The Real 
Media Poll
Jose's Take:
If you are an average fan, it is easy to look at what Arizona has done the past decade and assume this season will remain the same. Yes, the Cats finished strong and handed a ranked BYU team a whipping in the Las Vegas bowl last year, as well as putting up a good fight against PAC-10 giant USC only to fall in the last minutes 17-10.
Stoops and Company showed flashes of an up and coming team who was ready to take it's play to the next level. The Cats appeared to be a much improved team that showed no fear and destined to shake up the PAC in 2009. It would be easy to conclude that Arizona’s Cats have caught the attention of the PAC-10 and are now a big enough threat to challenge the titans of the PAC. However, according to the PAC-10 media poll, it seems the Cats are just the same ol' Cats that have not made a bowl game since 1998. Not only were the Cats picked to finish in 8th place (Yes people, 8th place!), but teams like UCLA, Stanford, and academic juggernaut ASU (Yes, that's a joke) are picked ahead of the Cats in '09.
Here are the PAC-10 media poll predictions:
1. USC (28)... 316
2. California (3)... 277
3. Oregon (1)... 250
4. Oregon State... 216
5. Arizona State... 155
6. Stanford... 150
7. UCLA... 145
8. Arizona... 142
9. Washington... 74
10. Washington State... 35
Do you think the Cats feel a little disrespected after being picked so low?
During the PAC-10 media conference, Cam Nelson was asked if he was upset for being picked 8th, he coyly replied, "no", with an expression on his face which implied he didn't mean what he just said. "We're going to play the usual Coach Stoops type of defense -- hard-nosed with a lot of no-name guys who are going to come out and play as hard as they can."
The lack of expectations put on the Cats is a recipe for disaster for the rest of the PAC. With one of the best tight ends in the country, Rob
Gronkowski, and a very good running back tandem, Nic Grigsby and Keola Antolin, look for the Cat's offense to be a force to be reckoned with. That's not even including proven receivers, Delashaun Dean and Terrell Turner, who are looking to have a huge year.
Record setting signal caller Willie Tuitama is no longer running the offense. However, he is being replaced with Matt Scott and Nick Foles who are currently in a heated battle for the starting spot. Matt Scott is the most hopeful candidate for the starting role because of his ability to not only throw the deep ball but also his mobility when the play breaks down, one of Tuitama's biggest weaknesses.
Thus, to say the Cats feel disrespected is a huge understatement. Look for the Cats to play with a chip on their shoulder and turn a lot of heads as Mark Stoops, with his hard-hitting defense, and Sonny Dykes, with his "Air Zona" offense, make some noise and shake up a league that has been USC dominated for so long now. This 2009 season, look for Arizona to turn that corner and no longer be those "same ol" Cats.
Travis' Take:
When I first saw that Arizona had been picked to finish 8th in the Media Poll, for a simple description, I was furious. I know it does not matter where they pick you at the start of the season, what matters is where you finish. There are two reasons for my anger: the first reason is I am an excited Wildcat fan that expects to go unbeaten every year; the second reason is Arizona is coming off a season in which we beat a good BYU team in the Las Vegas Bowl, Arizona's first Bowl victory in ten years.
After I cooled my jets, I read a few articles and watched interviews with Coach Stoops and Cam Nelson discussing their thoughts on the Preseason Poll. I have come to the conclusion that this is what the Wildcats need. The Wildcats are destined for greatness and they know it, but now that they have been disrespected by this preseason poll they are going to have even more motivation to show everyone how good they actually are. Looking at the situation from that perspective, I wish they had picked us to finish in 10th place.
Here's The College Sports Ticket's PAC-10 preseason poll:
1: USC
V is for victory but soon it may stand for violation, USC may not be the top dog for long and it was hard putting them at number 1 this season with their questions at quarterback and linebacker, plus the possible NCAA violation cloud hovering.
2: Cal
The Bears are ready to shine in 2009, with a Heisman candidate at running back Jahvid Best, if he can stay healthy and the Bears can make it through a tough 4 out of 5 games in the beginning of the season they can cruise from there. The Bears will challenge USC for the top spot if they can answer their big question at the quarterback position. Kevin Riley will have to take a leadership role, and learn how to be QB one after being in a rotation role with former signal caller Nate Longshore. If he doesn't step up, look for Brock Mansion to get an opportunity to prove himself.
3: Arizona
Returning six offensive starters and six defensive starters will give the Cats great leadership. The Cats will feed off their underdog tag all year, and having 9 out of 12 games with a good chance to win will not hurt either. The only people not in for a surprise this year are the Wildcat faithful.
4: Oregon State
The Beavers are coming off of a great 2008 season with the help of good freshman players. They are all back this year,plus, the Beavers have a easy out of conference schedule to start the season, with the only tough test coming against defending Big East champions Cincinnati. The Beavers main problem with success this year will be how the defense steps up. They lost eight starters who only gave up an average of 21 points per game.
5: Oregon
Oregon is solid at QB, but they will need more than that to win. With Chip Kelly moving into the head coaches position for the Ducks and four tough games to open the 2009 season, the Ducks are going to need to stick together as a team and perfect their play to win.
6: Stanford
Coach Harbaugh has done an AMAZING job recruiting top talent to Stanford, that hard work may start paying off this season with incoming freshmen quarterback Andrew Luck setting foot on campus. Luck, listed at 6-4, 225 lbs, has looked impressive and seems ready to take over Tavita Pritchards’ former job. The Cardinal, may be a year away from competing with the upper tier of the conference, but look for them to make some noise and let conference opponents know that they are no longer a team that can be overlooked on Saturdays.
7: UCLA
Will the real UCLA starting quarterback please stand up? The Bruins, another team with the quarterback position in question really needs someone to demonstrate they are capable of running the show. With Kevin Craft now dropping to number three in the depth chart, Kevin Prince and Richard Brehaut will compete for an opportunity to prove themselves. If the Bruins can find a way to get it together, they should be able to steal a few wins in conference play.
8: Arizona State
Coach Erickson needs a miracle to take his Sun Devils to a bowl this season. Their quarterback situation is a bit iffy, with now departed (and overrated in my opinion) Rudy Carpenter no longer at center, the Devils are hoping Danny Sullivan to step up and take charge of the offense. At the skill positions, Arizona State has a lot of holes and will need someone to step up and make an impact to have a shot at competing in the conference. Look for Ryan Bass at running back and Gerrell Robinson at wide out to get an opportunity to be those guys.
9: Washington
New Coach Steve Sarkisian has his work cut out for him in ‘09. Coming off a 0-12 season, Coach Sarkisian is left to pick up the pieces left by former coach Ty Willingham. Quarterback Jake Locker is back from his injury suffered last season and seems ready to go, but he can only carry the Huskies so far without the talent needed surrounding him to compete.
10: Washington State
Look for a long and frustrating year at Pullman in ’09. Head coach Paul Wulff’s second year is not going to be any better than the first. The Cougars, a team lacking in the talent department and with the coaching staff unable to bring in PAC-10 level players to help, seem destined for the PAC-10 basement. Washington State fans, you still do have the “Apple Cup” to look forward to.
