Last Year Record: 6-6 (4-5 in Pac-10 T 5th)

Last Year Summary: The 2006 season was a step up for the University of Arizona football program. After not being bowl eligible since 1998, Mike Stoops' club finished a respectable 6-6 despite having one of the worst offenses in college football. The offense averaged 16 points and was 115 out of 119 division I football teams. Some of this lack of offense can be attributed to lack of consistency from the starting quarterback position as concussions kept Sophomore sensation Willie Tuitama on the sidelines for almost half the season.

Returning Starters: The Wildcats return 19 starters, 9 on offense and 10 the defensive side of the ball.

Player to Watch This Season: Senior Cornerback Antoine Cason is the best of the 19 returning starters. He has big play potential and packs power to provide the big hit when needed. He had the opportunity to jump to the NFL after a fantastic junior season that saw him intercept 3 passes and make 62 tackles but decided he had unfinished business in Tucson.

Offensive Strengths: After a horrible offensive performance in 2006 Mike Stoops decided to head in a new direction for 2007. With Sonny Dykes from Texas Tech at the helm of the Cats offense many things will change. The spread offense he is implementing will make the WR the strength of the offense by necessity. Junior Mike Thomas who was the 2005 Pac-10 co-Freshman Offensive Player of the Year will be the main focus of the pass happy offense and will provide the best target and biggest plays for Willie Tuitama.

Offensive Weaknesses: Unlike last year the weakness of the UofA offense isn't the offensive line but the guys running behind it. The best back on the team is Senior Chris Jennings who walked on last year from a Junior College and only gained 451 yards. The only other back with any experience on the roster is Sophomore Xavier Smith who has played in 11 games with 23 carries for 120 yards in his career.

Defensive Strengths: The main strength of the Cats defense is the fact that they return 10 of their 11 starters from a defense that was one of the best in the Pac-10 last year. Of those 10 returning starters Arizona has a plethora of defensive backs. Antoine Cason and Wilrey Fontenot are four year starters at the CB position and force teams to think twice before passing the ball. Look for both to be playing on Sundays next year.

Defensive Weaknesses: There is no real weakness on this UofA defense. The defensive line was the weakest spot last year but has improved as Louis Holmes, 2005 top junior college recruit, has improved his game.

2007 Season Summary Projection: The defense will continue to be hard hitting and hold opponents down but the 2007 season hinges on the revamped offense and whether Sonny Dykes can teach Willie Tuitama how to operate the spread offense to perfection. If they can average 400 yards and 20 to 25 points a game the Cats could be a surprise team in the Pac-10. If not they will finish right around the same place they did last season.

Big Games of the Year: Road games at Oregon State (10/6), USC (10/13) and Arizona State University (12/1) will prove to be the toughest tests of the year and will go a long way to determining how the Cats fair.

2007 Projected Record: 8-4 (5-4 Pac-10)
Sat, Sep 1 @Brigham Young W
Sat, Sep 8 Northern Arizona W
Sat, Sep 15 New Mexico W
Sat, Sep 22 @California L
Sat, Sep 29 Washington State W
Sat, Oct 6 @Oregon State L
Sat, Oct 13 @Southern California L
Sat, Oct 20 Stanford W
Sat, Oct 27 @Washington W
Sat, Nov 3 UCLA L
Thu, Nov 15 Oregon W
Sat, Dec 1 @Arizona State W

2007 Projected Bowl: Emerald Bowl

Pac 10 Projection:

1) Cal
2) USC
3) UCLA
4) ASU
5) UofA
6) Oregon State
7) Oregon Washington
9) Washington State
10) Stanford

Got a prediction? Call your shot in our comments area and we will see who comes the closest to being right in December.

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