By
Ryan Finley
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Are you ready for some football?
Here's a quick note to the people who constantly complain about the UA football program - Arizona Stadium is the place to be this fall· seriously.
With the predicted talent (or lack thereof) returning to the UA men's basketball team, Wildcat football games might also be the best game in town.
Arizona - and new head coach John Mackovic - will go at least 8-3 this season, I promise.
It's not because the Wildcats aren't going to be that great of a squad this year, of course. It's because UA has begun to do what the pansies at Southern Cal and UCLA have been doing for years - scheduling creampuff teams. In fact, I'm surprised the Wildcats aren't playing Amphi or Salpointe Catholic in non-conference games.
Unless hell freezes over, UA should have no problem beating San Diego State, Idaho, UNLV, Washington State, Cal and Stanford this season. If my math is correct, that's six wins, enough for a bowl bid. And as Dick Tomey could tell you, making a bowl game can be the difference between a raise and a one-way ticket back home to Honolulu.
In order to finish 8-3, the Wildcats would then need to beat two of the following teams: Washington, Oregon, USC, Oregon State or ASU.
While it might be tough, it's not impossible. Last season, Arizona - even with its Neanderthal offense - somehow knocked off the Trojans and nearly toppled the Ducks and Huskies.
But, then again, I might be horribly wrong. If there's anything UA fans have learned over the past three years, it's that anything can happen, especially in the schizophrenic world of Pacific 10 Conference football.
The Wildcats' success will hinge completely on the success of Mackovic's high-flying, video-game style offense. If the Wildcats can get the air attack off the ground, UA could potentially beat anyone in the conference. That's a big 'if,' of course.
Right now, the Wildcats' starting quarterback is Jason Johnson, a player who trained under the now-departed Ortege Jenkins. UA has about 50 top-quality running backs, including sophomore Clarence Farmer and seniors Larry Croom and Leo Mills, in a system that will emphasize passing. If Mackovic can find a way to train a worthy QB and incorporate UA's talented running backs into the "Mack Attack," the Wildcats will be the surprise of the league for the second year in a row...
· Monday night, Baltimore Orioles' third baseman Cal Ripken announced that he will retire at the end of the season. If only Tony Gwynn, Ken Caminiti, Andres Galarraga, David Cone, Todd Zeile, John Franco, Matt Williams, Todd Stottlemyre and Barry Larkin would do the same, baseball would be a better game. That's the tough part about the national pastime - some players just don't know when to hang 'em up. Ripken should have retired five minutes after setting the all-time consecutive games played record in 1995 ·
· Speaking of baseball, rumor has it that USC starting pitcher Mark Prior - the Cubs' first-round pick in this month's amateur draft - could be in Chicago's starting rotation by September. While the logic comes as a surprise, the Cubs are a typical culprit when it comes to bringing up young pitchers. After all, didn't they start 10-year old Henry Rowengartener in the playoffs a few years ago? Well, maybe that was the movie "Rookie of the Year," but you get the point ·
· Did anyone see Lakers forward Mark Madsen dancing during the Lakers' welcome-home parade Monday? His moves - which looked something like a cross between "The Running Man" and "The Hokey Pokey" - cemented the Mad Dog for the first-annual Mark Eaton Award for the whitest man in the NBA. The stormin' Mormon from Stanford barely edged out Todd McCullough and another perennial favorite, Karl Malone ·
· Finally, Jason Gardner - if you're reading - I owe you a beer. Thank you for making my 2001 season tickets worth something. Enjoy the 30 points per game next season and have a great year at the helm of a team that might actually let you shoot the ball every now and again. Plus, look on the bright side. If college basketball doesn't work out, you can always pitch for the Cubs.
I hear the 10-year old is losing his stuff.
