start Carey has. After the Wildcat and Wolf stage their shootout in Albuquerque we’ll be able to calculate the exact goal for everyone else.

High-powered offensive football and fuzzy math. How can you say no to that?

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Scott Terrell was able to rebook his flight to ABQ for at lower rate. Share cost-cutting tips on Twitter and Facebook.

Ka’Deem Carey isn’t playing this week but Wildcat fans can still root for him.
Photo by Cary Edmondson-US PRESSWIRE

The Pac-12 crowns a football champion this week, Oregon State gets to enjoy a December cupcake and then everyone waits for their bowl invites.

The Arizona Wildcats don’t play but their fans will have a keen interest in the performance of four ball-carriers around the country.

TWit-Pac’s TV schedule is oh-so-small (all times Arizona/Mountain):

If you were told only one team from last year’s Pac-12 Championship Game would make it back this year, wouldn’t you have bet all the farms in the county on Oregon? Instead UCLA has returned and this time the Bruins are good enough to make it a game.

Stanford last played in the Rose Bowl after the 1999 season. UCLA’s most recent trip was after a 10-1 regular season in 1998.

(You remember that one loss, right? It was the Hurricane Georges/“everybody died” game. It always comes back to Arizona Football.)

The only reason for the Beavers to still play their game this week is to pretty up their record for the bowl people. Even so, it might not be enough. Read on…

The last two weeks we did bowl mock drafts. This week, since there are only two Pac-12 games left I’ll go on record with my bowl predictions (and projected records):

Rose Bowl – Stanford (11-2 / 8-1)
The Cardinal had the motivation factor in winning last week’s game at UCLA and now they have the home-field advantage. I expect the game to be closer than last week but for Stanford to still pull it out.

Fiesta Bowl – Oregon (11-1 / 8-1)
Will this be Chip Kelly’s last game before heading to the NFL? Will he be able to handle coaching a team that wears the same helmets every week?

Alamo Bowl – UCLA (9-4 / 6-3)
Now the actual draft begins. I see the folks in San Antonio going after the Pac-12 South champion and the Los Angeles TV market.

Holiday Bowl – USC (7-5 / 5-4)
Upset! Oregon State is the best remaining team available but the Holiday Bowl has the option of taking a team one slot lower in the conference standings. Since USC has never played in this bowl and because of the star power of Marqise Lee and (potentially) Matt Barkley, I don’t think the powers that be in San Diego will be able to pass up the Southern California brand name.

Sun Bowl – OSU (9-3 / 6-3)
Yes, this is way too low for a nine-win team (especially since they may be playing a 6-6 ACC team) but that’s the peculiarity of the bowl system.

Las Vegas Bowl – Washington (7-5 / 5-4)
Both Arizona and Washington are pleading their case and I really, really, really wanted to put the Cats here. I do believe Boise State will be the Mountain West team. I do not think the Vegas Bowl wants to duplicate last year’s matchup with ASU. I know Washington opens with the Broncos next year but the following season’s schedule didn’t stop the Alamo Bowl from pairing Arizona and Oklahoma State in 2010 so I don’t think it will factor in the decision here. The Huskies have never played in Las Vegas so their fan base should jump at the chance to make this trip.

Fight Hunger – ASU (7-5 / 5-4)
Additional Territorial Cup spoils. Grumble grumble…

New Mexico – ARIZONA (7-5 / 4-5)
I tried. I just don’t see the Cats ending up higher than the bottom rung. The Sun Bowl was a real possibility until the UA lost the Territorial Cup. Vegas made a lot of sense except they could welcome a brand new set of fans instead. And since neither Arizona nor ASU is within (reasonable) driving distance to San Francisco and because neither team has played in the Hunger Game, I’m guessing they just go with the better conference record there.

See you in Albuquerque?

* * *

No Wildcat game this week; no problem. Ka’Deem Carey is trying to win the UA’s first national rushing title in 57 years. Here is his competition:

Four of those players have a game this week. Here they are as well as the number of yards each needs to catch Carey. The first number is the amount of rushing yards needed to match Carey’s current total of 1,757. The second is the yardage number the player would have to hit this week to pass Carey’s per-game average. Remember, average yards per game is the official stat used to crown the rushing champ.

Stefphon Jefferson is the only one with a realistic shot at catching Ka’Dream this week. Get out your Boise State pom-poms and root for the Bronco run defense.

Then we’ll see if the nation’s top two rushers settle it on the same field in the Land of Enchantment.

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Scott Terrell has his large cardboard D and a FENCE ready to go. Send your run blitz on Twitter and Facebook.

Ka’Deem Carey may have to start paying property tax on the end zone.
Photo by Rick Scuteri-US PRESSWIRE

You know what helps ease the pain of giving up 66 points?

Gaining 366 yards.

Ka’Deem Carey absolutely bludgeoned the Arizona Football record book with his 366 rushing yards, 400 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns against Colorado. The sophomore from Tucson also claimed a couple Pac-12 records and even left his mark in the NCAA annals.

And, oh, by the way, the Wildcats won for the sixth time in 2012 to become eligible for a bowl game with two weeks to spare.

I don’t want to hear anybody saying it was “only Colorado.” Did you know Arizona had a 1-13 all-time record against the Buffs before Saturday? It had been 26 years since the UA beat this program. And you remember last year, right?

Carey’s career high coming into the game was 172 rushing yards against Washington. He more than doubled it against CU.

No, the quality of opponent does nothing to detract from this performance. Ka’Dream and his offensive line deserve full credit for making sure this game against Colorado is one we’ll never forget.

Read on for the updated NCAA, Pac-12 and Arizona record books!

* * *

Six wins! Six wins!

Don’t miss the opportunity to fully enjoy Arizona’s bowl eligibility. Last year wasn’t fun and you never know what the future holds. The Cats will be in the postseason for the fourth time in five years, the second-best stretch in school history behind the five bowls in six seasons from 1989-1994.

Yes, technically a 6-6 team could get left out but I agree with the projections that have room for nine Pac-12 bowl teams if ASU and Utah both get to six wins. Thanks, Big Ten Leaders (in Sanctions) division!

While it would be cool to see your team play in a bowl in a different part of the country you’ll really strain your fan base’s travel budget if you end up in a place like Shreveport or D.C., so it’s better to keep winning and ensure you play out west.

Speaking of winning, Rich Rodriguez now has the most victories by a first-year Arizona head coach since the school joined the Pac-10. With three games left, RichRod still has a shot at the all-time mark:

Most Wins by an Arizona Football Coach in His First Season

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* * *

Here are all the records and lists that had to be rewritten due to one Ka’Deem Carey:

NCAA – FBS RECORD

Most Rushing Yards, Game

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PAC-12 RECORDS

Most Rushing Yards, Game

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Most Rushing Touchdowns, Game

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ARIZONA RECORDS

Most Rushing Yards, Game

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Most Rushing Yards, Season

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Most Rushing Touchdowns, Game

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Most Rushing Touchdowns, Season

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Most Rushing Touchdowns, Career

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Most All-Purpose Yards, Game

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Most All-Purpose Touchdowns, Game

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Most All-Purpose Touchdowns, Season

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Scott Terrell has tabled the conversation. Set some records on Twitter and Facebook.

Taimi Tutogi and the Wildcats couldn’t escape 1-9 Colorado last year.
Photo by Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE

The assumption has long been that the Oregon Ducks are going to win out and play for the national championship. Stanford and Oregon State are both looking forward to having their say in the Pac-12 North race, but they have to face each other first.

For the Arizona Wildcats, it doesn’t get more humbling than 66-10. This week’s mission is simple: Get win number six and punch a ticket to a bowl game.

This is the second of three Saturdays with all 12 Pac teams playing on same day. This Week in the Pac-12 (TWit-Pac) has your TV schedule (all times Arizona/Mountain):

That’s some strange scheduling. What are west coast fans supposed to do from 4 to 8:30? For Arizona homecoming revelers that may be prime time for a nap.

The drama is quickly draining out of the bowl bubble:

Eight of the 12 teams are officially in or out already and three of the remaining four have five wins with at least one “gimme” game left. It looks like only Utah will be going into its final game with bowl eligibility on the line.

The games are here:

Colorado (1-8 / 1-5) at ARIZONA (5-4 / 2-4)
The Buffaloes have given up at least 34 points in each conference game this year. They have scored no more than 17 in their last five, averaging 10.2 points in that span. Arizona has its problems but this is the type of opponent you want to face when working through problems.

ASU (5-4 / 3-3) at USC (6-3 / 4-3)
Three weeks ago these teams were both 5-1 and it looked like this game would decide who plays in the Pac-12 Championship Game. Five combined losses later it might decide who goes to the Sun Bowl.

OSU (7-1 / 5-1) at Stanford (7-2 / 5-1)
Even if both teams fail in their attempt to upset Oregon there’s still the chance for a BCS bid if the Ducks play for the national title. This is essentially a Rose Bowl elimination game.

Oregon (9-0 / 6-0) at Cal (3-7 / 2-5)
One last name-your-score tune-up for the Ducks before finishing with (presumably) three straight ranked teams.

Utah (4-5 / 2-4) at Washington (5-4 / 3-3)
The Huskies and Utes are both 4-1 at home. They are a combined 1-7 on the road. The home fans in the stands should be very excited, and those stands are in Seattle this week.

UCLA (7-2 / 4-2) at WSU (2-7 / 0-6)
Since the Bruins stumbled at Cal earlier in the year you might be tempted to predict an upset but the crew of the S.S. Wazzu appears to be abandoning ship.

* * *

Perhaps the lone highlight for Arizona against UCLA was running back Ka’Deem Carey hitting a couple milestones. His 54 rushing yards in L.A. gave the UA a thousand-yard rusher for the 13th time in school history.

Most Arizona Rushing Yards in a Season

The sophomore back also scored the Wildcats’ lone touchdown of the evening, Carey’s 13th rushing score of the season. This moved him up another rung on Arizona’s single-season chart:

Most Arizona Rushing Touchdowns in a Season

* * *

If you look at the season to date this should be a cakewalk for the Wildcats. Colorado has lost five straight and has only won once all season while Arizona is a win away from bowl eligibility with two victories against ranked teams in the bag.

But if you look at the Pac-12 standings the Buffaloes are just a game behind the UA. With an upset in Tucson the two squads would be tied.

And both defenses are equally bad.

And we don’t know what the UA offense can do without Matt Scott.

And Colorado won last year.

This year has been anything but predictable for the Cats. Before the season started I hoped for six wins. Here’s how I envisioned it in my head compared to what has actually happened:

Only four of the nine games so far have gone as expected based on last year’s results. So maybe it’s a good thing Colorado won last year.

It’s hard to ignore giving up 66 points but perhaps – like Washington and Utah – the 2012 Wildcats are just a horrible road team. All the more reason to be glad there are eight home games, and be really glad this game is at home.

The first quarter will be very important on Saturday. The ideal scenario for the Cats – no matter who is playing quarterback – is to get a couple scores early to give Colorado that here-we-go-again feeling.

For the UA defense the key is avoiding the big play. In the Buffaloes’ one win they beat Washington State for a 70-yard pass and an 84-yard run. Make Colorado try to execute long drives and be ready to pounce on the mistakes.

For We The People it’s an early wake-up call with another round of breakfast tailgating. It may literally rain on the homecoming parade but a win of any kind gets the Wildcats back in a bowl game.

I don’t need a cakewalk. Just get a win by any means necessary and homecoming can end with the start of postseason travel planning.

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Scott Terrell wants to leave home for the holidays. Get your fix on win number six via Twitter and Facebook.

Ka’Dream > Cactus Comet?
Photo by Cary Edmondson-US PRESSWIRE

The bye week gives us a chance to look back on Rich Rodriguez’s first half season as the head football coach at the University of Arizona.

After just six games one thing is certain: no offensive record is safe.

If you don’t like stats you may as well close your browser right now. But if you love sports records – I mean you really love sports records – you have come to the right place.

Wildcat quarterback Matt Scott made waves last week when he broke the 32-year-old Pac-12 record for pass completions in a game. Needless to say, it was also an Arizona record. Here’s the updated top five:

Most Pass Completions, Game

RichRod has Scott flinging the ball all over the place and the senior’s first full half-season as a starter has been enough to land on both the season and career completions lists:

Most Pass Completions, Season

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Most Pass Completions, Career

Scott’s 400-yard passing day against Stanford was his second of the season and the 15th in Arizona history. He came within nine yards of becoming the second UA QB to throw for 500 yards in a game (there’s that “one more play” theme again).

Most Passing Yards, Game

Scott’s six-game spree has also put him on the career yardage chart:

Most Passing Yards, Career

He’s 248 yards short of the 10th-best passing season and Scott needs just five more passing touchdowns to register on both the season and career top 10.

Rodriguez’s offense has put the ball into lots of people’s hands so no receivers have hit the top-10 lists…yet. Sixty-three receptions get you into the top 10 for a single season and Austin Hill has 42 catches while Dan Buckner has 39 at the midpoint of the year.

The Arizona list of the 10 best pass-catching games is made up of Jeremy McDaniel making 14 grabs against Cal in 1996 and then players catching 12 passes in a game nine different times (Dave Hibbert did it first in 1958 and, most recently, Juron Criner accomplished the feat twice). Hill has an 11-catch game to his credit and Bucker and Johnny Jackson have also had double-figure receptions in a game this year.

Hill leads the team with 608 receiving yards. He only needs 308 more to get into the single season top 10.

As has been discussed, the guy chasing some of the Wildcats’ oldest records is running back Ka’Deem Carey. The sophomore’s 2012 rushing touchdown total is already among the 10 best in school history:

Most Rushing Touchdowns, Season

At this pace Carey will make a serious run the Cactus Comet’s 58-year-old record. Remember what a big deal it was when Willie Tuitama broke the single-season passing TD record that had stood for 42 years? The season rushing touchdown mark has been even more elusive.

(So what you’re telling me is Arizona has had a few struggles over the years on the offensive side of the ball?)

Carey is three rushing TDs away from the career top-10 list and he’s already on this chart:

Most All-Purpose Touchdowns, Game

The Tucson native also has a receiving touchdown to go with his 10 on the ground this year. Here are the only Arizona players to hit paydirt more often in a single season:

Most All-Purpose Touchdowns, Season

Rich Rodriguez has just begun making his mark on the Arizona program but his system has already put a dent in the record book.

This Saturday presents another chance for the Cats to add a positive tally to the most important record of all: the won/loss record.

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Scott Terrell isn’t writing any of these records in computer ink. Track the stats on Twitter and Facebook.

Rich Rodriguez has never lost on this field and he wants to keep it that way.
Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

On Facebook last week we asked if someone from the Pac-12 could break through against a ranked team.

I guess the better question would’ve been: Can any ranked team break through against the Pac-12?*

(*SEC teams not included.)

After a banner weekend the Pac-12 mostly settles in for one last calm couple days before the fury of conference play. Your This Week in the Pac-12 TV schedule has arrived (all times Arizona/Pacific):

Do we have any volunteers to watch the entire 14-hour Pac-12 football marathon? The mileposts:

WSU (1-1) at UNLV (0-2)
The Friday night slot has not been a positive showcase for the conference thus far. Stanford barely got by San Jose State and then Utah couldn’t get by Utah State at all. Things have to turn around this week with Wazzu taking on the team that just lost to the mighty Lumberjacks of Northern Arizona.

Cal (1-1) at Ohio State (2-0)
Who doesn’t love morning football? While you’re eating your Honey Bunches of Oats the Golden Bears are going to try and recreate last week’s second and fourth quarters (20 and 30 points respectively) and avoid last week’s first and third quarters (0 and 0 points disrespectively).

Tennessee Tech (2-0) at Oregon (2-0)
There are only two battles between undefeated teams in the Pac-12 this week; I never would’ve guessed this to be one of them. But, TTU, you’re not playing North Greenville anymore.

Portland State (1-1) at Washington (1-1)
Last week the Huskies became the latest Pac-12 team to get mauled by LSU. The last team from this conference to beat Louisiana State was Stanford in the 1977 Sun Bowl. Portland State, on the other hand, lost to Oregon and ASU by a combined score of 123-9 last year.

ASU (2-0) at Missouri (1-1)
The team most affected by Mizzou’s conference change just might be the Sun Devils. ASU has 13 all-time wins against teams currently in the Big 12 but has never beaten an SEC team.

USC (2-0 / 0-0) at Stanford (2-0 / 0-0)
A conference game! A conference game! TWit-Pac doesn’t do a lot of predictions (you can’t lose if you don’t play) but I think USC is going to roll in this one. I do not believe Stanford is a top-25 team without Andrew Luck. Look for the newness of Nunes (comma, quarterback Josh) to be exploited.

Colorado (0-2) at Fresno State (1-1)
The Colorado/Sac State game was in fact just what the doctor ordered for a team coming off a humbling defeat. It just turned out the doctor was working for Sacramento State. This will not be an easy game for the Buffaloes. But looking at their schedule it might be the easiest one left.

BYU (2-0) at Utah (1-1)
Utah is the only Pac-12 team to get a ranked nonconference opponent at home this week. After losing by 44 in this game last year, BYU isn’t going to care one bit about the Utes having to go to their backup QB.

South Carolina State (1-1) at ARIZONA (2-0)
At a distance the Bulldogs’ helmets and color scheme look like that of the South Carolina Gamecocks. That should bring back happy memories for any UA baseball fans watching the game.

Houston (0-2) at UCLA (2-0)
So the Bruins are playing both Rice and Houston this year. Houston Baptist wasn’t available? The UH Cougars have been so bad this year their offensive coordinator resigned after just one game. (Sorry, I can’t help myself…) Houston, they have a problem.

OSU (1-0) – bye
The bad news for Beaver players and fans is for the second time in the short three weeks of the season OSU doesn’t have a game. The good news is they get to bask in the glory of the Wisconsin win for another seven days.

* * *

After just two games it’s clear that Rich Rodriguez’s frantic pace on offense is going to lead to a lot more snaps which will give good players opportunities to put up big numbers.

The biggest individual number against Oklahoma State belonged to running back Ka’Deem Carey. The sophomore found the end zone four times tying him for the second-best scoring day in school history.

Considering Carey scored eight touchdowns last year he could be the first Wildcat to make a serious run at Art Luppino’s career TD mark of 48 set in the ‘50s.

If you’re going to chase the Cactus Comet you need a nickname. Ladies and gentlemen, I give to you: Ka’Dream.

* * *

The goal last week was to become relevant. The objective this week is to become irrelevant.

The only way anyone outside Wildcat Universe pays any attention to this game is if the Cats lose. Get the win, stay healthy, stay ranked and then get ready…

No, I’m not even going to talk about next week. The team-with-uniforms-that-look-like-the-Gamecocks should get all the focus.

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Scott Terrell loves a good record-breaker. Get the stat updates on Twitter and Facebook.

High-stepping Ka’Deem Carey shows what RichRod’s offense can do.
Photo by Matt Kartozian-US PRESSWIRE

Rich Rodriguez knows how to make an entrance.

There was drama aplenty for the new Wildcats head football coach in his first game at Arizona. Overtime, long touchdowns, long touchdowns that didn’t count, trick plays, turnovers and – don’t forget – a win.

Lots for the fans to talk about and plenty for the coaches to (loudly) correct. What more could you want from a coaching debut? How about a sneak-peek of the future?

It only takes a little imagination and patience.

You can’t tell how far away it is but if you squint you can see it. Look past the multiple bursts of self-destruction and the highlights of Saturday’s 24-17 victory over Toledo provide a framework for dreams of things to come.

You had an offense than churned out over 600 yards, led by an athletic quarterback equipped with a plan to attack the opposition from all angles. There was a defense that stiffened as the game wore on. The head coach showed a desire to go for the kill after a big play, with the slick on-side kick after Ka’Deem Carey’s long run and the reverse on the first play after the Rockets’ lone turnover.

No, neither coaching uppercut hit its mark in the 2012 season opener. The drive after recovering the on-side lasted only four plays before the Cats punted. Richard Morrison’s touchdown run was nullified by a penalty. The 624 yards of offense produced just 24 points, the defense was a third-down turnstile in the first half and the Arizona kicking game was…the Arizona kicking game.

It was anything but a perfect first impression. The UA made more than enough mistakes to join Cal as an embarrassed home loser on opening weekend. The Wildcats are certainly a work in progress so these visions are for inspirational purposes only.

But what we saw won’t hinder thoughts of a consistently winning football program.

It will take time. Like the team, the crowd’s performance left room for improvement. The 48,670 in a reduced-capacity stadium is a nice number but a big chunk of people were missing by the time overtime rolled around.

I’m included in this. I was there till the end but my standing legs and yelling voice aren’t in fan game shape. The night started hot and when the game ended almost four full hours later it felt hotter. The tempo slowed down in the second half, both on the field and in the stands, and I was a part of the universal lull.

Just like the McKale Center crowd is often loudest when the team is trailing and needing to go on a run, the Arizona Stadium faithful shouldn’t wait for something good to happen but instead help make it happen.

The noise level during the final defensive stand in overtime was excellent (and that was with a largely empty stadium). The goal is to back the D that way on every third down, without needing input from Ozzy Osbourne.

Rodriguez’s aggressive style is going to continue to add to the number of people who believe in him. His bigger challenge is getting people to believe in Arizona Football. When the Wildcats lined up for that potential game-winning field goal there wasn’t a single fan in that stadium who didn’t think there was a decent chance the kick would be missed, blocked, or driven into a lineman’s backside. We can’t help it. It was like our collective dread helped pull the ball wide.

The coaching staff believes in the “Hard Edge” mantra so much they put it on the front of the players’ helmets. We The People need to believe it too.

It’s a process. Rebuilding, culture changes and all that. Embrace it. 2012 could very well end up being a long season but it won’t be a boring one.

The team is 1-0 and Rich Rodriguez’s status as an undefeated coach continues for another week. Now, about this Saturday’s game against Oklahoma “84-0” State…

Eh, let’s worry about that one tomorrow. Today is a day to look at the positives from RichRod’s first win at Arizona, envision the holes being filled and dream about where this thing is headed.

(Through the uprights even.)

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Scott Terrell needs to stock up on antiperspirant for all these September games. Follow along odor-free on Twitter and Facebook.