2015 Way Too Early Schedule Prediction

[Machina]

9/3 vs UTSA-Win
9/12 @ Nevada-Win
9/19 vs NAU-Win
9/26 vs UCLA-Win
10/3 @ Stanford-Win
10/10 vs Oregon State-Win
10/17 @ Colorado-Win
10/24 vs Washington State-Win
10/31 @ Washington-Loss
11/7 @ USC-Loss
11/14 vs Utah-Win
11/21 @ ASSU-Win

10-2 (7-2) and it is up to tiebreakers for the South

[azthrillhouse]

That's about how I see it when feeling optimistic. Maybe switch UW L with Stanford as I think UW will take a step back w/ their losses on defense and still subpar offense, Stanford maybe finally figured it out toward the end of this year and could be scary again.

That UCLA game will be massive...gotta have it for multiple reasons.

If I was feeling pessimistic, I'd see 5 losses as the realistic floor. Furd, UW, USC, ASU, and either UCLA or a bit-spitting @Nevada or @Rado.

[MrBug708]

I think UCLA will probably continue to be that team that every other school probably thinks is a win on their schedule.

[azcat49]

10 wins upside and 8 wins downside

Key games, USC, UCLA, UDub, ASSU and Furd. Must find 2 wins in those.

[Machina]

I think UCLA will probably continue to be that team that every other school probably thinks is a win on their schedule.

Should I have prefaced it by saying I believe Hundley is leaving and that is why I believe U of A gets the win at home?

[Newportcat]

Wow didn't realize our home schedule was so awful in terms of who we play

We should win every game but fan support could be tougher as outside of UCLA there are no marquee teams

[scumdevils86]

year 4.

win big year per RRod.

The only thing that really concerns me is the massive shake up on the O line. if that can be addressed (I know nothing about what we have for next year in that regard) I think we will still compete for a south title and be in that 9-10 win range again.

[Saint James]

I've learned to not think I know which teams will be tough next season based upon who was lost and who is returning.

I'll beleive we can beat UCLA only after we do it.

I expect Colorado to be much tougher next year.

ASU could be very tough with Bercovici at QB.

I do not believe ANU progressed much--if at all--this year.
Our OL which was supposed to be dominate was dominated by strong DLs.
We need a pass rush.
We need a lot of improvement from our safeties and corners.
We need quality depth at RB
We need recievers that actually run their routes and catch the ball.

Bottomline, we have no idea how good--or bad--the Cats will be next year. Also, our conference schedule will be brutal.

I see the following potential losses:
9/26 vs UCLA
10/3 @ Stanford
10/17 @ Colorado
10/31 @ Washington
11/7 @ USC
11/14 vs Utah
11/21 @ ASSU

That is seven potential losses. so, we shall see.

[ASUHATER!]

No idea. We could be 6-6 next year or 10-2/11-1.

[UAEebs86]

I think UCLA will probably continue to be that team that every other school probably thinks is a win on their schedule.

Well this year 3 of them were right about the team with the QB who was a Heisman candidate, the Butkus award winner, and the overwhelming favorites to win the south.

[CalStateTempe]

What I'm really excited about is I'll be at @Reno, @Furd, and @'SC for games.

Maybe the @ASU game and maybe might make this trip for fUCLA.

That is a good year for me!

[dmjcat]

Wayyyyyyyy too many unknowns to accurately forecast at this point (e.g, Is Fotu the next Louis Holmes? Will Tagaloa be able to pass block? (he couldn't at Cal which resulted in him being demoted to 2nd team on a really bad Cal roster), Will Marcus Griffin finally give us a dominating nose tackle?, Will Reggie Gilbert get another year of eligibility?, Who replaces Gurrola?, Will we ever find two PAC12 level DB's?..............and thats not even counting our opposition (who replaces Hundley at UCLA?, Can Bercovici replace TK effectively?, etc. etc. etc).

That said here goes:

9/3 vs UTSA-Win
9/12 @ Nevada-Win
9/19 vs NAU-Win
9/26 vs UCLA-Loss.......this is the biggest game on our schedule this year. We lost the last two years because we were beaten in the trenches. With 3 new OLineman and 2 new DT's (assuming Gilbert doesn't return) I'm not optimistic about winning the LOS battle this year
10/3 @ Stanford-Loss (see above)
10/10 vs Oregon State-Win
10/17 @ Colorado-Win
10/24 vs Washington State-Win
10/31 @ Washington-Loss
11/7 @ USC-Loss
11/14 vs Utah-Win
11/21 @ ASSU-Loss

7-5

[MrBug708]

I think UCLA will probably continue to be that team that every other school probably thinks is a win on their schedule.

Should I have prefaced it by saying I believe Hundley is leaving and that is why I believe U of A gets the win at home?

I get it, but Arizona has lost all three years to Brett Hundley because of UCLA's defense, not the offense.

[catinfl]

I think UCLA will probably continue to be that team that every other school probably thinks is a win on their schedule.

Should I have prefaced it by saying I believe Hundley is leaving and that is why I believe U of A gets the win at home?

I get it, but Arizona has lost all three years to Brett Hundley because of UCLA's defense, not the offense.

To be fair we lost this year without Nick Wilson (he played a little bit, but was clearly still hurt) which is big and in 2013 Myles Jack ran all over us and that was the main reason we lost not because of UCLA's defense. I get your point though, but we're at home this year and will be with a 2nd year starting QB & RB. Game could go either way, but I give us the way to early advantage for being at home

[dc4azcats]

I think UCLA will probably continue to be that team that every other school probably thinks is a win on their schedule.

Should I have prefaced it by saying I believe Hundley is leaving and that is why I believe U of A gets the win at home?

I get it, but Arizona has lost all three years to Brett Hundley because of UCLA's defense, not the offense.

The Ucla game is all about the black face paint. I'm sure ucla fans are wondering why the coaching staff didn't bust it out for the Stanford game?

[dc4azcats]

Wayyyyyyyy too many unknowns to accurately forecast at this point (e.g, Is Fotu the next Louis Holmes? Will Tagaloa be able to pass block? (he couldn't at Cal which resulted in him being demoted to 2nd team on a really bad Cal roster), Will Marcus Griffin finally give us a dominating nose tackle?, Will Reggie Gilbert get another year of eligibility?, Who replaces Gurrola?, Will we ever find two PAC12 level DB's?..............and thats not even counting our opposition (who replaces Hundley at UCLA?, Can Bercovici replace TK effectively?, etc. etc. etc).

That said here goes:

9/3 vs UTSA-Win
9/12 @ Nevada-Win
9/19 vs NAU-Win
9/26 vs UCLA-Loss.......this is the biggest game on our schedule this year. We lost the last two years because we were beaten in the trenches. With 3 new OLineman and 2 new DT's (assuming Gilbert doesn't return) I'm not optimistic about winning the LOS battle this year
10/3 @ Stanford-Loss (see above)
10/10 vs Oregon State-Win
10/17 @ Colorado-Win
10/24 vs Washington State-Win
10/31 @ Washington-Loss
11/7 @ USC-Loss
11/14 vs Utah-Win
11/21 @ ASSU-Loss

7-5

You couldn't accurately forecast last season and you had all of the Spring and Fall camp before you had us at 7 wins. Now you claim it's to early yet you still have us at 7 wins?

[MrBug708]

I think UCLA will probably continue to be that team that every other school probably thinks is a win on their schedule.

Should I have prefaced it by saying I believe Hundley is leaving and that is why I believe U of A gets the win at home?

I get it, but Arizona has lost all three years to Brett Hundley because of UCLA's defense, not the offense.

The Ucla game is all about the black face paint. I'm sure ucla fans are wondering why the coaching staff didn't bust it out for the Stanford game?

We save it for the true rivals

[dc4azcats]

I've learned to not think I know which teams will be tough next season based upon who was lost and who is returning.

I'll beleive we can beat UCLA only after we do it.

I expect Colorado to be much tougher next year.

ASU could be very tough with Bercovici at QB.

I do not believe ANU progressed much--if at all--this year.
Our OL which was supposed to be dominate was dominated by strong DLs.
We need a pass rush.
We need a lot of improvement from our safeties and corners.
We need quality depth at RB
We need recievers that actually run their routes and catch the ball.

Bottomline, we have no idea how good--or bad--the Cats will be next year. Also, our conference schedule will be brutal.

I see the following potential losses:
9/26 vs UCLA
10/3 @ Stanford
10/17 @ Colorado
10/31 @ Washington
11/7 @ USC
11/14 vs Utah
11/21 @ ASSU

That is seven potential losses. so, we shall see.

I love the Anu comment? He threw for close to 3800 yards, 58% completion rate, 28 TDs and 9 ints. For a RS frosh were you expecting better numbers?

Our OL helped us finish 4th in the conference in rushing. Which is interesting as I think it could've been higher if Nick Wilson and Anu had been healthier. We gave up more sacks in comparison to last 2 years but a lot of that has to do with Anu and not our OL. Which DL's dominated us? Utah? We rushed for 299 yards. SC? We didn't have Nick Wilson and thus Anu was forced to throw for 395 yards. UW certainly but Nick Wilson still had 104 yards rushing. Assu? Nick Wilson rushed for 178 yards.

UW certainly made it difficult but they also made it difficult for almost everybody as their DL was that good.

We lose Baucus and Ebelle at the tackle spots and Gurrola at center. We get Tagaloa who's a beast and has started numerous games for Cal before transferring to Arizona. Maiva who has played a ton at the tackle and guard spot could play at the other tackle spot and then you have Bundage and Alsadek at the guards spot with Walton at the center position. Poland is an absolute beast and should be in the rotation.

We need a pass rush? We had 37 sacks this past season which put us 5th in the conference where we trailed Assu by 2 and Stanford by 3. Scooby had 14 sacks and last I checked he was coming back. We made a big jump in sacks from 2013 to 14 and that was due in large part to Scooby but also guys understanding the nuances of the 3-3-5 and we blitzed from everywhere. I think we will improve upon that number next season.

Time will tell but I like who we have coming back and who we have coming in next year in the D backfield. We have some size and speed, not to mention versatility. Loved the heart of Tevis but he couldn't cover anybody 3 yards or more off the LOS. Grandon came on strong at the end of the season with some timely int's but for the most part he seemed to be out of position a lot at the safety position. I think Magilore and Cruikshank are an upgrade and I think they have the size and speed that we've been lacking from the safety position. Catinfl mentioned that Magilore could move around and possibly play the spur and the key there is he has coverahe skills which allow for even more flexibility in blitzes. When you have both corners plus the safeties and then throw in the spur as a cover guy as well, you open up a ton of potential blitzes. Tevis couldn't cover anybody so it wasn't difficult to know that he was blitzing. We got a glimpse of what this D can do in regards to blitzing the QB - it's only going to improve with more speed and bigger safeties.

Definitely agree on depth at RB but at the same time you will have Nick Wilson go through a year of S&C that will help him tremendously. He runs hard but he didn't have near the strength in his upper body that KaDeem had. I think that will help him as far as his health and durability go next season. Wouldn't be surprised if Randall emerges as an option at the RB position as he is to valuable to just let him sit on the bench. Haden sat out this past season and I think he will be an option as well.

Anu threw for close to 3,800 yards which says a lot when you consider that at multiple times we had guys out for numerous reasons TY. Not to mention guys getting on the same page since a starter wasn't named until the week of the first game. I don't think that will be the case TY. I also believe that Anu is a team leader and much like Matt Scott did his senior season it will only help in regards to the connection the QB and WR's need to have. It's Anu's job over the next 8 months to make sure he and the WR's are always on the same page. It will be interesting to see how that progression plays out.

I know it's tough to win on the road but we went 4-1 this past season in true road games. RR has gone 8-7 on the road in the 3 seasons he's been here.


9/3 vs UTSA-Win
9/12 @ Nevada-Win
9/19 vs NAU-Win
9/26 vs UCLA- starting a new QB. Kind of a big deal. Kendricks is gone which is also a big deal. I like the fact that we get them early in the season, especially after a game like NAU. It's not a bye week but it might as well be. Ucla open at home vs Virginia, @unlv and the BYU at home before coming to Tucson. My guess is the stadium will be rocking for this game and the Cats play well.
10/3 @ Stanford- Last time we played Stanford we hung a 48 spot on them. If we beat Ucla this could be a hangover game but at the same time it's not a tough environment to play in. Stanford has no gimmes early on as it plays at Northwestern, Central Florida, @USC, and @ntOSU before facing Arizona at home. When Stanford was really good we put up a 48 spot. Much like with Utah I think RR knows how to scheme against Stanford and be successful.
10/10 vs Oregon State-Win
10/17 @ Colorado-Win
10/24 vs Washington State-Win
10/31 @ Washington- Win Not impressed with UW TY and UW has a huge game vs Stanford the week before they play Arizona. UW loses a lot from it's D including 3 of its starting 4 along the DL and 2 of 3 LB's (I'm assuming Shaq Thompson turns pro).
11/7 @ USC- It will be interesting to see where SC sits before they play Arizona. Meaning whether SC is still in the hunt or not. We've played them tough all 3 years that RR has been here and I think TY won't be any different.
11/14 vs Utah-Win Back end of back to back road games in never easy. Not to mention that RR seems to have Utah's number. Will be interesting to see what Whittingham does with his coaching staff as he lost his OC which will make it 3 straight years with a different OC.
11/21 @ ASSU-Win We were the better team TY and I think the same will be true next year. I'm not seeing anything that would change that. Assu losing Strong is a big deal and Berco is that guy who thinks he can put the ball anywhere which almost always leads to a pic or two.

I think 10 wins is possible at first glance. Will see how things play out over the next 7 months going into Fall camp.

[Chicat]

Wayyyyyyyy too many unknowns to accurately forecast at this point (e.g, Is Fotu the next Louis Holmes? Will Tagaloa be able to pass block? (he couldn't at Cal which resulted in him being demoted to 2nd team on a really bad Cal roster), Will Marcus Griffin finally give us a dominating nose tackle?, Will Reggie Gilbert get another year of eligibility?, Who replaces Gurrola?, Will we ever find two PAC12 level DB's?..............and thats not even counting our opposition (who replaces Hundley at UCLA?, Can Bercovici replace TK effectively?, etc. etc. etc).

That said here goes:

9/3 vs UTSA-Win
9/12 @ Nevada-Win
9/19 vs NAU-Win
9/26 vs UCLA-Loss.......this is the biggest game on our schedule this year. We lost the last two years because we were beaten in the trenches. With 3 new OLineman and 2 new DT's (assuming Gilbert doesn't return) I'm not optimistic about winning the LOS battle this year
10/3 @ Stanford-Loss (see above)
10/10 vs Oregon State-Win
10/17 @ Colorado-Win
10/24 vs Washington State-Win
10/31 @ Washington-Loss
11/7 @ USC-Loss
11/14 vs Utah-Win
11/21 @ ASSU-Loss

7-5

You couldn't accurately forecast last season and you had all of the Spring and Fall camp before you had us at 7 wins. Now you claim it's to early yet you still have us at 7 wins?

According to dmj this was a 7 win season. See below:

This was a 7-5 UA team which caught two incredibly lucky breaks against Cal/UW and then had the football Gods smile on the UA when they played Oregons 2nd team offensive line in the game at Autzen............just don't tell dc4azcats that!

See? He was right all along.

[catinfl]

Saw this a few times in this thread but Haden didn't sit out this year. He's a slot receiver and got a lot of PT on special teams

[ASUHATER!]

This 12 straight games with no bye is ridiculous. At least put the assu game at the normal time the day after thanksgiving on Friday November 27 and a bye the week before. The team will be beat up and gassed by that final stretch of @Washington, @usc, utah, @assu(could be facing 3-4 ranked teams there). Could cost us a win or two and be the difference between a 7-8 win season and a 9-10 win season.

9/3 vs UTSA-Win
9/12 @ Nevada-Win
9/19 vs NAU-Win
9/26 vs UCLA-tossup
10/3 @ Stanford-Loss
10/10 vs Oregon State-Win
10/17 @ Colorado-Win
10/24 vs Washington State-Win
10/31 @ Washington-Loss
11/7 @ USC-Loss
11/14 vs Utah-tossup
11/21 @ ASSU-Win

8-4 with us going 1-1 in the toss ups. Play in the sun bowl.

[UALoco]

I first posted this on 9/17/2014 when the schedule first came out and I'll stick to it.

I'll look at our schedule against ASU's...after I drink some Red and Blue kool-aid.

09/03 USTA(Thursday)- WIN - USTA won't be as good next year as they are this year and we've seen this matchup. This really game really does nothing for us. On *Saturday* 9/5, ASU plays Texas A&M in Houston - a premier team from a premier conference. Even if they lose, as long as they play well and aren't killed, they come out ok.

09/12 at Nevada -WIN - Third time playing Nevada in 4 years. Cody Fajardo is gone, Nevada likely wont be as good either but still will be decent but we win going away. ASU plays Cal Poly...who knew they had a team.

09/19 NAU -WIN- They say these "in state" matchups are good for the state. It should be a snooze fest for us but we should be 3 and 0...again. ASU plays New Mexico and should win again. They will be 2-1.

09/26 UCLA -WIN- This will be the best home game of the year. Should be a sell out. UCLA probably loses Hundley who doesn't want to risk another injury and skips to the league. At this point in the season UCLA has played Virginia, @UNLV, and BYU. BYU will be a tough game and UCLA could lose that one. Either way, UA is coming off the easy NAU game should be positioned nicely to get a win at home against the banged-up Bruins. I'll take Arizona who will be 4 - 0. ASU hosts USC at home. Cody Kessler should be back for one more year. USC scholarship restrictions are over and depth won't be an issue this early in the season. ASU lose and go 2 - 2.

10/03 at Stanford -LOSS- I might try to make the trip. I imagine it will be easy enough to get tickets. Hogan is gone after completing his Senior year. Stanford is coming off of games against USC and @Oregon State and might be looking past UA seeing that they play UCLA next (after a bye though). We will be a little banged up because we don't get the luxury of a bye and we get our first loss. Record: 4 -1. ASU is at UCLA and pulls it out. They are 3 - 2.

10/10 Oregon State -WIN- After coming off a loss, the fair weather Tucson fans won't show up for this one. OSU has beaten UA 12 out of the last 14 matchups including the last 3 in a row. At first I was thinking that I wouldn't want to make the trip for this game but I think I might have to because Arizona has a good chance to win it...and does. Record: 5 - 1. ASU hosts Colorado and wins. They are 4 - 2.

10/17 at Colorado - WIN- Arizona wins, but not by that much. The lack of a bye week is really taking its toll and it is cold as hell in Boulder. We are a shaky 6 - 1. ASU is at Utah...this is a toss-up as they are both coming off of relatively easy wins. Let's say ASU wins and is 5 - 2.

10/24 Washington State -LOSS- This game screams "trap game." Arizona will be looking ahead to game at UW. Injuries have stacked up. WSU wins. Arizona is 6 - 2. ASU has a freakin' BYE. Who do you have to bl@w to get a bye these days?

10/31 at Washington -WIN- Peterson has his system in place but with mediocre recruits. Arizona had this one circled on the calendar since losing to Stanford. Arizona wins, is 7 - 2, and sets up nicely for a showdown with USC in LA. ASU hosts Oregon on Thursday. Marriota is in the NFL but Oregon figures out a way to make a name for the next 6'4" phenom with a 4.2 forty and can sling the ball like a mutha-effer. ASU shits the bed and is now 5 - 3.

11/07 at USC - WIN - It is now or never for Arizona. USC is strong but might struggle late in the season with depth issues...problem is that they are coming off easy wins at Utah and at home against Cal. It is also their homecoming game with Marcus Allen, Will Ferrell, and of course Matt Leinart on the sideline and creeping out the coeds. It is tough to predict this one but I am going to say that Arizona pulls it out because Anu and Nick Wilson (and most everyone else on the roster) will make it their personal mission to penalize USC for not recruiting them. Arizona is a phenomenal 8 - 2. ASU beats WSU in Pullamn and is 7 - 3.

11/14 Utah - WIN - I'm tired. Arizona wins. 9 - 2. ASU hosts Washington and gets the upset. 8 - 3.

11/21 at asu - WIN- ASU wants to get revenge after losing to Arizona in 2014. Arizona starts a new "streak" and wins. Arizona is 10 - 2 and will go to the Pac12 championship game. ASU is 8 - 4.

Will lose in the Pac12 championship game against Stanford or Oregon and will finish 10 - 3. LOSS

We will forget how crappy the home schedule was and renew our season tickets.

[azpenguin]

UTSA - win. Opening game, and they're going to come out and put on a show.
Nevada - win. RichRod likes to get the team out on these early roadies, out of their home comforts and into an environment that they can focus on just football.
NAU - win. Solomon sits for the second half since the game is well in hand.
UCLA - win. Circle this one. The Cats are going to let loose the Kraken on UCLA.
Stanford - win. Cats hit their stride and tempo starts wearing down 'Furd in the second half. Basically Autzen '14 all over again for the Cats.
Oregon State - win. Mike Riley had Arizona's number. Gary Anderson is going to have his hands full in his first year in the Pac.
Colorado - loss. The cold isn't a factor (AZ has played well in cold temps) but an improving Buffs team gets that "bust down the door" win they've been needing.
Washington State - win. Run game is clicking, Falk flicks a couple of picks, and the Pirate gets plundered.
Washington - loss. Arizona hasn't won there since 2007. Close game but UW wins.
USC - win. Arizona won't make the same mistakes twice and Leonard Williams is gone.
Utah - win. They've lost their coordinators and they're going to struggle to get their footing next year.
ASU - win. Sun Devil Stadium is our house.

7-2 in the Pac and 10-2 overall. South champs again. The football gods smile on AZ and they win the Pac-12 title game... and then they say "OK, just kidding" and AZ gets left out of the playoff with two losses. Return to the Fiesta.

[splitsecond]

15-0. Fuck the haters.

[dmjcat]

Fox Sports article UA's 2015 team:

http://www.foxsports.com/arizona/story/ ... ine-010615

[Good For You]

No freakin Idea. My thoughts:

- Looking at the schedule as a whole I say 6 likely wins (Home Games), 4 50/50s (@Nev, @Colorado, @Stanford, @asu), and 2 likely losses (@Wash, @USC).

- I believe we continue on an upward trajectory, yet probably won't duplicate or exceed the 10 wins we had this year. I enjoyed the 10 wins this year but am of the belief that it was somewhat of a smoke and mirrors type of season. We got the results in spite of some significant flaws. We lived on the edge and got away with it more often than not.

- What I want to see to reinforce this belief is simply more consistency. Can't get beat soundly for 3 quarters and depend on a miracle comeback. Can't get virtually shut out offensively out of the blue. Can't come out flat period on either side of the ball. No Cal, UCLA, Oregon pt 2, & Boise games. And we need to match up better physically against the LA schools.

- While I'm excited about the defensive line and of course Scooby, I think our defense as a whole will be about the same and continue to be about the same for the foreseeable future until I see an uptick in recruiting.

- Offensively I believe we will always have a stockpile of interchangeable skill position players as we had this past season. There are 2 positions that essentially matter for us. The overwhelming #1 is QB. Can he make the right reads? Can he run effectively? Can he take care of the ball? Seriously, we just went 0 for 3 in the bowl game and still had a chance. Just 1 for 3 and we get the W (turnovers). That and the O-Line. With all the experience we had at O-Line this year I was disappointed in our performance. The QB needs time to make those reads and I'd be curious what the opinion is internally in that regard. Did we have a QB problem or did we have an O-Line problem this year?

- So 8 wins with more consistent play across the board is what I predict. That being said, if we get significantly improved decision making from the QB position so that our offense is more 'machine' and less 'semi-effective chaos' then all bets are off. The 2nd half of Oregon pt 1. That was a machine. More of that and less UCLA please.

[3goggles]

So how did the DL Griffin come along during his redshirt season?

[azthrillhouse]

and 2 likely losses (@Wash, @USC).

I understand that Seattle can be a tough place to play, I am not calling UW a "gimme", but.....they lose their entire front 7 on Defense and will have either the clearly mediocre (at best) Cyler Miles or a true freshman Jake Browning at QB. I think (hope) they're really going to struggle.

Obviously the crystal ball is distorted this far out, but I don't see UW as particularly threatening.

[gumby]

No. 15 here, behind Stanford, Oregon and ASU.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nc ... /21517063/

[Irish27]

Here is an early top-25 for 2015.
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootbal ... f-for-2015

[Irish27]

ESPN's early top-25 for 2015.
http://espn.go.com/college-football/sto ... 5-rankings

[CatsbyAZ]

ESPN's early top-25 for 2015.
http://espn.go.com/college-football/sto ... 5-rankings

Made it to about the 7-15 range and realized this premature ranking is total crap.

edit: Will elaborate.

Too high -
#4 USC - Right off the bat this is a joke. No pass rush, depth problems continuing, etc. 2012 season all over again.
#5 Oregon - Again, waaaay too high with losing Mariota and replacing all the key defensive contributors and some major figures across the OL.
#13 Arizona - Expecting more of a #20-25 team
#16 Wisconsin - Again, waaay to high. QB issues lingering, no more Melvin Gordon, no front seven and depth issues on the defense. Shouldn't be ranked.

Too low, or should be ranked -
#10 Alabama - Not expecting much of a dropoff from the replacements taking over for some big losses.
#12 ND - Granted Coach Kelly's stubbornness costs them games but there's enough talent to break the top 5.
#15 ASU - Going to get dumped on for saying this, but with Bercovici gaining experience and the defense making surprising strides I could see ASU camping out in the 5-10 range. Let's not forget they reached as high as 6th with that inexperienced D and QB injury issues.
#23 - Tennessee - Schedule isn't that bad, played great at the end of the year, and return all the major contributors.
Michigan - Harbaugh will have these guys toughened up and ready to go. Hoke recruited well and there's a lot to work with.
Missouri - not sure why they won't be in the hunt for another division title.
South Carolina - If defense gets sorted out they'll break the top 25.

[CatsbyAZ]

9/3 vs UTSA-Win
9/12 @ Nevada-Win
9/19 vs NAU-Win
9/26 vs UCLA-Win
10/3 @ Stanford-Win
10/10 vs Oregon State-Win
10/17 @ Colorado-Win
10/24 vs Washington State-Win
10/31 @ Washington-Loss
11/7 @ USC-Loss
11/14 vs Utah-Win
11/21 @ ASSU-Win

10-2 (7-2) and it is up to tiebreakers for the South

Breaking the schedule into three smaller seasons:

First 5 - 4-1 would be great, probably 3-2
6,7,8,9 - 4-0 possible, but will take 3-1
10,11,12 - 2-1 also great, unfortunately could easily end up 1-2

10-2 at very best, 7-5/8-4 is more likely.

[ANGCatFan]

Here are the Arizona blurbs on our preseason rankings from the links above.

From the ESPN Blog:



From USA Today:

15. Arizona (10-4)

Why No. 15? Because the Wildcats return the heart of a team that won the Pac-12 South. There might be some competition at quarterback, but look for sophomore Anu Solomon to hold onto his starting job. He'll be joined by sophomore running back Nick Wilson and a gifted crop of receivers, though the Wildcats need stronger play up front. The defense might remain too spotty in the secondary to survive the regular season unscathed, but Arizona's progression under Rich Rodriguez paints a rosy picture for this program's future.

From CBS:

[ANGCatFan]

ESPN blog on the pac 12 south race for next year. An excerpt.

(@ChantelJennings): I think it's a two-dog race between Arizona and USC. Both return a lot of talent, but if I must choose between the two I think I'm going to go with USC because you've got a more experienced quarterback running the show. I think Anu Solomon is going to make big strides between Year 1 and Year 2, but I think Cody Kessler is going to have a fire lit under him by all the young QB talent and show up. Plus, I think running back Justin Davis and wide receiver JuJu Smith will have breakout years. Defensively, there's a lot to replace as well, but I think it'll be more reloading than rebuilding and in Steve Sarkisian's second year big things will happen.

[Dkenner]

Wow didn't realize our home schedule was so awful in terms of who we play

We should win every game but fan support could be tougher as outside of UCLA there are no marquee teams

agreed, I was looking to come to a late season home game

[ANGCatFan]

Wilner also predicts the Wildcats to finish 2nd behind USC in the south. If he keeps this up Wilner is going to be kicked out of the He-Man Wildcat Haters Club.

2. Arizona: The ’14 success wasn’t a fluke. Anu Solomon should be better, the defense should be just as good, if not better, and the skill talent is considerable with Nick Wilson, Cayleb Jones, etc. Now, if RichRod could just figure out how to beat UCLA …

[azthrillhouse]

Wilner also predicts the Wildcats to finish 2nd behind USC in the south. If he keeps this up Wilner is going to be kicked out of the He-Man Wildcat Haters Club.

2. Arizona: The ’14 success wasn’t a fluke. Anu Solomon should be better, the defense should be just as good, if not better, and the skill talent is considerable with Nick Wilson, Cayleb Jones, etc. Now, if RichRod could just figure out how to beat UCLA …

There's a lot of fail in that column....both from the analysis (see: UW) and typos (see: ASU).

I'm going to assume that his ranking of Arizona that high is some sort of reverse troll job.