By
Keith Carmona
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Since its inception in 1994, the Sears Director's Cup - which ranks collegiate athletic departments for their achievements in conference and national rankings - has been won by the Stanford Cardinal all but one time.
Their dethroning begins this weekend with the Wildcat-Cardinal matchups in volleyball and football.
While the Arizona athletic department doesn't boast crew, fencing and field hockey programs like their Northern California counterparts and thus, will never receive points in those categories, the Wildcats can play an integral part in knocking Stanford from their recent supremacy.
Similar to the basketball teams, Arizona and Stanford's volleyball squads have developed one of the fiercest rivalries within the Pacific 10 Conference.
This weekend, the Wildcats have the opportunity to take a decisive advantage over the Cardinal while helping to flush their hopes of winning their seventh consecutive Sears Cup.
In a surprising upset, the unranked, unheralded Stanford football team downed No. 6 Texas 27-24 two weeks ago on a last-minute touchdown drive led by Chris Lewis, a backup quarterback.
Students in Palo Alto erupted in celebration with Rose Bowl repeat aspirations already in mind.
Enter the Arizona football team.
The Wildcats are rested following a week off and are still riding the wave of excitement surrounding their young superstars-in-the making, running back Clarence Farmer and linebacker Lance Briggs.
Stanford is a three-point favorite, and the 2000 Wildcats weren't supposed to be anywhere near .500, let alone boasting an early 2-1 record,.
But then again, Arizona football history suggests that the Wildcats tend to succeed when they're not supposed to.
Even after a solid showing against San Diego State, Ortege Jenkins has yet to assert himself as the offensive savior that UA fans were looking forward to last year. But don't write him off quite yet.
The guy can move. He's got a gun, and the fact that he's facing a defense that gave up 40 points to perennial pattycake San Jose State will mean that O.J.'s breakout party will headline the Arizona dominance.
Back in Tucson, Dave Rubio's No. 8 Wildcats boast a 10-match winning streak, the nation's highest hitting percentage, and a starting rotation that reads like a who's who of collegiate volleyball.
The Cardinal, a perennial women's volleyball powerhouse, were swept by USC and UCLA last weekend and have their hopes pinned on the success of a freshman middle blocker.
Fueled by a history of Cardinal dominance (Stanford has won 37 of the last 39 outings, including last year's NCAA Regionals), Arizona will come out bouncing balls to the McKale Center ceiling and won't stop until the Cardinal's streak has been broken.
So until Arizona adds wrestling, badminton, women's lacrosse and a varsity hockey team to its athletic department's roster, they'll never contend for a Sears Cup.
With a successful showing this weekend against Stanford, however, the Wildcats could possibly play the role of spoiler.
If Marisa DaLee, Stephanie Saragosa and Dana Burkholder can keep that damn tree-mascot from dancing to another NCAA overall victory, Stanford will head home with their branches between their legs.
After all, it's autumn. The leaves are falling.
