Preseason Lists and Rankings

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Mon Jun 01, 2015 8:15 pm

Preseason lists are starting to come out. Hard to imagine Scooby will not be on everyone's 1st team.

Phil Steele's Preseason Team.

Scooby is on the 1st team along with Kessler and the center from USC along with Utah's punter.

Big surprise for me is seeing DJ Foster on the third team as a receiver. Last year he had just under 700 receiving yards while Cayleb had 1000+ and Spruce had 1200. I understand he will be the primary playmaker in a high powered offense, but that a lot of projection to pick him 1st team All-American.

Here is Steel's PAC 12 list.

Cayleb, Gilbert and Riggelman are on the 2nd team, Wilson and Parks are on the 3rd team, and Anu and Neal (returner) are on the 4th team. Someone else can add up the numbers, but it looks to me that the returning division championship are underrepresented on the list

scumdevils86 · Post by **scumdevils86** » Mon Jun 01, 2015 8:41 pm

Your first link isn't to Steele but a Twitter page

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Mon Jun 01, 2015 9:27 pm

Fixed. Thanks.

azthrillhouse · Post by **azthrillhouse** » Mon Jun 01, 2015 10:17 pm

Hope our guys read it & use it for a bit of motivation, though I don't think there were a ton of major slights.

Surprises for me were:
(positive) Gilbert as 2nd team Pac-12
(negative) no Samaje Grant
(negative) no OL representation at all?
(negative) Hogan? Does anybody actually watch that guy play?

Also, he seems to be trying to "feature" RB's that aren't necessarily bell cows for their team, that's the only way I can defend Lasco over Nick Wilson (and Storm Woods equivalent to Nick). No problem w/ Booker, Perkins, and Freeman being ahead of Nick even though I think he can be better than all 3 if he stays healthy.

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Tue Jun 16, 2015 3:59 pm

Couple days old but usa today has their preseason bowl projections
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nc ... /28765983/

Have us playing Penn state in the holiday bowl. Rest is interesting...

They have the Pac being shut out of the playoffs:

Rose bowl- asu vs. Michigan state
fiesta bowl-Oregon vs. Boise state
Alamo bowl-usc vs. Oklahoma
holiday bowl-Arizona vs. Penn state
foster farms bowl-Stanford vs. Iowa
Sun bowl-Utah vs. Louisville
las Vegas bowl-California vs. Utah state
cactus bowl-ucla vs. Oklahoma state
poinsettia bowl-Washington vs. San Diego state

catgrad97 · Post by **catgrad97** » Tue Jun 16, 2015 9:05 pm

This season, in many ways, will really be the first major litmus test of RichRod's system at Arizona.

The Wildcats could be the surprise of the nation...or just another flash in the pan. It's going to take next-level head coaching and quarterbacking for it to be the former. The o-line needs to just worry about itself.

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Tue Jun 16, 2015 9:38 pm

Agree. The schedule and no byes and questions on d and the o line could see us fall to a 7-6 team that's diminished as a 1 year wonder like so many others. But the potential is there for another special season that could change national attitudes and attention towards Arizona.

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Mon Jul 06, 2015 1:54 pm

NFL.com lists the top 15 teams in college football.

14. Arizona
Why they rank: Coach Rich Rodriguez has his no-huddle offense in sync with quarterback Anu Solomon returning from a standout freshman season, while running back Nick Wilson can average 100 yards a game.
How they might falter: The Wildcats have a highly-talented starting 22, but depth at multiple spots is lacking. A few injuries could make a big difference, and this team plays 12 consecutive weeks without a bye.

Ucla is 15, Usc is 8 and Oregon is 6 for the other P12 teams on the list.

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Tue Jul 07, 2015 7:40 am

Maxwell and Bednarik Watch Lists announced. Maxwell includes Anu Solomon and Nick Wilson and the Bednarik includes Scooby Wright and Will Parks.

azgreg · Post by **azgreg** » Tue Jul 07, 2015 7:43 am

It's great to see so many Cats on pre-season watch lists.

Chicat · Post by **Chicat** » Tue Jul 07, 2015 8:01 am

Where is Cayleb?

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Tue Jul 07, 2015 9:26 am

I put the Watch list watch list on the Scooby page. We shouldn't see Cayleb until the Biletnikoff Award is announced on 15 July.

Now, I am fine with Cayleb not being on the Maxwell Award watch list, since I don't think he will end up as the best player on our team let alone college football. But, I am saying that preseason. I don't think any of these watch lists should be published until 4 to 6 games into the season or at least add players who play themselves into contention for the award.

Also, who is the Maxwell Award kidding? It is not given to the best college football player it is given to the best offensive football player. Everyone on the list is a QB, WR, or RB. When you leave the most awarded returning college football player (Scooby Wright III) off your watch list you are not looking for the best player in college football!

It is worth noting, that all 3 Ohio State QBs are on the Maxwell Award watch list. If they each end up playing exactly 5 games and Ohio State wins everything again will they have to split the award?

RazorsEdgeAZ · Post by **RazorsEdgeAZ** » Tue Jul 07, 2015 10:42 am

I don't put much value in PRESEASON watch lists when so many are listed as a precautionary catch all... BUT it will be fun to see Butkus award watch list that comes out next week.

The watch list that completely (almost seemed out of stubbornness in their mid-season and final lists) omitted Scooby last year. Much of the national media gave them so much crap for that.

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Wed Jul 08, 2015 11:31 am

Mackey watch list was released today. Shocked, that Arizona didn't get anyone on the list. They probably haven't heard that we plan on actually using a tight end this year.

We will face 4 of the guys on the list and, unfortunately, our defense has had a terrible time stopping tight ends. Jarred Gipson from Nevada, Austin Hooper from Stanford, Joshua Perkins of Washington, and Jalen Cope-Fitzpatrick of USC will all be looking to take advantage of our defense.

Hopefully, having multiple quality tight ends to practice against will hep our defense prepare for these guys.

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Thu Jul 09, 2015 11:09 am

Riggleman on the Ray Guy Watch list. Not bad for a Tucson kid from Sahuaro HS!

UAEebs86 · Post by **UAEebs86** » Fri Jul 10, 2015 7:35 am

Scooby on Naguraski, Tagaloa on Outland.

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Fri Jul 10, 2015 8:59 am

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Sat Jul 11, 2015 5:53 am

Sage&Silver · Post by **Sage&Silver** » Sat Jul 11, 2015 6:19 am

Every article I read about watch lists remind readers "a player doesn't have to be on the list to win the award"

So how the hell was Ka'Deem who led the nation in rushing never considered for the Doak Walker Award in 2012?

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Sat Jul 11, 2015 6:53 am

I couldn't find it written, but I believe for the Doak Walker the problem was he did not make the semi-finalist cut which came out just prior to his breakout game at Colorado. The preseason watch lists are really an exercise in team and player promotion.

Last year, Scooby wasn't on anyone's list. He played himself into contention before names were locked in as semi-finalists.

The watch lists are great to give guys recognition, but like we saw with Carey it certainly isn't the best system for identifying the best players in the country. I'd love to know when each award locks in the candidates and why the date was chosen if it is before the end of the season.

Sage&Silver · Post by **Sage&Silver** » Sat Jul 11, 2015 11:52 am

thanks

OSUCat · Post by **OSUCat** » Sun Jul 12, 2015 8:15 am

There has only ever been one repeat winner of the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, but Arizona’s Scooby Wright III is hoping to become the second. The 2014 Nagurski Trophy winner was among the 88 players listed on the watch list for one of the top defensive player awards in college football.

The only other player to repeat as Nagurski Trophy winner was Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald, as a linebacker in 1995 and 1996. Fitzgerald is now the head coach of the Wildcats.

http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.co ... watch-lst/

This reads a bit funky to me. Almost sounds like the writer is implying that Fitzgerald is the coaching the Arizona Wildcats.

UAEebs86 · Post by **UAEebs86** » Sun Jul 12, 2015 8:19 am

OSUCat wrote:
There has only ever been one repeat winner of the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, but Arizona’s Scooby Wright III is hoping to become the second. The 2014 Nagurski Trophy winner was among the 88 players listed on the watch list for one of the top defensive player awards in college football.

The only other player to repeat as Nagurski Trophy winner was Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald, as a linebacker in 1995 and 1996. Fitzgerald is now the head coach of the Wildcats.

http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.co ... watch-lst/
This reads a bit funky to me. Almost sounds like the writer is implying that Fitzgerald is the coaching the Arizona Wildcats.

Proof reader / editor probably missed it because they think Arizona is the Sun Devils.

Merkin · Post by **Merkin** » Sun Jul 12, 2015 9:58 am

OSUCat wrote:
There has only ever been one repeat winner of the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, but Arizona’s Scooby Wright III is hoping to become the second. The 2014 Nagurski Trophy winner was among the 88 players listed on the watch list for one of the top defensive player awards in college football.

The only other player to repeat as Nagurski Trophy winner was Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald, as a linebacker in 1995 and 1996. Fitzgerald is now the head coach of the Wildcats.

http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.co ... watch-lst/
This reads a bit funky to me. Almost sounds like the writer is implying that Fitzgerald is the coaching the Arizona Wildcats.

I read it as Fitzgerald is the HC of the Northwestern Wildcats which he is.

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Mon Jul 13, 2015 4:16 pm

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Tue Jul 14, 2015 8:08 am

Scooby made the Lombardi and Butkis watch lists.

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Wed Jul 15, 2015 10:07 am

Cayleb Jones and Casey Skowron make watch lists.

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Thu Jul 16, 2015 7:29 am

Official release.

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Fri Jul 17, 2015 9:34 am

Official site release.

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Fri Jul 17, 2015 9:42 am

Great progress! Minor point, no awards have been won. Just preseason watch lists.

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 5:52 pm

So, that is now 8 players on 13 watch lists!

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Tue Jul 28, 2015 11:22 am

Anu is also now on the Polynesian POY watch list.

ghostwhitehorse · Post by **ghostwhitehorse** » Tue Jul 28, 2015 3:37 pm

ANGCatFan wrote:Anu is also now on the Polynesian POY watch list.

Five finalists for the award will be unveiled on Nov. 19, and the winner will be honored on Dec. 8. Former coaches Dick Tomey, LaVell Edwards, Ron McBride and Dick Vermeil and ex-NFLPA president Kevin Mawae are among the members of the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame's selection committee.

Thought I'd highlight the other important part of the article.

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Wed Aug 05, 2015 10:56 am

SI with a short video explaining why they picked us 15. The list DaVonte' Neal as the X factor for the team, because he may bring stability to the defense. Not sure where they got that bit of analysis, but he certainly along with Denson could give us another playmaker in the defensive secondary.

I'll toss this in for good measure. Here is a Alabama site that picks Arizona as one of 2 underrated teams:

Arizona -- Like Notre Dame, many seem to remember only the outcome of the Wildcats' bowl game last season. Boise State ran past them in the Fiesta Bowl, but the Wildcats return potent offensive weapons in Anu Solomon, Nick Wilson and Cayleb Jones and perhaps the best defensive player in the country in Scooby Wright. They've made moves to improve their secondary, as well, and could surprise after being ranked No. 22 by the coaches.

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Thu Aug 06, 2015 10:41 am

Athlon Sports P12 QB rankings. Anu is 3 with Kessler and Goff 1 & 2. No news at all in the article.

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Thu Aug 06, 2015 11:04 am

Yahoo Sports ranks us number 20. Solid write-up with an interesting pick for break-out player.

Breakout player: Tyrell Johnson, WR
Tyrell Johnson might be small at 5-foot-7, 160 pounds, but he is super fast. He finished third in the 100-meter final at the Pac-12 Track and Field Championships with a time of 10.41 seconds. It was the first time Arizona has scored in the 100-meter in the Pac-12 Championships since 2011.

So what does Rich Rod do with all this speed? Pretty much whatever he wants.

Johnson had 14 catches last season for 120 yards and two touchdowns. Shockingly, he only had three rushing attempts for 19 yards. Expect those numbers to change this year, especially since Johnson has spent the offseason trying to get stronger to be able to compete against bigger linebackers. Johnson can be a dynamic weapon coming out of the backfield on a sweep or a reverse; he has the perfect size and speed to be a slot receiver, especially with Nate Phillips, the primary slot receiver, recovering from a foot injury. He returned 29 kicks for an average of 23.7 yards and was a few key blocks away from breaking free for a touchdown.

Johnson adds just another dimension to an already scary-good offense, one that will be a lot of fun to watch this fall.

azgreg · Post by **azgreg** » Thu Aug 06, 2015 11:41 am

Get him the ball in the open field and watch out.

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Mon Aug 10, 2015 10:43 am

Here's the espn blog's preseason P12 power ranking. We come in at 3 behind Oregon and USC.

3. Arizona Wildcats: Much like the Ducks, the Wildcats are the defending South Division champs and deserve the benefit of the doubt and the credit that goes with that. They probably won’t be tested the first three weeks of the season with nonconference matchups against UTSA, Nevada and Northern Arizona. But things ramp up after that with a critical showdown against UCLA and then Stanford. They close at USC, vs. Utah and at ASU -- and they’ll have to do it all without a bye week. If they’re able to repeat, Rich Rodriguez needs to give his strength and conditioning guys a hefty raise.

azgreg · Post by **azgreg** » Mon Aug 10, 2015 10:59 am

ANGCatFan wrote:Here's the espn blog's preseason P12 power ranking. We come in at 3 behind Oregon and USC.

3. Arizona Wildcats: Much like the Ducks, the Wildcats are the defending South Division champs and deserve the benefit of the doubt and the credit that goes with that. They probably won’t be tested the first three weeks of the season with nonconference matchups against UTSA, Nevada and Northern Arizona. But things ramp up after that with a critical showdown against UCLA and then Stanford. They close at USC, vs. Utah and at ASU -- and they’ll have to do it all without a bye week. If they’re able to repeat, Rich Rodriguez needs to give his strength and conditioning guys a hefty raise.

Didn't ESPN have us 5th in the south?

RazorsEdgeAZ · Post by **RazorsEdgeAZ** » Mon Aug 10, 2015 11:00 am

ANGCatFan wrote:Here's the espn blog's preseason P12 power ranking. We come in at 3 behind Oregon and USC.

I'm sure someone can help decipher how ESPN Blog ranks AZ #3 in preseason power ranking coupled with all 5 of their blog writers picking AZ to finish 5th in the SOUTH division in preseason media poll?.?

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Mon Aug 10, 2015 11:54 am

Easy. they picked us to finish fifth in the south but the preseason as of right now based on the off season last year's results has us as number 3 in the PAC 12. One is preseason standings and one is predicting how we will finish

azgreg · Post by **azgreg** » Tue Aug 11, 2015 6:51 pm

CBS Sports

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/rankings/cbs

1 Ohio State Buckeyes
2 TCU Horned Frogs
3 Baylor Bears
4 Alabama Crimson Tide
5 Michigan State Spartans
6 Auburn Tigers
7 Oregon Ducks
8 Georgia Bulldogs
9 Southern California Trojans
10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
11 Florida State Seminoles
12 Arizona State Sun Devils
13 UCLA Bruins
14 Ole Miss Rebels
15 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
16 Clemson Tigers
17 Wisconsin Badgers
18 Oklahoma Sooners
19 Stanford Cardinal
20 Boise State Broncos
21 Arkansas Razorbacks
22 Missouri Tigers
23 Arizona Wildcats
24 LSU Tigers
25 Louisville Cardinals

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Wed Aug 12, 2015 8:44 am

Here's a Bleacher Report analysis of the coaches poll where Arizona is ranked 22nd. Short article and Arizona gets significant attention with this mention:

As far as squads that should be ranked higher, the one that immediately jumps out is Arizona. The Wildcats won the Pac-12 South last season and return an offense loaded with playmakers, including quarterback Anu Solomon, running back Nick Wilson and receiver Cayleb Jones.

Still, the main attraction for Arizona is on the defensive side in linebacker Scooby Wright:
If Wright can anchor the defense, the Wildcats could once again surprise people in 2015.

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Wed Aug 12, 2015 6:30 pm

Bleacher Report with the top 10 QB, Coach tandems in CFB.

7. Arizona: Rich Rodriguez and Anu Solomon

Rich Rodriguez made his big breakthrough at Arizona last season as the Wildcats won an extremely tough Pac-12 South and finished with 10 victories. And now, for the first time in his tenure in Tucson, he has a returning starter at quarterback—sophomore Anu Solomon.

"He was a little bigger [in the spring], a little faster, little stronger," Rodriguez said at Pac-12 media days, per Kevin Gemmell of ESPN.com. "He had a better knowledge of the offense. I thought he did really well last year in his first year as a starter. I think the other part of it is we know what his strengths and weaknesses are at crunch time as well."

Rodriguez, who had a 60-26 record at West Virginia before a disastrous stint at Michigan, continues to put out excellent offenses with his spread-option scheme. Solomon had more than 4,000 all-purpose yards and scored 30 touchdowns as the key man of that system last season.

Now with a full season together under their belts and several offensive playmakers still on campus, Rodriguez and Solomon should compete for a repeat this fall against the Los Angeles schools and rival Arizona State.

Stanford is at 8 and USC is at 5.

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Wed Aug 12, 2015 8:43 pm

247Sports.com has done their initial list of the top 247 players in CFB. Arizona had 3 players make the list.

Wright ranks highest among the 40 Pac-12 players listed, checking in at No. 2 overall, second only to Ohio State strong-side defensive end Joey Bosa.

Cayleb Jones is rated as the No. 13 wide receiver, nationally, and the No. 112 player overall. A third Wildcat, sophomore Nick Wilson, also made the list as the No. 169 player overall and the No. 13 running back in the country.

azgreg · Post by **azgreg** » Sat Aug 15, 2015 1:39 pm

These guys have us 13th.

http://interactive.orlandosentinel.com/ ... index.html

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Tue Aug 18, 2015 6:42 am

Scooby is a Playboy All-American.

Here is the full list of UA players selected as Playboy All-Americans:

1971 Mark Arneson, senior linebacker
1972 Jackie Wallace, senior cornerback
1975 Theopolis “T” Bell, senior receiver
1979 Cleveland Crosby, senior defensive tackle
1982 Ricky Hunley, junior linebacker
1983 Ricky Hunley, senior linebacker
1988 Joe Tofflemire, senior center
1993 Rob Waldrop, senior defensive tackle
1994 Sean Harris, senior linebacker
1995 Tedy Bruschi, senior defensive end
2002 Clarence Farmer, junior tailback
2007 Antoine Cason, senior cornerback
2015 Scooby Wright, junior linebacker

ANGCatFan · Post by **ANGCatFan** » Tue Aug 18, 2015 4:17 pm

Athlon Sports ranks the top 36+ P12 players.

Scooby is #1 with 16 of 19 1st place votes. Also on the list are Nick Wilson at 17 and Cayleb Jones at 23.

ASUHATER! · Post by **ASUHATER!** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 7:52 am

USA today did a 1-128 ranking of every team. Absolutely ridiculous too. Some highlights:

#5 Boise state
#8 Asu
#10 Stanford
#17 Usc
Utah ranked behind byu and utah state
Western Michigan ahead of Michigan
Lsu #27

azgreg · Post by **azgreg** » Wed Aug 19, 2015 8:00 am

ASUHATER! wrote:USA today did a 1-128 ranking of every team. Absolutely ridiculous too. Some highlights:

#5 Boise state
#8 Asu
#10 Stanford
#17 Usc
Utah ranked behind byu and utah state
Western Michigan ahead of Michigan
Lsu #27

I agree, some of those pics are strange at best.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nc ... /31820541/

1. Ohio State
2. Baylor
3. Auburn
4. Alabama
5. Boise State
6. TCU
7. Oregon
8. Arizona State
9. Michigan State
10. Stanford
11. UCLA
12. Florida State
13. Clemson
14. Mississippi
15. Oklahoma
16. Georgia
17. Southern California
18. Georgia Tech
19. Arizona
20. Virginia Tech
21. Notre Dame
22. Nebraska
23. Missouri
24. Wisconsin
25. Texas

43. Utah
49. California
72. Washington
84. Washington State
92. Colorado
98. Oregon State

80. Nevada
114. UTSA

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