Ranking the Arizona Wildcats' final seven opponents
The Arizona Wildcats have won four consecutive games, are in first place in the Pac-12 South with a 2-0 record and are looking for more when they host Washington on Saturday night.
"Our guys are getting a little more confident every week," coach Kevin Sumlin said on WildcatsRadio 1290 after a 35-30 win at Colorado on Saturday. "But we have another big win this week."
And pretty much every week after that.
I'm on record as predicting the Wildcats to finish 7-5, with the caveat that they needed to take advantage of a soft early schedule and get off to (at least) a 4-1 start. That didn't seem likely after they dropped the opener at Hawaii, but here they are, at 4-1.
Now, where will Arizona find three (or more) wins?
Even though the Cats are currently picking up some votes in the AP poll, they are about a 7-point underdog this week against the Huskies and might be favored in only one more game -- against Oregon State.
But whether favored or not, there figures to be a string of games in which the spread is single digits -- perhaps low single digits -- with little margin of error.
Here's how I rate the rest of Arizona's schedule from easiest to hardest:
No. 7 -- Oregon State (Nov. 2): This is not to suggest the Beavers are pushovers. Quarterback Jake Luton accounted for seven touchdowns in Saturday's win over UCLA and has thrown 166 consecutive passes without an interception. Wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins is a stud. Oregon State is 2-3, but two of those losses (Hawaii, Stanford) came by three points.
No. 6 -- at Stanford (Oct. 26): Still tough as nails and well coached, but the Cardinal is running out of healthy offensive linemen and haven't established the run like it did from 2010 to 2016, when the Cardinal ripped off a five-game winning streak against the Cats, scoring at least 34 points in each game. Perhaps this UA defense has a chance. Perhaps important: Stanford should be well-rested, as it is off this week before playing a Thursday night game at home against UCLA, giving the Cardinal a couple of extra days to prep for the Cats.
No. 5 -- at Arizona State (Nov. 30): From the distance of early October, the season-ending Territorial Cup matchup looks like a coin flip.
No. 4 -- at USC (Oct. 19): Still so talented, especially at wide receiver, with a couple of quarterbacks who are good enough to lead the team to victory. The Trojans looked the part in a home victory over Utah, but who knows what mood the team -- and its fans -- will be in after this week's game at Notre Dame? Will USC be riding high and back in the rankings ... or will they be grousing over a 3-3 record and looking for a new head coach?
No. 3 -- Washington (Saturday): The Huskies went 0-for-the-Bay Area this season, losing to Cal and Stanford ... and if golden-armed Georgia transfer Jacob Eason was supposed to an upgrade to savvy-but-modestly-gifted Jake Browning, he hasn't shown it. Not sure that Washington's 23-13 loss at Stanford on Saturday is a blessing for Arizona; U-Dub hasn't lost back-to-back games since 2015.
No. 2 -- Utah (Nov. 23): Tough, physical, balanced. Still, on paper, the best team in the South.
No. 1 -- at Oregon (Nov. 16): The Ducks blew their opener against Auburn, or else they would be legit contenders for the College Football Playoff. Since then, though, they have not allowed more than seven points in any of four games while their receiving corps is getting healthier for NFL-bound QB Justin Herbert (15 TDs, one interception). And, yeah, this one is in Autzen.