The Wildcats are trying to take a big step in L.A.
Photo by Pat Shannahan/The Arizona Republic

The Cal Bears, Stanford Cardinal and Washington Huskies posted 2-0 records last week as Pac-12 play got underway. All three will look to remain perfect as their paths do not yet cross.

The Arizona Wildcats posted a victory in their single conference game a week ago so they too will attempt to keep their Pac-12 record clean.

To do so the Cats will have to reverse their recent fortunes of the past few years in the City of Angels (or, in the case of tonight’s game, the University of California, Los Angeles of Anaheim).

TWIT-Pac has more games but fewer viewing opportunities this week.

Here is the TV schedule (all times Arizona/Mountain):

CSN BA = Comcast SportsNet Bay Area
CSN NW = Comcast SportsNet Northwest
FSAZ = Fox Sports Arizona
FSN = Fox Sports Net
PT = Prime Ticket
ROOT RM = Root Sports Rocky Mountain
ROOT NW = Root Sports Northwest

Thu. Jan. 5

Stanford (12-2 / 2-0) at Oregon (10-4 / 1-1)
Stanford passed its first test by sweeping the L.A. schools at home last week. Taking two from the Oregons would officially give them For Real status.

Washington (8-5 / 2-0) at Colorado (9-4 / 1-0)
Husky guard Tony “Not Rotten” Wroten introduced himself to the Pac-12 by winning the Player of the Week award, the first freshman to do so this season.

WSU (9-5 / 1-1) at Utah (3-10 / 1-1)
Unfortunately for the Cougars (and Huskies), this is their only game against Utah this year. UCLA and USC are the other pair that doesn’t get to double up on the woeful Utes.

ASU (4-9 / 0-1) at USC (5-10 / 0-2)
Somebody’s first league win is coming! First team to 35, wins!

Cal (12-3 / 2-0) at OSU (10-4 / 0-2)
Since it’s never too early…

Who do Wildcat fans want to win?
OSU. Root for the Pac-12 favorite to feel the wrath of the Oregon Trail this weekend.

ARIZONA (10-4 / 1-0) at UCLA (7-7 / 0-2)
This game is at the Honda Center in Anaheim, the site of last year’s win over Duke (and loss to UConn). You’ll know it’s over if De’End Parker enters the game.

Sat. Jan. 7

Washington at Utah
UW averaged 85.5 points per game at home last week but only scored an average of 68.5 in their two true road games this year.

WSU at Colorado
Wazzu’s Reggie Moore is the Pac-12’s leading assist man, averaging 5.6 a game. Sharing is caring.

Stanford at OSU
The Beavers went 10-2 out-of-conference but started 0-2 in league play, and now they face what looks like the best two teams in the Pac-12. Oregon State’s season could go from “Great story!” to “Here we go again” in a hurry.

ASU at UCLA
The Sun Devils are in the middle of a stretch where they play five of their first seven conference games on the road. UCLA is doing the same thing but this is the Bruins’ two at “home.”

Sun. Jan. 8

ARIZONA at USC
USC has won its last three home games against the Wildcats. I wonder if Kevin O’Neill’s wife will be there.

Cal at Oregon
53 points against USC, 85 points vs. UCLA. Cal showed it can win at multiple speeds last week.

* * *

Neither the Bruins nor Trojans are going to win the conference but they’re still plenty dangerous. We all know what happened to the Cats in L.A. last year, and it’s the same thing that happened three years ago. All told the UA has lost five of its last six games on the SoCal swing.

Arizona won’t have to deal with Reeves Nelson but UCLA still features three 6-10 players in Josh Smith and the Wear twins. Will Sean Miller counter with more minutes for Kyryl Natyazhko and Angelo Chol or will he try to spread the floor and outshoot the Bruins with Solomon Hill and Jesse Perry?

USC went from relying on 7-footer Nikola Vucevic to being led by 5-7 Maurice Jones. But, as always, the name of the game for a KO-coached team is defense so the Cats will have to be patient and make sure their outside shots are good ones.

It’s too early to say any weekend is critical but Arizona’s two toughest road trips (the Bays and the Washingtons) are both on the back half of the schedule. Now’s the time to pick up wins and see if you can gain ground on Cal and Stanford. It also helps that UCLA and USC are as collectively down as they’re going to be.

The Wildcats are trying to get back to Hollywood endings in the Greater Los Angeles Metropolitan Area.

* * *

A dollop of football…

If you were following on Twitter this is old news but Nick Foles’ reign as the most accurate passer in Pac-12 history was short-lived. After Foles finished the season ahead of Matt Leinart’s record for career completion percentage Andrew Luck completed a ridiculous 87% of his passes in the Fiesta Bowl to move ahead of Foles, 67.0% to 66.8%.

At least Foles can say he broke the record of a Heisman Trophy winner, and he held it for 36 days.

Speaking of Stanford, Cardinal fans have to be at least a little disappointed by the Jim Harbaugh/Andrew Luck era. Crazy? Here’s what they had:

• The greatest football coach in the world (the previous two Stanford coaches went 16-40 (.286) and the 49ers hadn’t had a winning season in nine years before Harbaugh went 13-3 this year)
• The greatest quarterback prospect in 13 years (The Next Peyton Manning will be replacing The First Peyton Manning in Indianapolis)
• Only the school’s second and third 10-win seasons in the past 71 years

…and they end up with no conference championships and a single bowl win. That’s gotta sting, right?

Of course, they got a Rose Bowl out of Ty Willingham and an eight-win team so Stanford has a long way to go in the Woe Is We department.

Enjoy the basketball action and, remember, baseball is just around the corner, plus it’s only 240 days until football season!

- – - – -

Scott Terrell is looking forward to hoops and Hi Corbett this weekend. Join in on Twitter and Facebook.

Foles!
Photo by Joe Nicholson-US PRESSWIRE

Nick Foles’ place as the best quarterback in Arizona Wildcats history was already secure. He was already a tremendous leader and teammate.

What the last couple games of Foles’ college career did was enhance his status as one of the best to ever play the position in this conference.

Let’s start with the big one: Nick Foles is the most accurate passer in the history of the Pac-12.

Matt Leinart set the old record by completing 807 of 1,245 passes during his USC career for a completion percentage of 64.8%. Foles completed 933 of 1,396 attempts for a career completion percentage of 66.8%.

Not only did Foles attempt 151 more passes but Leinart operated behind USC’s all-world line (with a monster running game) while the Arizona QB was usually running for his life and/or getting punished.

(For the record, Stanford’s Andrew Luck has one last game to try and pass Foles. Luck has completed 66.4% of his careers passes on 363 fewer attempts.)

Here are the other Pac-12 records Foles now owns:

As far as the Arizona record book, Foles set fire to it, put the ashes inside a rocket and blew it up again. Here are all the school records in the possession of #8:

Foles!
Photo by Chris Morrison-US PRESSWIRE

One he doesn’t hold is the single game completions record but the list of best individual games in UA history is pretty amusing:

Yes, the Wildcats were trailing in a lot of those contests but Foles was just as good if not better when the game was on the line. The USC game in 2009. Iowa and Cal last year. ASU this year (with a final-pass assist from Bryson Beirne). Foles produced the game-winning memories to go along with the gaudy stats.

Foals!

All that said, there will always be a hint of bittersweetness when we look back on Foles’ Wildcat career. The greatest quarterback in school history and his teams were only able to go 14-18 in his 32 starts. How many years have Arizona fans said, “If we only had a quarterback”? Pick any three-year span in the Dick Tomey era. Wouldn’t you give four of George Malauulu‘s vowels to swap in Nick Foles?

So Cat fans continue to dream of the perfect convergence of quarterback and supporting cast. Until then, remembering the past three years of Foles flinging the ball around isn’t a bad way to pass the time.

The Most Accurate Quarterback in Pac-12 History wore Red and Blue.

- – - – -

Scott Terrell wishes he could throw the deep out. Huck it on Twitter and Facebook.

Cajun. It’s not just a hot wing sauce.
Photo by Tyler Kaufman-US PRESSWIRE

The final regular season weekend is here in the Pac-12 and neither division race has been decided. Last week’s upset has Oregon needing a win to clinch the North and the South is a mess because every (eligible) team has been upsettingly bad.

Two schools are finishing with a non-conference game including the Arizona Wildcats who finally get a shot at their not-so-hated archrivals, the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns.

TWIT-Pac is thankful for the Pac-12 football TV schedule (all times Arizona/Mountain):

Colorado (2-10 / 1-7) at Utah (7-4 / 4-4)
Utah used to end the season with BYU every year. Colorado’s season finale was always against Nebraska. Both sides are probably viewing the other as a step down.

Who do Wildcat fans want to win?
Utah. We’re #11! We’re #11!

Cal (6-5 / 3-5) at ASU (6-5 / 4-4)
One team is 1-4 on the road. The other is 0-3 in November.

Who do Wildcat fans want to win?
ASU. Yeah, I said it. As we hinted last time Dennis Erickson really needs a couple wins to save his job. If you like watching the Sun Devils underachieving and losing the Territorial Cup you want Erickson to keep his job. If you like watching the Sun Devils underachieving and/or getting busted for cheating in football, basketball and baseball you want “Vice President for University Athletics” Lisa Love to keep her job.

Now, there is certainly risk involved with rooting for ASU. One, you feel dirty. Two, a win most likely puts the Devils in the Pac-12 Championship Game where they’re one fluke victory from the Rose Bowl. If you can’t take that chance (or if your sports conscience won’t allow it) root for Cal. But if you’re confident that Oregon can take care of business at home, root for Erickson to lock up a winning season here.

OSU (3-8 / 3-5) at Oregon (9-2 / 7-1)
Oregon State shows the importance of scheduling winnable non-conference games (and then actually winning them). Cal and the Beavers are both 3-5 in Pac-12 play yet the Bears are already assured of making a bowl game while OSU is staring at a 3-9 season. Mike Stoops had been calling for a downgrade in Arizona’s OOC schedules so it’ll be interesting to see what matchups are arranged for Rich Rodriguez.

Who do Wildcat fans want to win?
Oregon. There will be no Pac-12 team in the BCS Championship Game this year. The conference can still get two teams into the BCS but only if Oregon secures the Rose Bowl leaving Stanford for the Fiesta.

Louisiana-Lafayette (8-3) at ARIZONA (3-8 / 2-7)
ASU, ShmayEssYoo; this is the real rivalry game. The Wildcats have had some monumental battles with Sun Belt teams over the years such as Arizona 14, North Texas 9 and Arizona 36, Idaho 29.

WSU (4-7 / 2-6) at Washington (6-5 / 4-4)
Husky fans probably felt a lot better about this game three weeks ago when they were 6-2. Now Washington needs a win just to ensure they don’t back into a losing season.

Who do Wildcat fans want to win?
WSU. The Wulff has come too far not to finish the hunt!

Notre Dame (8-3) at Stanford (10-1 / 8-1)
If you’re wondering why Arizona is playing a non-league game Thanksgiving weekend I blame Stanford. They’re playing Notre Dame which means they couldn’t play Cal who then had to play ASU who couldn’t play Arizona who got stuck peddling tickets on Facebook.

Who do Wildcat fans want to win?
Stanford. The extra BCS money would help fill in the UA’s budgetary hole.

UCLA (6-5 / 5-3) at USC (9-2 / 6-2)
The Trojans are suddenly a top-10 team with a Heisman candidate. By the way, what’s stopping USC from declaring itself the 2011 Pac-12 champions? They have the best record in the South and they beat the presumed North champion. I’d print up t-shirts and send the bill to Reggie Bush.

Who do Wildcat fans want to win?
UCLA. Could you really fire Rick Neuheisel if he posted a 6-3 Pac-12 record with a win against USC? I say no. Move along, Mike Leach. No job openings to see here.

* * *

Any threat of the young Arizona players coasting after the Territorial Cup victory went away with the hiring of Rich Rodriguez this week. The new Wildcat coach will get his first look at his new players in action and you know what they say about first impressions.

For the fans it’s one last chance to see the seniors take the field. This year hasn’t been what anybody wanted but this class has had a good run. They went to three bowl games after the program had nine years with nothing. They won at ASU and at USC to finish tied for 2nd in the Pac-10 in 2009. They won at ASU again this year to finish 3-1 for their careers against their rivals. These Cats were part of what will hopefully be the foundation that Rodriguez builds on to finally – finally! – get Arizona to that next level.

This class has also left its mark on the UA record book. Nick Foles led the way by becoming the Wildcats’ all-time and single-season leader in completions and yards.

Juron Criner is currently tied with Theopolis Bell for the all-time touchdown receptions record and Criner joins two other seniors among the career reception leaders. Criner is 4th with 200 catches, David Douglas sits tied for 6th with 142 receptions, and David Roberts is 11th at 126 grabs, five behind Syndric Steptoe for 10th. Criner owns the 4th and 7th best single-season reception totals for his last two years and Gino Crump came out of nowhere this year to tie Bobby Wade with 62 receptions in a season, the 9th most in school history.

Trevin Wade is tied for 10th with 12 career interceptions. And let’s not forget Keola Antolin. He’s no one’s idea of a superstar back but he is about to become the 6th UA player to lead the team in rushing three times and he has had a knack for the most important task in football: scoring touchdowns. Remember all the times you watched Trung Canidate race into the end zone? Antolin has done it the exact same 25 times, the 4th highest total in Arizona history. Add in Antolin’s three receiving touchdowns and he’s 6th in all-purpose touchdowns, two behind Criner’s 30.

So go ahead and get on out to Arizona Stadium one last time. Tickets start at the price of a value meal and you’ll be able to sit pretty much wherever you want. Say good-bye to the seniors, say hello to Rich Rod, and enjoy the last day of UA tailgating and football for 10 long months.

* * *

The BasketCats are finding life a little difficult in Year 1 A.D. (After Derrick). With the 6-7 Jesse Perry as the only hint of a post presence Arizona is a one-trick pony at this point. If the 3s go down the Cats look good (like against St. John’s) but if they don’t it can get ugly (as in both games since).

Here is Arizona’s after-Thanksgiving hoops schedule:

May all your holiday weekend shot attempts find the bottom of the net.

- – - – -

Scott Terrell will be stuffing himself into a new seat on Saturday. Gobble gobble Twitter and Facebook.

Does Rich Rodriguez’s past leave you smiling?
Photo by Rob Schumacher/The Arizona Republic

The University of Arizona has its new head football coach in Richard A. Rodriguez. Is Rich Rod the long awaited answer for the Zona Cats?

The response from the national media has been positive but the majority of the fan base was surprised. You’re not going to hire everybody’s first choice in any coaching search but many thought the same reasons that made former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach an unlikely candidate would also eliminate Rodriguez from serious consideration.

Those reasons? Stuff like getting fired, a lawsuit, player discontent, and those pesky NCAA violations.

The violations took place during both of Rodriguez’s high-profile jobs and can’t be ignored. You can read about what happened at West Virginia here and here. The Michigan summary is here and the full NCAA report is here.

Are they not that bad? There was nothing involving money to players or academic fraud. Can you live with them? Greg Byrne decided he could and the Rich Rod era is under way.

Now the bottom line is – as with any coaching hire – can he win football games at Arizona?

I look at it the same way I considered Leach. If Rodriguez was still at West Virginia he would be in the “tremendous hire but no chance he comes to Arizona” group. Alabama found out the same thing at the time.

When you look at the Michigan fiasco you certainly see the culture clash and can understand why generations of Wolverine fans would revolt after witnessing losing seasons for the first time in decades. But this wasn’t a John Mackovic situation where a guy followed up each season with a new low. Michigan’s record went from 3-9 to 5-7 to 7-6 in Rodriguez’s three years and his players (including the mesmerizing Denard Robinson) are 9-2 in Brady Hoke‘s first season.

If you’re going to gamble with a baggage-bearing coach you have to turn him loose (within the rules of course). Let Rodriguez hire his staff even if that means all the current coaches go elsewhere. If he wants to run a 3-3-5 defense – or a 2-2-7, or even a 1-10 – give him the budget to hire a coordinator who can run that defense. If he needs to cycle through the roster to get his type of players in place, give him the time to do so.

The big advantage to hiring an experienced head coach is he has a clear plan. For Rodriguez it’s not a matter of finding his way as the general of a program. Now it’s a matter of finding the officers and troops who can do what he wants and how he wants it. And then we wait and see (and hope) what he wants to do ends up being what he can do and that it works in the Pac-12.

I just happen to be in Michigan right now and the Wolverine fans have enjoyed giving me grief since the news broke. We’ll see who’s grieving the next time I pay a visit.

* * *

Quick, who has the third-best overall record among bowl eligible Pac-12 teams?

Surprise, surprise, it’s Utah at 7-4. Washington and ASU have lost a combined six straight while the Utes have won four in a row. As a result the adjusted Pac-12 bowl bubble looks like this:

What is IUTLCG? I had to create a new tier for UCLA and ASU because, while they’re bowl eligible now, either one could make the Pac-12 Championship Game with a 6-6 record and if they lost that they’d be 6-7 and not qualified for a bowl. In other words they could lose their way out of a bowl by winning the division. Therefore, the Bruins and Devils are currently In Unless They Lose Championship Game.

Transitioning to the hot seat, the big plus in Arizona hiring Rodriguez this week is the Cats got their man before any other Pac-12 job opened up. So UA fans are less concerned about which other coaches stay or go unless they really like the mediocre job a coach is doing for a rival school.

I think Mike Riley and Paul Wulff will be back for OSU and WSU. Cal put up a good fight against Stanford and unless the Bears get annihilated by ASU I believe Jeff Tedford will at least get a shot in the bowl game.

The two coaches in the most trouble are Arizona State’s Dennis Erickson and UCLA’s Rick Neuheisel. I don’t think they both can survive at this point. I expect whoever doesn’t win the Pac-12 South will be fired after this weekend. The “winner” of the South may still get canned.

So if you like to see ASU and UCLA stumbling around root for both schools to get a win to end the regular season.

* * *

Nick Foles put up a monster game against ASU putting him within striking distance of most of the Pac-12 records we’ve been tracking. Of course, he can’t break any records if he doesn’t play but here’s where he stands and what exactly he needs in the final game to hit each mark:

Bonus stat: Foles needs 341 passing yards to get to 10,000 for his Arizona career.

Another 10,000 reasons to buy a cheap ticket and say goodbye in person on Saturday.

- – - – -

Scott Terrell hopes his violations aren’t that bad. Consider sanctions on Twitter and Facebook.

Dennis Erickson has been lacking upward-trajectory football games.
Photo Charlie Leight/The Arizona Republic

Arizona State has been the Pac-12 hot seat’s best friend the last couple weeks. Both Rick Neuheisel of UCLA and Washington State’s Paul Wulff got a boost by upsetting the Sun Devils.

Unfortunately for Dennis Erickson, in pushing his fellow coaches off the hot seat, he has fallen onto it himself.

It would be very interesting if both Arizona schools were coach hunting in the same offseason. It hasn’t happened since, well, two coaches ago. After the 2000 season both Dick Tomey and Bruce Snyder were let go. Arizona’s first hire lasted 2+ seasons and the second hire made it 7+. ASU’s first hire went six years and their second hire is in his fifth season.

The last time both positions were vacant at the same time ASU hired the Boise State coach. Is it the Wildcats’ turn?

Here is the best way to keep the Pac-12’s hottest seats cool:

Erickson isn’t needing an upset as much as he needs to prevent more upsets. I can’t see him getting fired if he makes the Pac-12 Championship Game. But if he loses to Arizona? If the Devils get absolutely destroyed by Oregon and whomever they play in their bowl game?

Wildcat Universe may end up in a very awkward position. Obviously you want a UA win this Saturday but you may find yourself having to root for ASU to beat Cal and win their (lower level) bowl game to prevent your biggest rival from diving into the coaching pool.

We’ll jump off that bridge when we come to it.

* * *

How does a coaching job’s profile improve after someone turns it down? When that someone is former Florida coach Urban Meyer. If the report is true, Greg Byrne contacted Meyer, and Meyer didn’t laugh. He sat down with Byrne, “was intrigued,” and thought about it for a week before saying no.

That should make other coaches think, “Wow, Urban discussed the Arizona job? Mr. Two National Championships and a Perfect Season? Maybe I should hear what Greg Byrne is saying.”

At the very least it makes The List more interesting.

* * *

Another look at the Pac-12 bowl bubble:

Utah and Cal, welcome to the bowling alley! UCLA (5-5) needs to beat Colorado to get to In status and – whattaya know – look who moved back up to the Middle. Wazzu (4-6) broke its five-game losing streak and suddenly beating Utah at home and Washington on the road doesn’t seem as impossible as it looked last week.

* * *

Some of you may be tired of hearing about stats and records after ugly losses. Nick Foles himself isn’t happy about it. But there are only so many ways you can write “This team is really bad,” and “We have to wait for the new coach.”

Foles is falling further behind pace for the bulk yards records (Cody Pickett played in 13 games in 2002) but he’s still leading in per-game averages. The UA QB also remains ahead for the crown jewel, the Pac-12’s career completion percentage record.

I took a shot at Matt Leinart in this space last week and now he’s an NFL starting quarterback again. No truth to the rumor that Donovan McNabb has been texting me begging for an insult.

- – - – -

Scott Terrell is here to help. Back up your QB on Twitter and Facebook.

Who wants to start a bowl streak?
Photo Rob Schumacher/The Arizona Republic

So it ends.

With loss number seven against Utah last Saturday the Arizona Wildcats football team will not be setting a school record by going to a fourth consecutive bowl game.

The UA’s run had been the third longest active streak in the Pac-12 (and second longest among the old Pac-10 schools). That honor now belongs to Stanford.

Here are the streaks for each program:

Pac-12 Bowl Streaks

(This year is not included but USC’s vacated bowl is.)

Starting a new streak will be on the new Arizona coach’s to-do list.

* * *

Last week was horrible for the Wildcats on the field but there was some great news on the hot-seat/no-head-coaching-search-competition front.

Cal took care of business at home and then UCLA turned in the biggest Pac-12 upset of the season to date by taking down Arizona State. The best part is, I called it! OK, that’s not exactly what I said but I did tell you to root for it.

The cool-seat roadmap looks a lot better:

How do we get the Bruins into the Pac-12 Championship Game to ensure Rick Neuheisel gets another year? I don’t think they’ll win out with two road games left including USC but they can still get in if they go 2-1 down the stretch and ASU loses one more time.

If only there was a team with a lot of incentive to beat the Sun Devils, maybe someone like a 112-year rival…

* * *

All the four-win teams became five-win teams so the Pac-12 bowl bubble has just about popped:

The conference is just three more wins (and one national championship game snub) away from filling all seven of its bowl slots even with USC ineligible. If Stanford and Oregon both make BCS bowls and Washington State (3-6) loses one more time the New Mexico Bowl is going to have to go team shopping somewhere else.

* * *

Nick Foles, if it’s any consolation, John Elway didn’t win a bowl game either.

The Wildcat quarterback’s assault on the Pac-12 record book was slowed after his worst statistical performance of the year. Here are the current projections:

Everything on there is still within reach but he’s got some ground to make up. Tim Kish and Seth Littrell, if you’re out there and you happen to find yourself with a lead in Boulder, please let Foles continue to throw it around. Matt Barkley had six touchdown passes against the Buffs, for crying out loud. Besides, how often do you get a chance to knock Matt Leinart down?

(Nobody on the Houston Texans practice squad answer that.)

- – - – -

Scott Terrell does enjoy html tables. Take a [br] on Twitter and Facebook.

The UA’s #8 is trying to become #1 in the Pac-12.
Photo by Chris Morrison-US PRESSWIRE

It turns out Nick Foles might be better than we thought.

It is common knowledge among fans of the Arizona Wildcats that the strong-armed senior quarterback is rewriting the school’s record book. As the numbers have continued to pile up Foles is now in position to topple some Pac-12 marks as well.

This was just going to be a short blurb. I was going to tell you about seats and bubbles when I read that Foles was on pace to break the Pac-12 record for passing yards per game in a season. I figured I’d pass the stat tidbit along to give UA fans something else to root for during the remainder of a difficult year.

Then I took a closer look at the Pac-12 record book. As I scanned the passing section and did some math I realized – holy forward pass, Batman – Foles has a shot at a bunch of these.

Take a look. All records are for a single season unless noted:

Some of Criner's 29 have been harder than others.
Photo by David Kadlubowski/The Arizona Republic

Members of the Wildcat Universe shouldn’t take this for granted. We have no idea what kind of offense the new coach will run or what kind of quarterbacks he’ll be able to recruit. Don’t forget, 20 touchdown passes (Foles’ 2011 total through eight games) was the Arizona single-season record for 41 years.

Also remember to save some love for Foles’ favorite target. With his next touchdown reception Juron Criner will tie the UA career record of 30 set by Theopolis “T” Bell in 1975.

Both current Cats would rather complete two passes and win than throw for 400 yards and lose but even as victories have been hard to come by, Foles-to-Criner continues to give Arizona fans something spectacular to look forward to on Saturdays.

- – -

Elsewhere in the Pac-12…

Didn’t I tell you not to give up on Rick Neuheisel? OK, that’s not exactly what I said but I did give UCLA a chance at six wins and they got a big one against Cal.

Fear not, Jeff Tedford, it’s your turn now. You have two consecutive home games against teams with losing records. Win those and you go bowling.

(The key for Cal after that will be avoiding getting embarrassed on the road against Stanford and ASU so there isn’t an emotional firing Thanksgiving weekend. But let’s get Jeffy Ted bowl eligible first.)

Oregon State is the team that isn’t playing along at all. They win the games we want them to lose (vs. Arizona and WSU) and they lose the game we’re hoping they win (vs. Utah). All that’s left is for Mike Riley to beat Stanford this week and make the whole Pac-12 hate him.

The updated grid of hot seat optimism:

If this holds true it means Riley’s last four seasons will have gone 9-4, 8-5, 5-7 and 2-10. That’s not what ASU’s Lisa Love would call upward-trajectory football records. Is the potential of freshman quarterback Sean Mannion enough to offset Riley running out of Rodgers brothers? Don’t dam him, Beavers.

- – -

Two more teams have been fitted with bowling shoes in the latest version of the bubble:

Arizona State and Washington each won its sixth game to secure postseason eligibility. Congrats, Alamo and Holiday Bowls, you’re officially getting Pac-12 teams. The other bowls? They’re going to have to wait a bit.

Utah (4-4) has moved ahead of Cal (4-4) on the Bubble In line since the Utes have twice as many remaining games against losing teams than the Bears.

UCLA (4-4) is hanging tight in the Middle. That’s what happens when you’ve played 2/3 of your schedule and you still don’t consecutive wins (or losses).

Washington State (3-5) falls down to Bubble Out as their losing streak has extended to four. That 3-1 start seems like a long time ago.

- – - – -

Scott Terrell wishes he had some records to break. Make history on Twitter and Facebook.

Wazzu has had a lot more to cheer about in 2011.
Photo by Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE

A Pac-10 doormat is finding new life in the Pac-12. The South race might already be over. The Arizona Wildcats’ record book has a whole lot of Nick Foles.

There were a couple road breakthroughs in conference action last week leading to honest-to-goodness changes in the Pac-12 bowl picture:

Welcome back among the living, Wazzu! After winning in Boulder the Cougars’ bowl chances are alive and well. I’m not ready to move them amongst the IN crowd yet but if they take down UCLA this week they’ll only be a couple home wins (Oregon State and Utah) away from the promised land.

The other change is Washington moving up to fourth-most likely to make a bowl with Utah sliding down to sixth. Considering the winnable games left on their schedule (Colorado, Arizona, at OSU, WSU) the Huskies are looking like an eight-win team.

How are the 1-4 Wildcats still in the middle? There’s a logical path for them to get to six wins and it hasn’t started yet. But if the losing streak grows to five games? ¡Adios, tazón!

- – -

ASU’s competition in the Pac-12 South is dropping like flies. Utah lost at home to Washington last week and the Utes won’t have their starting quarterback this week against the Sun Devils. It’s getting to the point where, with a little help from the North, ASU could be in line to host the Pac-12 Championship Game.

I’m feeling queasy. Quick, pass me some stats…

- – -

Arizona quarterback Nick Foles is really, really good. His performance against USC was great, even by his standards. Great, as in one of the best showings ever by a Wildcat passer. Take a look:

UA Single Game Passing Completions

So in the history of Wildcat football, eight of the 10 best games in terms of completing the forward pass came at the hands (and arm) of Nick Foles.

The pre-Willie record was Jason Johnson’s 31 completions against Cal in 2002. Who knew that when the Cats hired Mike Stoops they were getting a passing guru?

Foles would trade all the completions in the world for a win this week, but the way the UA defense is playing he might need every completion in the world to get that win.

Enjoy the record while it lasts, Mr. Tuitama.

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Scott Terrell is running a double move. Find him on Twitter and Facebook.

Ka'Deem Carey and Dan Buckner will be newcomers to watch this year.
Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

The haboob of summer sports boredom is about to pass.

The 2011 Arizona Wildcats football season is about to begin!

Finally. It hasn’t been easy watching the Pac-12 and the rest of the college football world playing games but the wait is over. The Cats are about to kick off their season.

It was quite the controversial move when the UA announced it would only be playing seven games this year. Then word got out that season ticket prices would remain the same and the whispers started. There were rumors that the cost of extension cords for the new scoreboard was crippling the budget. Internet speculation was that Sean Miller was demanding a new private jet for every day of the week.

No, it’s just a seven-game football schedule. The “less is more” philosophy applied to the gridiron.

There was a big sigh of relief when the NCAA ruled that Arizona could still qualify for a bowl game in 2011. A waiver was granted and the Cats will be eligible for the postseason with a 5-2 record (or better).

Wildcat Universe isn’t quite sure what to make of the situation but you’ve got to play the hand you’re dealt. Sometimes you’re playing war; sometimes it’s just 7-card stud.

So we go with it and, as we do before the start of any season, it’s time to establish a Line Of Agonizing Disappointment.

The UA is replacing eight of nine starters on both lines. I can’t see into the future or anything, but if defensive tackle Justin Washington were to somehow lose a bunch of weight due to a stomach issue the Wildcats would be perfectly inexperienced in the trenches.

Add it up and some will say the best fan strategy is to throw all expectations out the window and prepare for the worst. I can’t go that far. I still see enough talent to go to another bowl game.

For one thing, have you seen the schedule? There is only one ranked team to be found. No top-10 opponents anywhere. It’s not a death march, it’s a life hike.

That’s my LOAD: Go to a bowl game; win the bowl game.

What is the roadmap to five wins? The formula is very straight-forward: You must beat the teams with losing records – Oregon State (0-4), UCLA (2-3) and Colorado (1-4) – and the team from the Sun Belt (Louisiana-Lafayette). That leaves three games to get one win: at 4-1 Washington, 2-2 Utah at home, at 4-1 ASU. Here it is visually:

Arizona Wildcats 2011 Football Schedule, Abridged

The thing with a seven-game season is there are no warm-up games. Game #1 is must-win. Win that and you get another must-win game. The pressure is on right now.

There are three reasons for optimism: Nick Foles, Nick Foles and Nick Foles.

If the season had started in September the UA offensive line wouldn’t have been ready and Foles would’ve taken a bunch of hits. With five extra weeks of practice, however, the hope is pass protection will be better and the slight threat of a running game will open up things like play-action bootleg passes to Taimi Tutogi.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say true freshman Ka’Deem Carey will play a significant role this year. Texas transfer Dan Buckner is another player to watch and I suspect he’ll have a real chance to lead the team in receptions. Juron Criner had a rough offseason and there may be lingering effects from a sudden surgery. I can’t divulge my sources but the procedure rhymes with “bappendectomy.”

The word out of training camp is to expect nothing from the Arizona defense. Zero. Actually, expect a really big number, as in allowing FBS teams to score 44.5 points per game. Give or take.

So that brings us back to Nick Foles Nick Foles Nick Foles. Keep him on the field, give him time, and let the Big Ocho throw the ball all over the field.

I completely understand that not all Wildcat fans are on board with this reduced schedule. Some say play all 12 games or don’t even bother. That’s fine. See you next year. A full schedule will be played in 2012 and each game will have big-picture ramifications when it comes to the future of Arizona Football.

But for right now, seven is what you get.

There’s nothing like the start of a new season. The team begins with a clean slate and the chance to write its own destiny. Seven games from Oct. 8 through Nov. 26. Three home games. Five wins needed to play in December.

For real this time.

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Scott Terrell has his story and he’s sticking to it. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook all season long.

It only seemed like Nick Foles started every play with a Duck around his ankle.
Photo by Chris Morrison-US PRESSWIRE

The top-10 gauntlet is over.

Now Arizona Wildcats fans should hope the entire season goes like the Oregon game.

Wait…What?!

Put down your pitchforks and torches, Wildcat Universe. Let me explain.

The last three games have been bad. Horrible. The Oregon game was the worst of them all. 35-3 in the 2nd quarter was the lowest of lows. The Ducks did what they wanted – run, run, run – and Arizona was powerless to stop it.

But even though the stadium emptied the Wildcats kept playing. They tried a trick play. They converted an onside kick. From the standpoint of the individual game you ask: Why wait until you’re down 25 to pull out the surprises? But from the standpoint of the season you say: Better late than never.

Much, much better late than never.

That’s where we are with the 2011 campaign. A third of the season is in the books. It has been an ugly third for Arizona, just like the first third of the Oregon game. But starting with the end of the 2nd quarter the Cats scored 21 straight points.

They kept fighting during the game. Can they keep fighting for their season?

The temptation will be to wave the white flag. Mike Stoops used the word “humiliating” after the game. This week we’ll find out if this team – from the top down – still believes in themselves and each other.

USC isn’t in the top 10. The Trojans aren’t even in the top 25 anymore. Against Utah they needed a blocked field goal to avoid overtime. They just lost by three touchdowns to ASU. When the Wildcats travel to L.A. this weekend they’ll be facing a true peer for the first time since last year.

It’s not a must-win. The season doesn’t end with a loss. That’s next week.

It is, however, a must-improve. The offensive line and defensive front aren’t suddenly going to become significantly better, but the missed tackles and dropped passes have to stop. USC is a step down from Oklastanegon, but Arizona will still have to play well to stay in the game on the road.

Go ahead and keep the trick plays handy. Go for two. Anything to keep that fighting spirit alive.

Will Arizona’s 2011 season end like the Oregon game, with the deficit being too great and the Cats ultimately coming up short? That chapter has yet to be written.

But the time for the comeback is right now.

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It has been a month to forget for Arizona Football. For the eighth time in school history the Wildcats played three ranked teams in the same month. They went winless against a ranked trio for the fourth time (2002, 2003, 2005).

The only other time the UA faced a ranked opponent in three consecutive weeks was October 11, 18 and 25 of 1997. The Cats got one win out of that stretch but it was a against an overrated Stanford team that finished 5-6.

No, Arizona has never before had a schedule segment as difficult as No. 7 Oklahoma State, No. 5 Stanford and No. 10 Oregon. The only way to top it would be to play the 2006 LSU game three times in a row.

Speaking of quarterbacks risking bodily harm, I hope Nick Foles has taken out every possible injury insurance policy. The kid took every snap of the Oregon game, threw the ball 57 times and never gave up on a single play. Oregon coach Chip Kelly said he was in awe of Foles. I’m in awe he kept getting up. Foles never shies away from a hit even though his line gives up more sacks than a grocery store.

Breaking tackles, throwing with defensive linemen draped all over him, left-handed passes, Foles has shown he has zero quit in him and will do whatever it takes to win.

We’re now going to find out what percentage of the team can say the same.

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Scott Terrell cannot throw with his left hand. Ambidextrously follow him on Twitter and Facebook.