2009 Arizona Wildcats Betting Recap
The Wildcats were an inconsistent online betting pick during the whole 2009 campaign, except for one good midseason stretch. Arizona kicked off the season with big home wins over Central Michigan and Northern Arizona, then they went out on the road for a three-game trip with losses at Iowa and Washington sandwiching a 37-32 win at Oregon State. The Wildcats then came up big on a three-game homestand, dropping Stanford 43-38, UCLA by a score of 27-13, and finally they demolished Washington State 48-7. Down the stretch, Arizona made sure their games were filled with drama as their final four games of the regular season were decided by eight points or less. They fell 24-16 at California before falling 44-41 in a double-overtime thriller at home against then-No.11 Oregon. The Wildcats then edged Arizona State 20-17 on the road in the “Duel In the Desert”, and they ended the regular season with a 21-17 win at then-No.18 USC. However, Arizona didn’t show up for the Holiday Bowl as they were throttled 33-0 by then-No.22 Nebraska.
Arizona was a midpack offensive team last year, finishing 58th in total offense, but they were 48th in the air, and 52nd on the ground. Nick Foles didn’t make many mistakes, but it’s ironic that the Wildcats lost two of the three games in which he threw for 300 yards or more. Keola Antolin and Nic Grigsby split the carries in the backfield, although Grigsby would have gotten more work if he wasn’t injured for three of the last five games of the season. The defense was ranked 25th in the country, and Ricky Elmore led a very good pass rush, and corner Trevin Wade is a ball hawk who had five picks in 2009.
2010 Preview To Bet Arizona Wildcats
There will be a couple of keys to the Wildcats’ NCAA football betting odds in 2010. First, they’re going to need Grigsby to stay healthy as he’s obviously the best in a deep group of running backs. The Wildcats will go with Foles at quarterback, but Matt Scott could get some reps as a Wildcat-type of pivot. Tight end Rob Gronkowski left for the 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, led by Elmore and Brooks Reed. The secondary should be in good hands with Wade at the corner, and Adam Hall will be joined by Marquis Flowers, a highly-touted freshman who should improve the Wildcats at safety.
You may want to bet on the Wildcats early in the season as four of their first five games are at home. After opening up the season at Toledo, Arizona will host Citadel and Iowa before beginning the Pac-10 portion of the schedule against Cal and Oregon State. After heading to Washington State, 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 Wildcats travel to Oregon, and then the Wildcats wrap up the season at home in another edition of the “Duel In The Desert” against Arizona State.
The Wildcats will contend in the Pac-10, but a couple of things need to happen before they can challenge the likes of Oregon State and Stanford. First, Foles is going to have to prove he can be more consistent. Grigsby must stay on the field, and if he can, that opens up the field for Foles and his receivers because without him, Arizona is only a decent team. The defense needs to sort out their troubles at linebacker, and even though they’re strong up front and at 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.