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ESPN Insider Says UA Could Crash CFB Final Four Party

Arizona Sports News online

The Arizona Wildcat basketball program has made their share of deep post-season runs.

Now the football team could be crashing the Final Four party.

It’s far from a sure thing and the ‘Cats will need to get some help along way but in a season which started with little expectations (Arizona picked pre-season to finish fourth in the Pac-12 South), who would have imagined Rich Rodriguez’s team could be this close (seventh in the latest poll)?

“Ultimately, for them to get in the top four I think they need one upset in addition to them beating Oregon,” ESPN college football insider Brad Edwards told Sports360AZ.com’s Brad Cesmat in a phone interview Wednesday. “They would have two wins over Oregon in addition to beating ASU and Utah who are also ranked in the committee’s top 25. It’s a good resume.”

Edwards believes UA (10-2) also benefits from being the only two-loss team to not have a “bad loss,” with setbacks to both ranked UCLA (15th) and USC (25th). He says the Wildcats would be better positioned with a slightly stronger non-conference schedule (wins over UNLV, UTSA, Nevada) but won’t be punished because of it. Like every other team in the Top 25 UA has its’ warts (close, last-second wins over Cal and Washington).

Edwards points to fifth-ranked Ohio State’s match-up with Wisconsin and number four Florida State’s battle with Georgia Tech as two games which could go either way. A slip up by either team above them could catapult UA into one of those cherished top four slots when the selections are made Sunday.

First things first is a rematch with second-ranked Oregon who the ‘Cats upset in Eugene earlier this year and are riding a two game-winning streak against the Quack Attack dating back to last season’s blowout win in Tucson. The 11-1 Ducks have won seven-straight since their October 2nd loss.

Check back the rest of the week for complete pre and post-game coverage from Santa Clara right here on Sports360AZ.com.

A Valley native, Eric has had a passion for the Arizona sports scene since an early age. He has covered some of the biggest events including Super Bowls, national championships and the NBA and MLB playoffs in his near 20 years in local media.

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