Some of the best big-ticket sporting events the fall semester has to offer won't be seen at Arizona Stadium or in McKale Center, but that doesn't mean the UA's resident powerhouse program and its most promising up-and-comer aren't in action.

To kick off season two of the Mike Stoops era with a nationally televised, Friday-night spotlight gridiron match-up pitting the underdog Wildcats against Fiesta Bowl champion Utah in Salt Lake City, your best bet is good pizza, good beer (over 21 only, please) and either an enormously massive television or many, many smaller ones. Try BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse, 4270 N. Oracle Road, or Old Chicago, 2960 N. Campbell Ave.

No men's hoops tickets? No problem...

So you didn't get a spot in the recently renovated UA men's basketball lottery system. No worries, there are still plenty of chances to see the Wildcats in action without breaking the bank buying tickets from scalpers. Hall of fame head coach Lute Olson traditionally holds at least one open, Saturday afternoon practice so the fans can come watch the team hoop it up for free, while the annual Red/Blue scrimmage is always a fan favorite.

Wildcat players split up to form two teams and square off in McKale Center, with admission traditionally free to UA students. And don't forget to keep your ears perked for an announcement about midnight madness. An official announcement hasn't been made, but since the NCAA allowed teams to up the traditional midnight madness start time from 12 a.m. to 7 p.m., Olson is more likely to bring the event back to McKale Center in October. Stay tuned.

Is Ua Football For Real?

Arizona Stadium

Should Arizona pull the ESPN upset special and defeat Utah at Rice-Eccles Stadium, the Wildcats could enter their Sept. 17 match-up with Big Ten power Purdue looking for a 3-0 start. Not to get ahead of themselves, but it isn't completely out of the question, despite Purdue's lofty preseason expectations and another eighth place Pac-10 finish for the Wildcats in 2005. The Boilermakers lose the NCAA's all-time leading receiver, wideout Taylor Stubblefield, and would-be Heisman trophy candidate Kyle Orton at quarterback heading into 2005. An experienced UA defensive backfield that returns all four starters – safeties Darrell Brooks and Lamon Means, cornerbacks Wilrey Fontenot and Antoine Cason – will be ready to welcome the Boilers to the desert.

Is Ua Futbol For Real?

Nobody could have predicted what UA soccer head coach Dan Tobias was able to do a year ago. In only his second season, after taking over a UA soccer program that had been at the bottom of the Pac-10 since its inaugural season in 1994, Tobias was able to lead the Wildcats to a team-record 15 victories, nearly doubling its previous team best, en route to leading the UA to a share of its first ever Pac-10 title. The Wildcats finished the season ranked 13th in the nation, knocking off three of the four top-15 opponents they faced. Tobias was named National Coach of the Year for his team's progress, but it's likely that one loss from Arizona's breakout season will stand out more than any other. No, not the Wildcats' first-round NCAA tournament loss to an inferior Colgate team, but rather their 1-0 loss to ASU in front of a packed house in Tempe. Revenge should be sweet in Tucson.

Madhouse Mania

Tucson Convention Center Arena

The madhouse will be rocking come late October, just as it does every season. The Arizona Icecats open head coach Leo Golembiewski's 27th season on the bench out for a little Sun Devil blood after failing to make the American Collegiate Hockey Association's postseason tournament for the second straight year. Arizona reached 24 straight ACHA tournaments, but it was ASU who didn't stay home last season, giving the Icecats more incentive to knock the Sun Devils around a little bit this year.

-Compiled by Brett Fera