2011 Arizona Wildcats Football Predictions, Odds, Picks and Schedule – 2011 Arizona NCAA Football Preview

2011 Arizona Wildcats College Football Expert Predictions, Picks, Vegas Odds and Schedule – Arizona NCAA Football Preview: After a 7-1 start last season, it appeared that Mike Stoops finally had the Arizona football program ready to break through. However, the Wildcats lost their last five games to finish in the middle of the road in the PAC-12 race as they have become accustomed to in recent years. On the bright side, Stoops and company have made it to three straight bowl games. The bad news is that the Wildcats have been blown out in two of three bowl appearances and haven’t won more than eight games during the stretch. It remains to be seen if 2011-12 is the year Arizona takes the next step, but another season of mediocrity could be the beginning of the end for Stoops’ tenure.

Arizona isn’t exactly loaded on either side of the ball, but quarterback Nick Foles does give the Wildcats one of the better signal callers in the conference. Although he missed two games and part of a third, he still managed to top 3,000 yards and added 20 touchdowns. Thanks to Foles arm, the Wildcats finished the year with the ninth-best passing attack in the nation. Another year of experience and a full season should put Foles among the best QBs in college football.

Foles’ top target is back in the mix as well. Receiver Juron Criner returns for his senior season, coming off a monster year when he grabbed 82 balls for 1,233 yards. Criner and Foles hooked up for 11 scores last season, and the duo could end up being the best in the conference. On the ground, Arizona will use a two-back attack as it did so successfully last year. However, Nic Grigsby graduated, leaving Keola Antolin without an experienced counterpart. Antolin and Grigsby combined for 15 touchdowns last season.

The Wildcats were good but not great defensively last season. The unit gave up just under 23 points per game last season, putting it in the top half nationally. Unfortunately, the linebacking core that was leaned upon heavily last season returns just a single starter. Stoops uses his linebackers to help the pass rush and stop the run, and breaking in a new group will hurt the defense in both areas. With offensive juggernauts like the Cardinal, Ducks, Trojans and Cowboys all on the schedule, even a small decline in defense is bad news for the Wildcats.

While the schedule was kind out of the gate last season, it is anything but this year. After the opener against Northern Arizona, the Wildcats go on the road to play Oklahoma State before heading home to host national title hopefuls Stanford and Oregon. Arizona then heads back on the road to play USC and Oregon State. Things get a little more manageable after that, starting with a home game against UCLA, but a road game against rival Arizona State is lurking late in the year as well.

In the end, the Wildcats just don’t have enough talent to take down the top teams in the conference. Even if Arizona does survive the opening slate of games with its confidence intact, any chance at a special season will have been long since destroyed. Another seven or eight win season is definitely within reach, but the Wildcats seem destined for another year of conference mediocrity. A bowl game is well within reach, but a PAC-12 title isn’t going to happen.

2011 Arizona Wildcats College Football Predictions: 7-5 Record

Preseason 2011 Arizona Wildcats NCAA Football Odds:
Odds to Win 2012 BCS Championship: +15000
Odds to Win 2011 PAC 12 Championship: +1000
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2011 Arizona Wildcats College Football Schedule
Sat, Sep 3 Northern Arizona 10:00 pm —
Thu, Sep 8 at Oklahoma State 8:00 pm —
Sat, Sep 17 Stanford 10:45 pm —
Sat, Sep 24 Oregon 10:15 pm —
Sat, Oct 1 at USC TBA —
Sat, Oct 8 at Oregon State TBA —
Thu, Oct 20 UCLA 9:00 pm —
Sat, Oct 29 at Washington TBA —
Sat, Nov 5 Utah TBA —
Sat, Nov 12 at Colorado TBA —
Sat, Nov 19 at Arizona State TBA —
Sat, Nov 26 Louisiana-Lafayette TBA —

Check out NSAwins.com’s official 2011 College Football Over Under Team Wins Odds and Predictions and 2011 PAC 12 Football Futures Odds and Predictions articles.

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