Arizona Wildcats One Win Away From College Football Playoff

Before the season even started, the Arizona Wildcats were projected to finish 7th in the Pac-12, behind Oregon State, Washington and Arizona State. Now, the Wildcats find themselves atop the Pac-12 South, fighting for a chance to win their first Pac-12 Championship, making a case for a spot in the College Football Playoffs. The thought of a potential playoff berth for the Wildcats does seem a bit daunting, but after their performance against Arizona State, it seems as if Rich Rodriguez has what it get this team ready for the big stage.

Beating Oregon twice in one season, three times in two seasons, is no easy task. Their o-line was plagued by injuries in the first matchup and the Wildcats took advantage. This time, their o-line is 100% healthy led by 6-6 300lb senior left tackle, Jake Fisher, making a huge difference for their offense. Oregon runs one of the most efficient offenses, calling over 75 plays a game, but Arizona tops that, running just over 80 plays a game in the 8th fastest offense in the nation. The difference could be on Arizona’s defense, which has been progressively better after each game. Heisman hopeful Scooby Wright has been making plays all over the field, anchoring the defense.

But this is a game that puts the pressure on the Ducks. Just how Arizona is prone to losing a game they shouldn’t lose to, referring back to last years loss to Washington State and 2012’s loss to Oregon State, Oregon always losses “a must win game” late in the season. This time, they’re playing for the Pac-12 Championship and the chance to clinch the #2 seed in the College Football Playoffs. Everything is on the line for the Oregon Ducks.

As far the rest of the landscape for college football, there are a lot of intriguing match-ups this weekend.
#1 Alabama should be able to take care of #16 Missouri in the SEC Championship Game. Alabama has proven that they are true number one team in the country and Missouri lost to Indiana (4-8) at home, ouch. Should Arizona wins, that knocks #2 Oregon out of the playoff race with a loss that late in the season. #3 TCU hosts Iowa State (2-9). Iowa State has been good for an upset over the past few years, but the record speaks for itself. This is where things start getting interesting. #4 Florida State, who everyone seems to hate, takes on #11 Georgia Tech. Florida State somehow manages to pull off a win week in and week out, but many believe this is the week they go down. Then there’s #5 Ohio State, who will be playing #13 Wisconsin for the B1G Championship without their starting quarterback, JT Barrett. It’ll be interesting to see how the committee values Ohio State without their starting quarterback even with a win over the Badgers. And for the last team ahead of the Wildcats, it’s the #6 Baylor Bears, who will host #9 Kansas State. This game seems to be a complete toss up to many at some point, especially with Baylor’s quarterback, Bryce Petty, recovering from a concussion.

A lot can happen. But with a win on Friday, the Wildcats could very much find themselves in the first ever College Football Playoffs.