No Bye Week

Newportcat · Post by **Newportcat** » Sat Apr 25, 2015 10:13 am

Can someone explain to me how this even happened

I think that is a major potential issue for us and never heard a team not having one

CalStateTempe · Post by **CalStateTempe** » Sat Apr 25, 2015 11:06 am

Larry scott

Merkin · Post by **Merkin** » Sat Apr 25, 2015 11:24 am

Someone said it was due to the traditional PAC rivalries with Notre Dame and such scheduling, and every team has to rotate through not getting a buy week.

azcat49 · Post by **azcat49** » Sat Apr 25, 2015 11:36 am

What CST said. It's so each school can get that ficticious 20m added to their budget from the channel.

Trust me it didn't come remotely close to that and many of the AD's including ours is not happy being sold a bag of magic beans. Scott will need to partner with Fox or ESPN to offset costs and add revenue.

He is corrupt and I am glad I told him that to his face in Vegas. Lavish himself and his cronies while doing jackshit.

BMalo · Post by **BMalo** » Sat Apr 25, 2015 4:13 pm

I think it'll end up being an issue from an injury standpoint. I can't remember another team in recent years not getting a bye during the season. I also don't pay too much attention to other schools schedules.

Gladiator Cat · Post by **Gladiator Cat** » Sat Apr 25, 2015 5:14 pm

Its far worse than most of you think.

There are 4 teams that don't just get a bye week, there are 4 teams that get 2 bye weeks or a combo of a full bye with a 9 day break as well.

Of course the jack-offs at USC, as if they already don't have a big advantage over everyone else get the 2 full byes before all of the really big games.

OSU will have their bye before they play us.

I don't give a flying crap that this may effect everyone at some time, this is a clear violation of fairness and equal treatment.

Whoever signed off on one school not getting the same equal break as all other member's in the conference throughout a brutal, punishing 12/13 game PAC-12 gauntlet should be run the fuck out of town on a rail without so much as a penny in compensation.

This can only be classified as managerial/scheduling incompetence at the top of the conference food-chain.

azcat49 · Post by **azcat49** » Sat Apr 25, 2015 5:33 pm

Well when you want the LA schools in the game to raise ratings you will do what you have to when you are Larry corrupt Scott

CalStateTempe · Post by **CalStateTempe** » Sat Apr 25, 2015 5:51 pm

Mafia Boss.

Pac-12 legitimacy at stake, doubt Wilner will do the article through

ghostwhitehorse · Post by **ghostwhitehorse** » Sat Apr 25, 2015 7:27 pm

CalStateTempe wrote:Mafia Boss.

Pac-12 legitimacy at stake, doubt Wilner will do the article through

Might want to poke Ted Miller about this. . . his biases trend in our favor.

Chicat · Post by **Chicat** » Sat Apr 25, 2015 8:26 pm

No matter what happens this season you have to frame it in the narrative that whatever this team ends up doing will either be in spite of or because of the scheduling disadvantage.

Frankly, it's a steaming pile of warmed up dogshit.

catgrad97 · Post by **catgrad97** » Sat Apr 25, 2015 9:13 pm

This is where I draw the line on my love of college sports.

Conference commissioners like Scott are getting so corrupt with scheduling manipulation that it's approaching exploitation. Of course sh*t like no bye week never happens in the pros because there are strong unions involved.

But hey, let's abet a few traditional powers, our closest friends, at the expense of fair play and competition. See how fast Mark Emmert stops invoking amateurism when somebody brings this to his attention.

Sage&Silver · Post by **Sage&Silver** » Sun Apr 26, 2015 1:23 am

Larry Scott is NOT Doctor Claw. You all are fucking insane.

Arizona had Turkey day bye weeks before the dark lord ever entered the college game.

Focus the tin foil conspiracy theories on OOC football schedules being set eight or ten years out.

PS. Chicat has got one thing right. If Arizona doesn't win the national championship I too will be blaming it on the week 13 bye.

I mean mo other reasoning even comes close to making sense.

Good For You · Post by **Good For You** » Sun Apr 26, 2015 7:24 am

Last season we had two bye weeks and a nine day week as well. We also had two six day weeks but so did our opponent those weeks.

MrBug708 · Post by **MrBug708** » Sun Apr 26, 2015 7:33 am

Newportcat wrote:Can someone explain to me how this even happened

I think that is a major potential issue for us and never heard a team not having one

Ucla had one a few years ago. Not common to happen but not unheard of

TheGreatCatsby · Post by **TheGreatCatsby** » Sun Apr 26, 2015 5:56 pm

Not gonna happen, but in week 6 or 7, home vs. osu or week 7 at Colorado, treat one of those weeks like a bye week, take time off during week for everyone (extremely light practice schedule), play starters only one half or combination total, use massive sub rotation and use the whole available bench to make it as good as a bye week as you can.....sure the risk of losing increases that week, but maybe the line of thinking it is keeps you healthier to play the rest of the schedule coming up, instead of being at half strength/more injured in every game for the last 5-6 weeks. It's like playing chicken; risk losing one game you could have won, to try and have a better shot at winning the next 5-6, or increase your chances of success in those games having fewer players injured.

Funny that the sport is in jeopardy of eventually being legislated out of existence some day due to injury and head trauma, and the one minimal thing to help the athletes recover, a bye week, has been completely eliminated from our schedule, raising the risk of all those injuries. Feels like the administrators are living in the dark ages on this issue.

azthrillhouse · Post by **azthrillhouse** » Sun Apr 26, 2015 9:01 pm

Lemons out of lemonade:

1) We will not have a week without football to watch
2) The ASU game will be before Thanksgiving, allowing for better tailgating preparation and gluttony & more ASU co-eds on campus to ogle.
3) We have a bye week before we take on Oregon in the Pac12 championship.

jimson · Post by **jimson** » Sun Apr 26, 2015 9:54 pm

azthrillhouse wrote: more ASU co-eds on campus to ogle.

Oh Christ... better wear latex sunglasses.

azgreg · Post by **azgreg** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 6:55 am

jimson wrote:
azthrillhouse wrote: more ASU co-eds on campus to ogle.
Oh Christ... better wear latex sunglasses.

Merkin · Post by **Merkin** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 2:01 pm

Bye weeks are overrated, although having a week to rest up is nice.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB100014240 ... 3637891028

Since 2002, teams in the six major conferences have a .480 winning percentage in conference games following a bye.

CONFERENCE POST-BYE RECORD PCT.
Big 12 53-49 .520
Pac-10 56-56 .500
Southeastern 53-53 .500
Atlantic Coast* 51-56 .477
Big East* 29-35 .453
Big Ten 17-32 .347
TOTAL 259-281 .480

azgreg · Post by **azgreg** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 2:35 pm

Good stuff Merk. My guess is the kids want to play every week. However, a bye is nice when you have a number of kids banged up.

Fendicent4ever · Post by **Fendicent4ever** » Mon Apr 27, 2015 7:54 pm

As long as Nicks' head is good to go (which big picture has little to do with bye weeks), and Baker/'Lando/Haden bring the wood, I'm not sweating the lack of a bye.

Momentum is huge and having that buy-in every week could be a blessing this season.

RazorsEdgeAZ · Post by **RazorsEdgeAZ** » Thu Apr 30, 2015 3:08 pm

Gladiator Cat · Post by **Gladiator Cat** » Thu Apr 30, 2015 3:40 pm

Look I get it that there is nothing that we can do about not getting any rest during the year and receive no bye week. Them's the breaks. Arizona is the team that has to take it on the chin this year. Who knows what the end result will be.

But can we please stop with the nonsensical rationalization that its a positive when its not. Its complete BS on every level to try to convince everyone that the team and coaches don't want a bye week during the year. They damn sure do and would take one in a heartbeat.

There is not one damn team on the globe, muchless in the PAC12 Conference that would give up one of their bye weeks. Not today and not ever.

So lets cut the crap, a bye week is huge during a brutal 13 game schedule like the PAC12 and anyone who's lucky enough to have a bye week, as in the other 11 teams is damn sure glad that they have one to use.

azcat49 · Post by **azcat49** » Thu Apr 30, 2015 6:34 pm

It's bullshit and we got bent over plain and simple. If it is a 13 week season how is it we could not have a couple of Thursday games to give us some longs weeks into that next game.

Larry bitch Scott Is the reason. Corrupt and just hates it that AZ won the south and the bball title. Please come again to Tucson and get boo ' ed loudly

dc4azcats · Post by **dc4azcats** » Thu Apr 30, 2015 10:50 pm

Gladiator Cat wrote:Look I get it that there is nothing that we can do about not getting any rest during the year and receive no bye week. Them's the breaks. Arizona is the team that has to take it on the chin this year. Who knows what the end result will be.

But can we please stop with the nonsensical rationalization that its a positive when its not. Its complete BS on every level to try to convince everyone that the team and coaches don't want a bye week during the year. They damn sure do and would take one in a heartbeat.

There is not one damn team on the globe, muchless in the PAC12 Conference that would give up one of their bye weeks. Not today and not ever.

So lets cut the crap, a bye week is huge during a brutal 13 game schedule like the PAC12 and anyone who's lucky enough to have a bye week, as in the other 11 teams is damn sure glad that they have one to use.

It's not a positive, but at least RR and company have time to prepare for it. Lots of kids will play early in the first 3 games and I think RR will put his foot on the gas early if at all possible. Last year as an example, we certainly had our chances to put a lot of points on the board against Unlv early and didn't. I don't think that will be the case TY as an example - I think he will go for the kill early in all 3 games and rest guys where he can. If there is a positive it's that some guys will get some early playing time with a chance to prove they deserve more PT. Some guys perform better when the lights are on and hopefully those guys guys will take advantage of the opportunity.

I can't imagine that RR is just going to grind it out come hell or high water for 13 weeks. Whether he does it in games or during practices, he's going to try and give guys some breathers whenever he can.

UAEebs86 · Post by **UAEebs86** » Wed May 06, 2015 8:26 pm

Full explanation from Byrne's Wildcat Wednesday e-mail:

EXPLANATION ON FOOTBALL PLAYING 12 STRAIGHT WEEKS IN 2015

Since the 2015 Arizona football schedule was released earlier this year, we’ve received a number of questions asking why we’re playing 12 consecutive weeks, so we thought it would be wise to address it. While we’re not exactly thrilled about having to play 12 straight games without a bye, it is important to remember that, as a conference, the members don’t necessarily agree on everything, but it is important to try and be good partners with the rest of our colleagues, and sometimes, outcomes like this arise.

To understand this situation, we’ll need to delve into the scheduling practice within the conference. NCAA rules provide the league either 14 or 15 weeks, depending on the calendar, to schedule a 12-game regular season and a conference championship game. In 2015, there are only 14 weeks to play those 12 regular-season games and the Pac-12 Championship game, which takes place in week 14.

When the Pac-10 became the Pac-12, non-conference games were required to take place in the first three or four weeks of the season unless a waiver was granted. During the process, the league members discussed USC and Stanford’s annual games with Notre Dame and agreed to grandfather in those games on the dates originally scheduled, meaning there would be a nonconference game on the final week of the regular season.

As the 2015 schedule was being put together, the Notre Dame at Stanford game resulted in the league not having a Pac-12 opponent for one institution on the last weekend. The league tried to find a member who could add a nonconference game on that weekend to balance out the schedule, but was unable to do so. As a result, we were left without an opponent the last weekend and we ended up with a schedule that has us playing 12 games in a row.

The same situation arose in 2012 with a 14-week season and California ended up being the school that played 12 games in a row. It wasn’t an issue in 2013 and ’14 because there were 15 weeks to play the 12 regular-season games and the championship game. The issue will come up again in 2016 due to a 14-week season unless one of the league’s institutions can schedule a non-conference game in the final week to offset the Notre Dame at USC game. It also could have occurred in 2018, but there is a second non-conference game, BYU at Utah, on the final week to offset the situation with Notre Dame.

Moving forward, the Pac-12’s scheduling parameters require the league to rotate the teams that would have to play 12 consecutive games and we would be exempt from it happening again until at least 2023, which is the duration of the current television agreement.

As I stated above, we’re not thrilled with this and we did try to work with the conference on solutions, but unfortunately, we weren’t able to resolve it. Fortunately for us, Arizona football is known for its Hard Edge and they won’t let it hold them back from having another fantastic season. They’ll Bear Down like they always do and find a way to work through it. We just hope you’ll be there to support them as they do.

azthrillhouse · Post by **azthrillhouse** » Thu May 07, 2015 8:59 am

Let's hope it works out better for us than it did for Cal. 2012 was Tedford's last year, went 3-9.

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Sun May 10, 2015 2:25 pm

Gary Randazzo has a good article to WSR focused on the UCLA game.

The Bruins have owned Arizona in the Rich Rodriguez era. In fact, UCLA is undefeated against the Wildcats under Coach Jim Mora, highlighted by a 66-10 thrashing of Arizona in Rodriguez’s inaugural season in Tucson. Things, of course, have improved for Arizona against the Bruins in the last two meetings, but 5- and 10-point victories by UCLA the past two seasons continue to linger over the heads of the Wildcats.

This year, Arizona draws UCLA to open Pac-12 play.

It’s going to be a big game.

For me this is the critical game of the year. A victory in the PAC 12 opener against a team that has owned us the last 3 years could set up another special year.

Why will we beat fUCLA this year? They will be breaking in a new QB and possibly a true freshman. Facing Scooby, the 335, and the first hostile crowd of the season will be a tall order for their new QB.

azthrillhouse · Post by **azthrillhouse** » Mon May 11, 2015 8:30 pm

ANGCatFan wrote:Gary Randazzo has a good article to WSR focused on the UCLA game.

The Bruins have owned Arizona in the Rich Rodriguez era. In fact, UCLA is undefeated against the Wildcats under Coach Jim Mora, highlighted by a 66-10 thrashing of Arizona in Rodriguez’s inaugural season in Tucson. Things, of course, have improved for Arizona against the Bruins in the last two meetings, but 5- and 10-point victories by UCLA the past two seasons continue to linger over the heads of the Wildcats.

This year, Arizona draws UCLA to open Pac-12 play.

It’s going to be a big game.
For me this is the critical game of the year. A victory in the PAC 12 opener against a team that has owned us the last 3 years could set up another special year.

Why will we beat fUCLA this year? They will be breaking in a new QB and possibly a true freshman. Facing Scooby, the 335, and the first hostile crowd of the season will be a tall order for their new QB.

Hate to put too much stock in a single game, but yeah, the whole season hinges on the UCLA game. It's our only opportunity to get a quality win under favorable conditions. (Lost in the shuffle of the no-bye discussion is that we only have 4 conference home games, ntOSU, Wazzu, and Utah.). That write-up has me ready for kickoff....it should be an electric atmosphere.

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Mon May 11, 2015 8:37 pm

If we take care of business against utsa, Nevada and nau and Ucla against unlv, but and Virginia it could be two top 12-15 teams for that game. Possible gameday kinda game. A win would mean we probably are in the top 10 and look good to win 9-10 regular season games again. A loss and we could just be a 7-8 win bowl team.

azthrillhouse · Post by **azthrillhouse** » Mon May 11, 2015 10:10 pm

ASUHATER! wrote: Possible gameday kinda game.

Initially I laughed at that notion, but when you look at the schedule, it's plausible - there's not a lot of marquee (or even compelling) matchups that week, competition would be:

Miss St. vs. Auburn ($EC West Showdown, #14 v #4)
A&M vs. Arkansas ($EC contrast in styles, UNR vs. #21)
Tennessee vs. Florida (two resurgent (?) $SEC programs, #20 vs. UNR)

but I think the biggest competition would be in our own division....USC @ ASU (#5 vs. #19) is the same week.

(p.s. using latest ESPN.com "way too early" rankings for rankings)

Would have to think if all teams are unbeaten our game would be 3rd choice after MSU v. AU and USC v. ASU - but if any of those teams absorbs a loss prior to week 4, you never know.

Sage&Silver · Post by **Sage&Silver** » Mon May 11, 2015 10:56 pm

ASU hopefully will drop after a week one trip to College Station.

FightWildcatsFight · Post by **FightWildcatsFight** » Tue May 12, 2015 9:39 am

ANGCatFan wrote:Gary Randazzo has a good article to WSR focused on the UCLA game.

The Bruins have owned Arizona in the Rich Rodriguez era. In fact, UCLA is undefeated against the Wildcats under Coach Jim Mora, highlighted by a 66-10 thrashing of Arizona in Rodriguez’s inaugural season in Tucson. Things, of course, have improved for Arizona against the Bruins in the last two meetings, but 5- and 10-point victories by UCLA the past two seasons continue to linger over the heads of the Wildcats.

This year, Arizona draws UCLA to open Pac-12 play.

It’s going to be a big game.
For me this is the critical game of the year. A victory in the PAC 12 opener against a team that has owned us the last 3 years could set up another special year.

Why will we beat fUCLA this year? They will be breaking in a new QB and possibly a true freshman. Facing Scooby, the 335, and the first hostile crowd of the season will be a tall order for their new QB.

We can only hope. The crowd for USC was poppin, if we show up big in our OOC schedule this game should easily be sold out. Man I can't wait for football season to start.

Sage&Silver wrote:ASU hopefully will drop after a week one trip to College Station.

That'd be nice but I don't see ASU losing until much later in the season.

azthrillhouse wrote:
ASUHATER! wrote: Possible gameday kinda game.
Initially I laughed at that notion, but when you look at the schedule, it's plausible - there's not a lot of marquee (or even compelling) matchups that week, competition would be:

Miss St. vs. Auburn ($EC West Showdown, #14 v #4)
A&M vs. Arkansas ($EC contrast in styles, UNR vs. #21)
Tennessee vs. Florida (two resurgent (?) $SEC programs, #20 vs. UNR)

but I think the biggest competition would be in our own division....USC @ ASU (#5 vs. #19) is the same week.

(p.s. using latest ESPN.com "way too early" rankings for rankings)

Would have to think if all teams are unbeaten our game would be 3rd choice after MSU v. AU and USC v. ASU - but if any of those teams absorbs a loss prior to week 4, you never know.

We are definitely #3 behind the SEC game and the Jael-mary rematch. SDS will be poppin for that game too, I'm sure.

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Wed May 13, 2015 11:49 am

Brian Pedersen, Bleacher Report, on what the Wildcats need to do to win this year. Nothing new, but it is an offseason football article.

With nearly every significant skill-position player back, this could be Arizona's best offense yet. In order for it to be most effective, though, the balance has to be there in the play-calling. Wilson got banged up as the workhorse in 2014, and unless Solomon can prove more effective in scrambling another runner will need to emerge to take on some of the carries.

FightWildcatsFight · Post by **FightWildcatsFight** » Wed May 13, 2015 1:06 pm

Anyone know when kickoff times will be set?

Hoping the ASU game won't be at 1pm again.

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Fri May 15, 2015 4:02 pm

SI with the post spring Heisman watch. Kessler is the only PAC player in the top 9, but a couple Wildcats are in the next group.

Keep an eye on: Oregon RB Royce Freeman, Baylor QB Seth Russell, Michigan State QB Connor Cook, Arizona LB Scooby Wright III, Florida State RB Dalvin Cook, Wisconsin RB Corey Clement, Arizona QB Anu Solomon

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Tue May 19, 2015 2:43 pm

Over at SBNation Campus Insiders interview Brian Jeffries (voice of the Wildcats and the best in the business!).

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Tue May 19, 2015 4:48 pm

Athlon Sports seeing the possibilities in the Arizona offense.

To help pick the top offensive triplets in each of the Power 5 leagues, we devised a simple formula. We ranked the quarterbacks, running backs and receivers and assigned a 12 to the No. 1 player, with the point total decreasing to just one point to the No. 12 ranked player at each position. Only one player from each team was ranked per position.

Ranking the Pac-12’s Offensive Triplets for 2015

1. Arizona
Total Points: 29
QB: Anu Solomon (3)
RB: Nick Wilson (4)
WR: Cayleb Jones (3)

Arizona averaged 33.4 points per game in Pac-12 contests last season, and coach Rich Rodriguez’s offense could be even better in 2015. Quarterback Anu Solomon is returning to full strength after suffering from an ankle injury late in 2014. Wilson and Jones are among the Pac-12’s top playmakers.

Oregon and USC tied for second.

Now, if we could just find a center.

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Thu May 21, 2015 11:32 am

Ted Miller with the ESPN preview:

A poor bowl showing notwithstanding, the Cats broke through in Rich Rodriguez’s third year with 10 wins (a first since 1998), a Pac-12 South division title and a final national ranking of No. 19. Arizona’s noncon is pillow-soft again, but with road trips to Stanford, USC and ASU, a repeat South title will be an uphill battle.

Offense

How the Wildcats beat you: Arizona scored 34.5 points per game in 2014 (No. 28 in the FBS) on the backs of QB Anu Solomon (then a redshirt freshman) and RB Nick Wilson (then a true frosh). And much of the tandem’s offensive success came via the zone-read, which the Wildcats ran on 47 percent of all rushing plays—the highest such rate among Power 5 programs. “He’s similar to the style of [Utah running back Devonte Booker],” Arizona State coach Todd Graham said of Wilson last year. “They’re a downhill, inside zone-based team; that’s what he is.” The running back bulldozed especially well on first down, gashing opposing defenses for 5.3 ypc, 16 rushes of 10-plus yards and 8 TDs.

How you beat the Wildcats: Few quarterbacks were as productive on the run as Solomon, whose 86 completions when scrambling were 35 more than any other Power 5 passer. Also tops? His passing yards (1,155), touchdowns (11) and 20-yard completions (15) when on the move. Still, when the Wildcats’ run attack malfunctioned last year, so too did Solomon. Arizona gained less than 3.2 yards per carry in four separate contests in 2014 (all losses)—and Solomon couldn’t pick up the slack, averaging just 5.2 ypa in those games (versus 8.0 the rest of the season).

Defense

How the Wildcats beat you: The up-tempo offense hogs headlines, and for good reason. Rodriguez’s D’s are often lackluster, and the Wildcats’ 2014 unit was no exception (451 total ypg allowed, No. 103 in the FBS; 5.7 ypp, No. 73). But Arizona hung its hat on creating negative plays—one notable bright spot—to give the ball back to Solomon & Co. The Cats averaged 7 TFL and 2.7 sacks per game in 2014 (both top-16 marks in the Power 5) while forcing a healthy 26 turnovers (No. 28 in the FBS)—13 fumbles and 13 INTs.

How you beat the Wildcats: The only downside to those negative plays? Junior LB Scooby Wright III, arguably the country’s best defensive player, was the driving force behind about a third of them: 14 sacks (37 percent of the team’s output), 29 TFL (30 percent) and 6 forced fumbles (33 percent). No other Wildcat came close to Wright’s production, and that lack of playmaker depth in the front seven hung the secondary out to dry. Case in point? When opponents forced Arizona to gang up in the box, opportunities over the top came aplenty: The Wildcats gave up 32 completions that gained 25-plus yards (No. 102). With pass breakup specialist Jonathan McKnight (13 last year) no longer there, the secondary will need more consistency from its line.

Sage&Silver · Post by **Sage&Silver** » Thu May 21, 2015 12:06 pm

... but was looking at UW's schedule. After hosting Cal and a BYE the next six consecutive weeks look like this:

Oct. 8 @ USC
Oct. 17 Oregon
Oct. 24 @ Stanford
Oct. 31 Arizona
Nov. 7 Utah
Nov. 14 @ Arizona State

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Thu May 21, 2015 12:33 pm

Could be like 5 top 25 games in 6 weeks for uw

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Sun May 24, 2015 7:10 pm

SB Nation breaks down the season based on difficulty.

12. Northern Arizona (September 19th)

11. UTSA (September 5th)

10. at Nevada (September 12th)

9. at Colorado (October 17th)

8. Washington State (October 24th)

7. Oregon State (October 10th)

6. at Washington (October 31st)

5. Utah (November 14th): This figures to be a battle. Arizona destroyed Utah last season, but the Utes are going to be a stiff foe on any given day with their formidable defensive front.

4. at Stanford (October 3rd): Arizona has proven they can score on Stanford, but Stanford has done likewise the other way. Can Rich Rod get the best of David Shaw?

3. at USC (November 7th): Arizona has had their chances everytime they've played USC, and nearly snuck away with victory last season. I doubt that happens in the Coliseum, but you never know.

2. at Arizona State (November 21st): Arizona and ASU have had some classic battles the last few years. I doubt that will change in Tempe, where the Sun Devils want the Territorial Cup back.

1. UCLA (September 26th): Rich Rodriguez has yet to beat Jim Mora. In fact he hasn't come close for whatever reason. Maybe that changes with Brett Hundley gone, but the Bruin talent has up to this point overwhelmed Arizona. This is the toughest foe yet for Arizona to deal with.

I think USC will be the most difficult game, although I think fUCLA is the most important game.

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Mon Jun 01, 2015 5:50 pm

azgreg · Post by **azgreg** » Tue Jun 02, 2015 10:11 am

ANGCatFan wrote:

ESPN is listing the Nevada game at 7:00 PM ET.

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Wed Jun 03, 2015 8:30 pm

Here is an scouting report of our team from the usc si site. Nothing real new, but I always enjoy seeing how other teams see the wildcats. Here is the summary:

Threat Level: High

Despite USC’s victory over them in 2014, the Wildcats won the Pac-12 South with a youth-filled team and should only come back stronger in 2015.

Anu Solomon’s progress will dictate just how high Arizona can climb, but there is enough talent available on offense for there to be danger even if he remains at his freshman levels.

Defensively, Scooby Wright is the premiere defender in the league but Arizona’s defense will remain a liability until his teammates provide greater support.

In short, the match up between the Trojans and the Wildcats was a tight one last year and should come down to fine margins again this year.

ALASKACAT · Post by **ALASKACAT** » Wed Jun 03, 2015 11:30 pm

azgreg wrote:
ANGCatFan wrote:
ESPN is listing the Nevada game at 7:00 PM ET.

I thought CBS sports network was carrying the game according to this: http://www.arizonawildcats.com/SportSel ... M_ID=30700

azgreg · Post by **azgreg** » Thu Jun 04, 2015 5:44 am

ALASKACAT wrote:
azgreg wrote:
ANGCatFan wrote:
ESPN is listing the Nevada game at 7:00 PM ET.
I thought CBS sports network was carrying the game according to this: http://www.arizonawildcats.com/SportSel ... M_ID=30700

I didn't say they were carrying it just that the start time was at 7:00 ET.

ALASKACAT · Post by **ALASKACAT** » Thu Jun 04, 2015 11:43 pm

I misread your post and was hoping ESPN would carry the game as we don't carry CBS sports network here.

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Mon Jun 08, 2015 9:51 am

Gabe Encinas from Arizona Desert Swarm with an early look at UTSA. Quick synopsis - UTSA lost 36 seniors from last year's team and will be starting a major rebuild and Vegas has their over/under win total at 2.5. For an in-depth look at what UTSA is going through after losing their first senior class here is a good SB Nation article.

It's really hard to get past "five returning starters," isn't it? Even if you count part-timers like William Cavanaugh, Jason Neill, and Bennett Okotcha, you only get up to about eight. And while UTSA has potential, so do plenty of other teams. Those other teams also probably return double digits in the starter column.

With a nice mix of transfers and three-star freshmen, Coker has positioned UTSA to be pretty good in 2016 and 2017. But I can't imagine his Roadrunners do much this fall.

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Mon Jun 08, 2015 9:58 am

2014 was utsa's year to make a statement. Fourth year of the program, crap ton of seniors who had been there since the beginning, home game against Arizona, some good talent...

Took us to the wire but fell apart to finish 4-8. Anything more than 3 wins would be amazing this year for them.

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