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Jumping into the fire

Wildcat File Photo Arizona Summer Wildcat Bryan Rosenbaum

Students must attend classes. If you miss two or more, you may be administratively dropped or you may receive a failing grade. Please see the professor if you are having trouble.

Blah, blah, blah.

The first day of classes is always the most chaotic, but also the most boring day of the semester. There's a little bit of excitement for what, I don't know, but for the most part you hear the same things over and over. They are even printed out on a handy little sheet for you that you lose in a couple of days.

At Sunday's football practice, senior wide receiver Dennis Northcutt took off his helmet after practice and remembered that classes started the next day. After a long preseason at Camp Cochise, the first day of classes crept up on him.

Guess what else has approached rather quickly? The college football season. It kicks off on Saturday with No. 3 Arizona playing No. 4 Penn State. By the time the NFL blows the first whistle on Sept. 12, Arizona will have three games under its belt.

With such a difficult opener, a loss could put the Wildcats out of the national title picture. On the other hand, a win could put them among the favorites.

Whatever the outcome or what the experts might say, the season won't end for the Nittany Lions or Wildcats on Saturday.

History has shown that if you finish the season with one or two losses, you can still rebound. What matters most is when you lose. Florida State lost early last year to North Carolina State, but beat Florida at the end of the season, moving them into the Fiesta Bowl against Tennessee.

Ohio State lost in November against Michigan State and could never climb over Florida State into the No. 2 spot and therefore, was rightfully or wrongfully left out of the championship game. Kansas State was undefeated until the Big 12 championship, when they lost to Texas A&M and were thrown out of the Bowl Championship Series altogether.

In other words, there's no reason to worry about the final exam when you haven't even taken the first test yet. But this first exam on Saturday, the first of many hurdles the Wildcats will encounter this season, is a big one.

Those who want a playoff system to decide the national champion in football should not have to look any further. On the road to the Sugar Bowl, every game counts and there couldn't be a game that kicks off a great season better than this one.