Cruel Intentions

Mike Stoops and his troops face another daunting task today as they try to knock off the Oregon State Beavers, currently ranked 21st in the nation.

If Arizona wins today, it will likely knock OSU out of the race for the Rose Bowl, and improve Arizona's chances of getting to the Sun Bowl.

So why not root for the underdog Wildcats today? The conditions in Tucson are totally ripe for a home upset today. The reasons are clear:

1. Slumping Cats- Arizona is coming off a difficult loss to the Oregon Ducks, losing 55-45 in Eugene. In past seasons, this might not have bode well for the Wildcats, but this season, they have not lost back to back games.

2. Desert Climate- The game is in Tucson, and not in the cold and rain of Corvallis. The Wildcats have played amazing at home this year, going 4-1 at Arizona Stadium, the only loss coming to USC in late October.

3. Motivation- Arizona has lost eight out of nine to the Beavers, and the last three times State has visited Southern Arizona, the Cats have been on the losing end.

Today's game is quickly becoming a big game in Tucson. For the Wildcats to win their last two would send the Cats out with lots of momentum going into a bowl game. This could be Mike Stoops' big chance to show that his team has, in fact, "arrived", and give Arizona coaches a better hand in recruiting efforts.

So, with this in mind, it would be easy to see why Arizona needs to win, and why Wildcat fans desperately need the team to win this game.

Unfortunately, mixed emotions are tied in with one of the biggest football games in Tucson this season.

It all stems from the Wildcats home loss to Southern California.

In a game Arizona could have, and should have won, it failed to do so. And the Trojans remained on top of the Pac-10, in a tie with the Beavers who have not won the Pac-10 and gone to the Rose Bowl since 1925.

Since the second year of the era of Pete Carroll at USC, the Trojans have won the conference.

What makes it all different this season is the fact that the Beavers defeated the Trojans early in the season.

If the Beavers can close out against the Wildcats today, and their rivals in Corvallis next week, the Rose Bowl is theirs.

A different team going to the Pac-10's top bowl game is just what the conference needs to stay legitimate to the rest of the nation.

Plus a rematch between Penn State and Oregon State would interest many college football fans, due to the fact that both teams are on a roll.

It is hard to want the opposing team to beat the home team, but in this situation, watching the Beavers win might be a good thing.

-JMB