This was going to be a tough game for the Arizona Wildcats even with a completely healthy team. Nearly half of the defense will be sidelined with injuries and no one still quite knows the availability of Juron Criner. With all of the questions surrounding both sides of the ball -- along with the always-present concerns of the kicking game -- it would be an incredible shock if UA was able to stun the Cardinal on Saturday night.
That being said, this has been a program over the last few seasons that has always been able to come away with a big victory, even if no one pegged the team to do so. Whether it be knocking off the No. 8 ranked Cal Bears in 2006, the No. 2 ranked Oregon Ducks in 2007, a big road win at USC to clinch 2nd place in the Pac-10 in 2009, or the home upset over Iowa last season, Arizona has come up big in big games.
Will coach Stoops be able to pull off one more magical win against a top-ranked opponent? Maybe, maybe not. But if the head coach has been known for one thing throughout his tenure at UA -- other than his sideline antics, of course -- it is that he is a great motivator and has came away with a few big victories when the odds were stacked against him and his team.
All of this being said, I still cannot fathom a possible way where the Wildcats come away with a victory on ESPN this evening. Andrew Luck is the best quarterback in America, Stepfan Taylor is capable of tearing a defense apart on the ground, and the Cardinal feature one of the better defensive units around.
The Zona Zoo and the sellout crowd of nearly 60,000 will be heard from early as Nick Foles and Arizona hang around, but in the end, Luck proves his candidacy for being the best player in college football and leads Stanford to a 38-21 victory.