Cat fans, raise your hand if you think it’s time.
Photo by Rob Schumacher/The Arizona Republic

They say if you want to accomplish things in life you need to write them down and set deadlines. Often those deadlines are just pulled out of thin air. But sometimes your self-imposed due date is based on a narrow window of opportunity.

Mike Stoops, this is your window.

The 2010 Arizona Wildcats absolutely need to have a peak football season. Not from a “Win or else” standpoint but more like: “If not now, when?”

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This is a great day for 90% of the Pac-10.

Pete Carroll is about to ruin his career.

I’ve never understood it. Why do people get tired of being great at something? Why do singers want to be actors and actors want to be singers?

Coaches always talk about wanting a new challenge. You know what’s a challenge? Winning nine Pac-10 games in one year. Winning thirteen straight college football games. Doing it again the following year.

In Carroll’s case people are going to point to the ongoing NCAA investigation. But it’s not like USC is going to get the death penalty. Even with few lost scholarships and some vacated wins Pete Carroll would still land all the top recruits. He would still win most of the Pac-10 titles and remain the king of L.A. football.

Is Bear Bryant considered a wuss because he never coached in the NFL? Why didn’t that John Wooden guy “move up” to the NBA? Becoming a legend is a challenge. Remaining a legend is an even bigger challenge.

The NFL is a completely different animal. Coaches rule in college. Players rule in the pros. Did Bill Belichick become a radically different coach in the time between his stint as a losing coach in Cleveland and his run to three Super Bowls in New England? No, he just went from Vinny Testaverde to Tom Brady.

Did Mike Ditka forget how to coach on his way from the Bears to the Saints? No, he just traded Walter Payton and Jim McMahon for Ricky Williams and two guys named Billy Joe.

In the NFL a superior coach can swing an individual game here or there. But if you’re going to win consistently you need the horses. And when it comes to horses, in college you’re the trainer. In the pros you’re just the jockey.

Carroll supporters will rally around the Jimmy Johnson model. Pete will be heavily involved in personnel decisions just like Jimmy. Paul Allen has more money than Jerry Jones. But the Jimmy Johnson Cowboys were the result of a perfect storm. The Seahawks don’t have Herschel Walker as trade bait. They don’t have the #1 pick in the draft with a future Hall-of-Fame quarterback sitting there. They aren’t building without a salary cap. A man named Moose isn’t involved.

As the head coach at USC you get Parade All-Americans to come backup other Parade All-Americans. In the NFL other teams trade in front of you in the draft or sign away your veterans in free agency.

It’s not a matter of if Pete Carroll will fail in the NFL. It’s a question of which college program will get the next Nick Saban in a few years.

So what does this mean for the Arizona Wildcats?

USC will get another good coach. But it’s not a guarantee they land an elite coach. And even if their next guy is another superstar there’s going to be a couple-year window before he gets up to ramming speed.

Can Mike Stoops and the Wildcats pounce? Can they steal a recruit or two from SC’s current class, a la Sean Miller? Can the UA get enough of a head start with future recruits that the next Kris O’Dowd or Everson Griffen stays in-state? Can we break through to the top of a Carroll-less Pac-10?

I’m not proud. Winning the Pac by beating a weakened USC would be no less sweet than toppling Pete Carroll at the height of his power. After we’ve banked a couple titles we can worry about style points.

I’m not ready to say Mike Stoops has to win the Pac-10 in the next two years or he’s a failure, but a major excuse has been removed. After missing out on opportunities in 2009 it sure would be nice to take advantage of this pleasant turn of events.

This is a great day for the Cats and the other eight teams who have been breathing USC’s exhaust for the past decade. I am grateful for whatever it was that finally pushed Carroll back into the NFL. Ego? Impending sanctions? Mountains of Microsoft money? I thank you all.

But most of all I thank you, Pete. Thanks for no longer being interested in dominating college football. I wish I could wish you a long and successful career but it’s hard to argue with history.

See you again soon.

The Holiday Bowl tickets have been purchased. The time off from work has been secured. The countdown has begun.

Christmas will be coming five days late for Arizona fans this year.

Not only is the Holiday a battle of ranked teams it now features a Heisman Trophy finalist in the Huskers’ Ndamukong Suh. If you get invited to the Downtown Athletic Club as a defensive player it means you’re really, really good. If you’ve got “kong” in your first name you’re a downright monster.

Suh doesn’t have history on his side, however. Did you know that Nebraska has never beaten Arizona? 836 all-time wins and not one against the Wildcats. Of course, the two schools have only played twice. They tied us in 1961 and we beat them in Holiday Bowl, Part I.

The Cats certainly won’t be intimidated. NU will be Arizona’s sixth opponent in the final BCS top 25. The UA is 3-2 against the first five.

With the USC win Mike Stoops continued his streak of beating a team ranked at the time of the game every year. He just took his show on the road this time.

Trevin had an interception and nine tackles. Devin broke up two passes and had nine tackles of his own. I’m going to go out on a limb and say we have the best pair of cornerbacks whose first names rhyme.

This next stat comes from reader wildcatfight83. Here’s the last time each Pac-10 school beat Pete Carroll:

ARIZONA – 2009
Stanford – 2009
Oregon – 2009
Washington – 2009
Oregon State – 2008
UCLA – 2006
Cal – 2003
WSU – 2002
ASU – Never, ever, ever

Ah yes, that glorious victory over Southern California. I can’t get over how quickly things turned around. USC had just taken its first lead. The UA defense was exhausted. You just felt that the Cats were one punt away from having USC punch it in and end the game.

But the next time Keenyn Crier took the field it was to hold for an extra point.

Let’s relive Arizona’s heroic drive, shall we?

1st & 10, ball on the UA 20, 7:13 left in the game
Foles tries to hit David Roberts along the right sideline but Taylor Mays breaks up the pass by almost breaking Roberts.

2nd & 10 – UA 20 – 7:08
Foles attempts a pass to a tightly-covered Juron Criner running a short slant. The game is slipping away fast.

3rd & 10 – UA 20 – 7:04
Sonny Dykes guesses right, the line and receivers execute their blocks and Keola Anolin turns a screen pass into a 13-yard gain and a first down. The huge play that set up the hugest play.

1st & 10 – UA 33 – 6:38
Foles completes an underneath pass to Roberts.

2nd & 7 – UA 36 – 5:59
Terrell Turner runs an end-around to the short side of field. This was Turner’s only touch of the game.

3rd & 2 – UA 41 – 5:15
Foles slides to his right to open a passing lane (no more batted passes!) then fires an 11-yard strike down the middle to Roberts between two defenders. The burliest throw on the drive.

1st & 10 – SC 48 – 4:41
Foles moves left to evade pressure, doesn’t have anyone open and throws it safely into the ground in the general direction of Greg Nwoko.

2nd & 10 – SC 48 – 4:35
USC has 12 men on the field and has to take its final timeout. Thank you kindly!

The Cats run another end-around, again to the right, this time with Criner. Our running receivers do a good job of cutting upfield behind blocks instead of trying to get to the sideline every time.

3rd & 3 – SC 41 – 3:54
Nwoko behind Taimi Tutogi, straight up the middle for five yards. A redshirt freshman behind a true freshman. And the boys shall run like men.

The Cats are now three for three in third-down conversions on the drive. They will not see third down again.

1st & 10 – SC 36 – 3:30
Foles starts under center. He backs into the shotgun and changes the play. He looks to the two receivers on his left and waves his Skywalker. A jolt of anticipation rockets through the crowd.

Nick signals for the snap and quickly turns his shoulders to the left. Is it a short pass to the slot? Taylor Mays runs in for the big hit. No! It’s a fake! The collective breath of the spectators is whisked away!

Foles lofts a fade pass down the left sideline. It hangs in the air like an angel feather on the breeze. Mr. Juron Criner rises up and grasps the ball firmly with both hands. Complete! The Trojan DB fails to push Criner out of bounds. Juron stumbles, straining to maintain his balance. He staggers forward…leaning…lunging…leaping…into the end zone.

TOUCHDOWN, ARIZONA!

The Arizona faithful from sea to shining sea go berserk and ABC commentator Brock Huard asks, “Will that be the drive that gets this program over the hump?”

Only three weeks until Christmas.