We’re four years into the Rich Rodriguez era and Arizona Football fans are wondering what the state of the program is in, going into next season.
Rodriguez has guided Arizona to four straight bowl appearances, a Pac-12 South Title and a berth in a bowl game all college football fans have heard of.
The Optimism for the Rich Rod era has it’s limits because of the three losing seasons in Pac-12 play he has had in the Old Pueblo.
2015 will be remembered as the year Scooby Wright and everyone else on the Arizona defense spent lots of time in the emergency room.
With leaders Wright and Will Parks gone, how will the out-manned Arizona defense of 2015 fare in 2016?
Solid on the field playing experience was gained this year by players who usually would have not seen significant time until 2016 or later.
Will this baptism by fire help the defense in 2016?
Can the slew of players that were injured on defense stay healthy next year?
The offense looks solid going into 2016, even after losing Cayleb Jones to the NFL.
Anu Solomon will most likely be the starter at quarterback next year in Arizona’s first game when the Cats face BYU at the University of Phoenix Stadium, but the Arizona coaching staff will have its eye on Brandon Dawkins when Fall camp begins.
Dawkins gutsy game against ASU is not something Rich Rod can ignore.
Solomon and Dawkins will also be trying to fend off competition from a four-star quarterbacks arriving on campus, Khalil Tate. Devon Modster, who had committed to Arizona in his Junior year, de-committed via twitter on New Years Eve.
Arizona will still have a nice corps of receivers, but their ultimate success could ride on the health of Nick Wilson, who limped through most of the Pac-12 season this past year.
If Wilson stays injury prone, Orlando Bradford will have an opportunity to show Arizona fans that he is ready for the bright lights full time. Arizona also has incoming freshmen J.J. Taylor and Sean Riley coming to Tucson in 2016, both made headlines in California newspapers along with Tate.
Arizona Wildcats
A couple notable freshmen linemen are also coming in 2016. On offense freshman Michael Eletise from Hawaii, and on defense, Justin Holt from Tucson, Arizona.
Since Rich Rod came to town the Pac-12 South has been the weaker of the two divisions. If this trend continues in 2016 the Cats will want to take advantage of having five of their nine conference games at Arizona Stadium.
With a ‘neutral’ site game against BYU and non-conference games in Tucson against Grambling and Hawaii, the Cats will have another good opportunity to start the non-conference season 3-0.
Arizona will have a bye week on Oct. 22 between home games with USC and Stanford.
With eight games being played in the state of Arizona and a bye week in between two of the toughest tests of the season, excuses should be limited for Arizona fans.
2016 Arizona Football Schedule
Sep. 3 vs. BYU at University of Phoenix Stadium
Sep. 10 Grambling
Sep. 17 Hawai’i
Sep. 24 Washington
Oct. 1 at UCLA
Oct. 8 at Utah
Oct. 15 USC
Oct. 22 Bye
Oct. 29 Stanford
Nov. 5 at Washington State
Nov. 12 Colorado
Nov. 19 at Oregon State
Nov. 25 Arizona State
Dec. 2 Pac-12 Championship Game
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