If Erin Andrews is interviewing Mike Stoops at halftime Saturday, that probably means the Wildcats are winning. Photo by Kirby Lee, US PRESSWIRE

The Arizona Wildcats will get another chance to show off for a national audience Saturday at Stanford, as ABC will televise the game beginning at 5 p.m. Tucson time.

The Wildcats are 15th in the BCS standings; the Cardinal is 13th.

That is one of the biggest matchups of the college football Saturday, the others being a battle of unbeatens — No. 3 TCU at No. 5 Utah — and No. 6 Alabama at No. 10 LSU. (Those are all BCS rankings.)

ABC is sending its announcing A team to the game — play-by-play man Brent Musberger, analyst Kirk Herbstreit and sideline reporter Erin Andrews. (Will Andrews be doing double duty, up early to host the first hour of ESPN’s GameDay show from Salt Lake City and then flying to the Bay Area?)

ABC’s other game in the time slot is Missouri at Texas Tech. The Arizona-Stanford game is expected to reach about 75 percent of the country.

Arizona has appeared on ESPN three times this season (beating Toledo, Iowa and Washington). The Cats have been on FSN (defeating UCLA on Saturday) and Versus twice (losing to Oregon State and winning at Washington State).

For better or worse, more prime exposure is on the way.

The Nov. 13 home game against USC is set for ABC and a 6 p.m. local start. The Wildcats will close the season with two games on ESPN — at Oregon on Nov. 26 (the day after Thanksgiving) and vs. visiting Arizona State on Thursday, Dec. 2.

Arizona is an 8-point underdog to Stanford, which is 7-1 with the only loss coming at Oregon. The Wildcats are 7-1 for the first time since 1998.

Arizona receiver Juron Criner finished with eight catches for 127 yards, including a 41-yard touchdown. Fox Sports Net announcer Petros Papadakis keeps saying that Juron Criner is the best receiver in the Pac-10 right now ... sounds about right.

Arizona’s 29-21 victory against UCLA was uncomfortably close in the fourth quarter, as the Bruins got the ball four times with a chance to take the lead or tie the game.

The Wildcats held on, with a big assist from a fake punt on fourth-and-3 from their 27-yard line with about six minutes left. Linebacker Jake Fischer took a short snap and went up the middle for 29 yards.

That didn’t lead to any points, but Arizona, holding a 26-21 lead, knocked more time off the clock and was able to establish advantageous field position.

Here is a look at the game in pictures. All photos by Kelvin Kuo, US-PRESSWIRE.

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Mike Stoops keeps an eye on his team before the game/Photo by Kelvin Kuo-US PRESSWIRE

Quotes courtesy of the UCLA athletics official web site (follow the link for quotes from Bruins coach Rick Neuheisel.

Arizona head coach Mike Stoops:

(Opening statement): “Obviously a good win — a good team win. Going on the road and winning is a great compliment to our players and our coaches. I thought we played relatively well if you take out a couple of plays defensively. Besides that, we had pretty good control of the game. Offensively I thought we moved the ball well all game. The fourth quarter was a little disappointing. I thought Matt (Scott) was throwing to the right people; he just got a little bit high with the football. We had chances to put the game away. They kept us out of the end zone a big part of the game.”

(On the fake punt): “I thought it was the right time to change the momentum. We thought it was there all day, and they took the bait and doubled our receivers. That’s when you have to call those plays. You have to have enough courage and toughness to make them and execute them. I thought it was big in flipping the field with six minutes left in the game.”

(On Quarterback Matt Scott): “I thought he was really good. I thought Matt played well the whole game. He ran the ball effectively. He made tons of plays throughout the course of the game. They came with a lot of pressure. He did a good job running. He continues to improve and we knew that we could win with Matt.”

Running back Nic Grigsby, being tackled here, suffered a high ankle sprain in the first half and did not return/Photo by Kelvin Kuo, US-PRESSWIRE

It’s over. Arizona wins 29-21, holding off a UCLA threat in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats squander a lot of scoring chances, but moves to 7-1 overall and 4-1 in the Pac-10, which is pretty good.

Matt Scott, mostly brilliant in the first half, is shaky down the stretch. Despite his superior running skills compared to Nick Foles, Foles’ proven late-game ability still makes him the better option.

Anyway, a win is a win, and a loss would have been devastating heading into a furious final month — at Stanford, USC, at Oregon, ASU.

What do you think of the game, the season?

Have your say in the comments section…

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That does it. UCLA QB Richard Brehaut is sacked and fumbles with UCLA offensive lineman Micah Kia making the mistake of trying to pick up the ball, not falling on it. The ball gets kicked around, and UA recovers at the Bruins 24 to seal the game.

* * *

Not over yet, although Alex Zendejas hits a 31-yard field goal attempt to make the score 29-21 with 1:18 left. UCLA is out of timeouts but will get a chance to tie with a touchdown and two-point conversion.

* * *

Ricky Elmore and Lolomana Mikaele come up with a sack of Richard Brehaut on third down. UCLA has to go for it on fourth-and-11 with 2:23 left, and …

a pass over the middle to Taylor Embree is broken up by freshman cornerback Shaquille Richardson.

* * *

Bad time for Matt Scott to take his first sack of the game. Arizona could have at least tried a field goal of about 45 yards, but it has to punt after a 7-yard sack. The punt goes into the end zone, so UCLA takes over at the 20 with 3:14 left to go. Plenty of time left.

* * *

Matt Scott just flat-out misses a third-down throw that would have moved the chains … and, holy cow, a fake punt! Linebacker Jake Fischer takes the short snap on fourth-and-three from the UA 27 with about six minutes left. Gutsy? Brilliant? Stupid? Hey, it worked, as Fischer easily rumbled for 29 yards.

* * *

UCLA reaches the UA 35, but a 9-yard loss on a reverse leads to a punt. With the Bruins having the best placekicker in the country — Kai Forbath — the Wildcats did well to not give up any points in that situation.

* * *

Can’t like the vibe in this game. UCLA’s Taylor Embree fumbles on a punt return, with the ball shooting into the air like it was shot out of a toaster. Of course, the Bruins recover and advance the ball past midfield.

* * *

Important three-and-out for the Arizona defense. Cats in desperate need of a TD and some breathing room.

* * *

Oops. Matt Scott intercepted in the end zone as he tries to hit Juron Criner. That’s two turnovers for Scott deep in UCLA territory. And the game just got a LOT scarier for the Wildcats.

* * *

Cats gets burned on a flea-flicker, with Richard Brehaut going 49 yards to a wide-open Josh Smith to cut the lead to 26-21 early in the fourth quarter. Nervous time for Arizona. Let’s see what Matt Scott is like in the fourth quarter of a close game.

* * *

End of third quarter. Still some football left as the Cats have to make a couple of plays to protect that 26-14 lead, which isn’t big enough considering Arizona has about a 250-yard edge in offense.

* * *

Cats continue to show their depth. Third-string running back Greg Nwoko helps out as Arizona answers UCLA’s touchdown drive with one of its own. Nwoko scores from 1-yard out.

Nwoko had a couple of nice runs and a 13-yard reception on the drive, while second-string quarterback Matt Scott shows more poise, escaping tackles and having the composure to settle down and connect with a receiver down field. Arizona leads 26-14 with 6:45 left in the third quarter.

Running back Nic Grigsby is done for the game because of an ankle injury.

* * *

Arizona let UCLA hang around in the first half, and now the Cats’ defense opens the second half by allowing UCLA to convert a long third down … and then a 68-yard touchdown pass to Randall Carroll, who slipped behind safety Anthony Wilcox. So, it’s 19-14 and it’s game on.

* * *

At halftime, Arizona has five penalties for 39 yards … all on the offense.

* * *

Hmmmm… Cats run the ball with seven seconds left in the half, but Keola Antolin is stopped after a short gain at the UCLA 7. Alex Zendejas comes in to kick a field goal on the last play of the half for a 19-7 lead, which is not indicative of the dominance Arizona has showed.

Arizona hasn’t converted its red-zone chances into enough points, but everything will be fine in the second half if the Cats continue to slow down UCLA’s running game. The Bruins aren’t built to be a big comeback team.

“I think we’re playing well on both sides of the line of scrimmage,” coach Mike Stoops said in the halftime interview on Fox Sports Net. “If we can keep this tempo up, I feel good.”

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Arizona has only been favored twice when lined up against UCLA in the Rose Bowl during the Pac-10 years/Photo by Chris Morrison, US-PRESSWIRE

We don’t typically discuss point spreads here, but we pay attention to them as much as most college football fans, and we’ll go ahead and point out something when it’s historic.

Such as this week’s line in the Arizona-UCLA game.

I can’t take credit for the research — that belongs to the Seattle Times’ Bud Withers, who just happens to keep records on such things — but you can count on one hand the number of times the Wildcats have been favored against USC and UCLA through the Pac-10 years. OK, actually you need just two fingers.

Arizona has never been favored to beat the Trojans in the L.A. Coliseum, and just twice has it been the favorite over the Bruins in the Rose Bowl — in 1999 and 2008, both by three points.

It says something about the state of each program that the Wildcats are as much as a 10-point favorite for Saturday’s game.

Not that it matters much to the Wildcats.

“They have good enough players to beat us, that’s for sure,” said coach Mike Stoops. “We know that. That’s football.”

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Arizona coach Sean Miller and forward Derrick Williams met with the media Thursday at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles./Photo by Kirby Lee, US-PRESSWIRE

The Arizona Wildcats were picked second in the Pac-10 media’s preseason poll, which sounds about right.

There really isn’t much to debate. Washington, which is the defending Pac-10 tournament champ and has four returning starters, is the logical No. 1. Take your pick of reloading superpowers for second: Arizona or UCLA.

The fear with the Wildcats is that new starting point guard MoMo Jones won’t be up to the challenge on a team that has returning starters at every other position. Put me in the camp that isn’t worried … too much. Jones should be fine.

Here are the results of the poll:

1. Washington
2. Arizona
3. UCLA
4. Arizona State
5. Washington State
6. USC
7. Cal
8. Oregon State
9. Stanford
10. Oregon

Via the Pac-10, here are quotes from Arizona coach Sean Miller and sophomore forward Derrick Williams:

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Nick Foles could be back flinging the ball for Arizona as soon as Saturday/Photo by Chris Morrison-US PRESSWIRE

Arizona Wildcats quarterback Nick Foles returned to practice Monday after sitting out all of last week because of a knee injury suffered Oct. 16 at Washington State.

Earlier in the day, coach Mike Stoops said Foles was “questionable” for Saturday’s game at UCLA. The quarterback echoed that sentiment saying he was “day-to-day” … but whether he plays this week or not, it appears a major crisis has been avoided.

Foles feared the worst that night in Pullman as he immediately clutched at his right knee after Washington State’s Travis Long rolled into his leg.

The on-field diagnosis from team doctors was that he would be out 3 to 6 weeks, but it looks as if Foles will beat that, or at least be on the low end of that timetable.

Foles met with the media Monday night after practice — that in itself was a good sign because Stoops does not make injured players available to the media — and below is a transcript of most of what he said.

(Also look for Ryan Finley of the Arizona Daily Star to have more details about Foles’ few days of rehab when he went home to Austin, Texas, last week).

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Eben Britton stepped right into the starting lineup as a rookie last season/Photo by Fernando Medina-US PRESSWIRE

Former Arizona all-conference offensive tackle Eben Britton, the starting right tackle for the Jacksonville Jaguars, will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery.

Britton, who has started 22 games for the Jaguars since being a second-round pick in 2009, suffered a torn right labrum Sunday in the game against Kansas City.

“I dislocated it and I was able to pop it back in on my own. During the two-minute drill at the end of the half, it dislocated completely and I couldn’t get it back in,” Britton said on the team’s official website.

Britton was the 39th overall selection in the 2009 draft, making him the second-highest Arizona player drafted since 2001. There were some lean years for the Wildcats in there, but coach Mike Stoops has turned that around, notably with cornerback Antoine Cason, who was the 27th pick in the 2008 first round.

The Jags still have an active ex-Wildcat — receiver Mike Thomas, also a second-year player. Thomas has team-high 29 catches for 346 yards, but he is still looking for his first touchdown this season.

Will QB Nick Foles be on the move this week?/Photo by Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE

Arizona coach Mike Stoops wasn’t going to, in his words, “tip has hand” about the status of Nick Foles, only calling the quarterback “questionable” for this week’s game at UCLA.

Foles did not play last week against Washington because of a knee injury, although he was active on the sideline, helping and encouraging Matt Scott during the 44-14 victory.

Stoops wants to see what Foles can do in practice this week before he makes any further determination or announcement about the position.

“Certainly a lot has to be determined this week,” Stoops said. “Nick is mending as planned, but his status for this game is questionable at this point.”

Asked what he needs to see from Foles, Stoops said:

“Well, you want him to be healthy and able to protect himself and do all the things he did prior to his injury. That is what you want see — the mobility to protect himself.”

Scott was selected the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Week on Monday, while Arizona linebacker Paul Vassallo was chosen the league’s Defensive Player of the Week. Vassallo had 14 tackles vs. Washington.

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Matt Scott signaled in the Washington game that he could be a good leader, too/Photo by Chris Morrison-US PRESSWIRE

Arizona Wildcats coach Mike Stoops is expected to deliver some news about the status of quarterback Nick Foles’ knee at his weekly news conference last Monday morning.

It was encouraging to see the junior in full uniform Saturday night, jogging around the field and making throws in pregame drills.

And, as a team leader, Foles did plenty of work during the Washington game even if he couldn’t play.

“He was talking to me the whole game,” said Matt Scott, a junior who made a case for continued playing time by completing 18 of 22 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns, also rushing for 65 yards.

“He came up to me after every drive and said, ‘Let’s go, let’s get another one.’ He was really excited. He gave us that competitive edge.”

Said center Colin Baxter on Foles: “He was there, talking to Matt, talking about what they both saw, helping each other out. It was nice to see him there.”

With Foles is an established leader and one of four team captains, offensive players talked after the 44-14 win over Washington about how Scott has matured as a leader, too.

“It’s a very big difference,” said receiver Juron Criner, comparing Scott to last season, when he started the first three games. “He has more confidence and he is more comfortable in what he’s doing. It’s all starting to show.”

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