Is A Wildcat Revolution On The Horizon?

It's no fun playing in the Pac-10. Other conferences may be stronger, but few have been as lopsided this decade as the Pac-10. In any given year, few teams stand a chance of knocking off USC. You'll have UCLA or Cal or Oregon or Oregon State make a run every now and then, with varying degrees of success, but for the most part USC is king. They're mascot even has that nifty helmet, a white horse and a sweet sword to boot.

There are 10 teams in the Pac-10. Last season half of those teams finished above .500. They were USC (12-1), Oregon (10-3), Oregon State (9-4), California (9-4) and…Arizona (8-5)?? How could that be? The Wildcats had not made the postseason since 1998 and are constantly forgotten in the world of NCAA football. They've only won one Pac-10 title (shared with USC and UCLA), that coming in 1993 as they went on to shut out Miami in the Fiesta Bowl 29-0. Since when has Arizona placed in the top half of the conference? And will 2009 be another step forward? Or a regression to the status quo?

It's never wise to get too worked up over an ordinarily-mediocre-at-best team who had a shockingly good season because rarely will they be able to repeat the performance the following year. And Arizona has a tougher out of conference schedule than a year before (Sept. 19 @ #22 Iowa). But the Wildcats, while missing some pieces, could surprise more than a few fans this season.

To start, they've got a tremendously talented group of receivers including junior tight end Rob Gronkowski (remember that name), who is a preseason candidate for the John Mackey Award and a 2008 third-team All-American. Junior running back Nic Grigsby is poised for a breakout year and sophomore Keola Antolin will provide another set of legs on the ground. Offensively, the Wildcats' only major weakness is at quarterback. They have yet to name a starter with only a few days left until the season opener. Their two options at the position have attempted a combined 19 passes in their college careers.

Defensively, the Wildcats are strongest in the secondary. Led by senior cornerback Devin Ross, the Wildcats' secondary has more than made up for the loss of Jim Thorpe Award Winner Antoine Cason to the NFL. The linebacker crew will be in a transition phase following the loss of Ronnie Palmer, while all four members of the defensive line have started at least seven games in their careers.

Last season, the Wildcats started the year with a 70-0 whooping of Idaho. They followed that up with three wins in four games to begin the year 4-1. In week six they lost by a point to Stanford and then defeated 25th ranked Cal 42-27 the following week. They lost by a touchdown to 5th ranked USC, allowing only 17 points to the Trojans. They then put up 59 points in a win over Washington State and 45 points in a 10 point loss to Oregon. They lost by two to 21st ranked Oregon State and defeated rival Arizona State to close the regular season. The Wildcats defeated 16th ranked Brigham Young 31-21 in the Las Vegas Bowl to close the year.

Yes, Mike Stoops has this team on the right track. The quarterback position presents the biggest hurdle, but if the Wildcats can clear it, they're in for another big year. Predicted to finish eighth in the Pac-10 by some media polls, the Wildcats could finish as high as fourth this season if their quarterback play is up to par with the rest of the team. The Wildcats open their season on Saturday in Tucson against Central Michigan. - Danny Hobrock

Danny Hobrock is a sports journalist who primarily covers college football and professional baseball. He is a contributor for several sports related blogs and is the former editor of a political and current events website