Why You Should Root For Arizona
The Trojans may not be in the Pac-12 Championship game this year, but Trojan fans should still be fully invested in the game.
In a sense, USC fans are rooting for the lesser of two evils (anything is better than seeing the Bruins in the championship game - thanks, Stanford), so it’s in USC’s best favor if Arizona brings home the title.
Not sure why you should be rooting for those Wildcats?
Other than the fact that it’s always a nice bonus to say that we beat the Pac-12 Champions—even if only by a shanked field goal—here’s some key points as to why we should wave our hands up in the air and cheer in the Wildcats’ favor.
For starters, a Wildcats win means the Pac-12 title will finally come down to the South. Since the Pac-12’s creation in 2011, a team from the North has won the Championship every year (Oregon ’11, Stanford ’12, ’13). They’ve had the title for too long. It’s time for the South to claim their well-deserved title.
Based on this season’s results, the South has been substantially better than the North. For the first time since the league’s expansion, the South led the North 9-15 this season (17-9, 16-9, 13-12 North over South). With an Arizona win, the shift of power down south will be solidified.
Now, it wouldn’t be college football gameday if a legitimate upset wasn’t in the mix. Arizona is coming into the game at No. 7 while Oregon is coming in at No. 2. Yes, Arizona did beat Oregon 31-24 in Eugene earlier in the season, but the Cats are still the underdog by 14 points.
Speaking of giving the Ducks their only loss this season, the Wildcats steamrolled over Oregon 42-16 last season for one of the Ducks’ two loses. But back to Arizona’s win this season. The Wildcats were responsible for one of the two closest games—a margin of seven points—for the Ducks this season (Oregon only beat Washington State by seven points as well). A third win in a row for the Wildcats would solidify their current dominance over Oregon.
SEE ALSO: USC's Blowout Win Over Notre Dame Sets High Expectations For Next Season
It will be a challenge for the Wildcats to beat the Ducks, but Arizona knows close games all too well. Arizona found success in Eugene earlier in the season from stellar offensive performances from redshirt senior running back Terris Jones-Grisby (career-high 210 all-purpose yards, 1 TD), freshman running back Nick Wilson (92 rushing yards, 3 TDs), and redshirt freshman quarterback Anu Solomon (287 passing yards, 20-of-31 passing, 1 TD).
The Arizona defense will need to stay strong, battle, and shutdown Mariota, Freeman and Marshall just as it did the last time it faced the Ducks. Safeties William Parks and Jared Tevis led the team with eight tackles each, and five different players sacked Mariota to record five sacks on the night. If Arizona’s defensive line applies as much pressure as before against Oregon’s offensive line, they will most definitely rattle Mariota and throw off his rhythm.
The driving force of the Arizona defense is sophomore linebacker Scooby Wright III (Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year), who secured the win late in the fourth quarter with a strip-sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery to give Arizona the ball and full control to run the clock out.
Now, one could argue that it would be in the Pac-12’s best interests if Oregon wins the game, which will secure their spot in the CFB Playoff rankings; however, if the Wildcats pull out another win over the Ducks, they’ll be the only team to beat a top-4 ranked team twice.
Where Arizona stands right now at No. 7, the Cats need three teams ranked above them to lose - well, actually only two because beating Oregon will drop them from the top-4. So, that would mean that two of the following teams - Alabama, TCU, FSU, Ohio State, or Baylor - would have to lose in order for the Wildcats to secure a spot in the top-4. But even if only one of those teams loses, a big win from Arizona will give them a fighting chance and a solid case to be in the top-4.
With the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year, Marcus Mariota, and Pac-12 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year, Royce Freeman, facing off against the Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year, Scooby Wright III, this will no doubt be an exciting, close game, but hopefully the third time really is the charm and the Wildcats leave Levi’s Stadium victorious.
Reach Staff Reporter Jodee Sullivan here and on Twitter here.