Bet Arizona Wildcats – ‘Cats Are Solid, But Don’t Have The Teeth To Take Pac-10

The Wildcats were an inconsistent online betting pick during the whole 2009 campaign, except for one good midseasonstretch.  Arizona kicked off the seasonwith big home wins over Central Michigan and Northern Arizona, then they wentout on the road for a three-game trip with losses at Iowa and Washingtonsandwiching a 37-32 win at Oregon State. The Wildcats then came up big on a three-game homestand, droppingStanford 43-38, UCLA by a score of 27-13, and finally they demolishedWashington State 48-7.  Down the stretch,Arizona made sure their games were filled with drama as their final four gamesof the regular season were decided by eight points or less.  They fell 24-16 at California before falling44-41 in a double-overtime thriller at home against then-No.11 Oregon.   The Wildcats then edged Arizona State 20-17on the road in the “Duel In the Desert”, and they ended the regular season witha 21-17 win at then-No.18 USC.  However,Arizona didn’t show up for the Holiday Bowl as they were throttled 33-0 bythen-No.22 Nebraska. 

Arizona was a midpack offensive team last year, finishing58th in total offense, but they were 48th in the air, and52nd on the ground.  NickFoles didn’t make many mistakes, but it’s ironic that the Wildcats lost two ofthe three games in which he threw for 300 yards or more.  Keola Antolin and Nic Grigsby split thecarries in the backfield, although Grigsby would have gotten more work if hewasn’t injured for three of the last five games of the season.  The defense was ranked 25th in thecountry, and Ricky Elmore led a very good pass rush, and corner Trevin Wade isa ball hawk who had five picks in 2009. 

There will be a couple of keys to the Wildcats’ NCAA football betting odds in 2010.  First, they’re going to need Grigsby to stayhealthy as he’s obviously the best in a deep group of running backs.  The Wildcats will go with Foles atquarterback, but Matt Scott could get some reps as a Wildcat-type ofpivot.  Tight end Rob Gronkowski left forthe NFL after missing all of last year with a back injury, but all of Foles’favorite targets from last year are back in town.  The defense’s strength will be the line, ledby Elmore and Brooks Reed.  The secondaryshould be in good hands with Wade at the corner, and Adam Hall will be joinedby Marquis Flowers, a highly-touted freshman who should improve the Wildcats atsafety. 

You may want to bet on the Wildcats early in the seasonas four of their first five games are at home. After opening up the season at Toledo, Arizona will host Citadel andIowa before beginning the Pac-10 portion of the schedule against Cal and OregonState.  After heading to WashingtonState, the Wildcats could very well be 6-0 by the time they host Washington,and then they head out on the road for back-to-back games at UCLA and Stanford.  USC will visit the desert before the Wildcatstravel to Oregon, and then the Wildcats wrap up the season at home in anotheredition of the “Duel In The Desert” against Arizona State.

The Wildcats will contend in the Pac-10, but a couple ofthings need to happen before they can challenge the likes of Oregon State and Stanford.  First, Foles is going to have to prove he canbe more consistent.  Grigsby must stay onthe field, and if he can, that opens up the field for Foles and his receiversbecause without him, Arizona is only a decent team. The defense needs to sortout their troubles at linebacker, and even though they’re strong up front andat the back, this is a position you need to be good at.  They’ll make a big push, but sports betting players shouldn’t bet on Arizona to win the Pac-10.