Arizona beats Kansas State and stays undefeated as the quest for a bounce-back season remains alive and well

One of several intriguing questions from the Big s offseason might have the beginnings of an answer What if Arizona is this year s Arizona State What if the Wildcats are the band with no expectations and supposedly no hope that appears from nowhere and wins the conference It s a sparse weeks too early for serious contemplation of unit But the Wildcats took a major step forward Friday night when they overcame a series of gaffes and held off Kansas State - to remain undefeated They could collapse and finish the season closer to the bottom of the conference than they top They could meander to a middle-tier position Also there s competition in the race to produce the greatest upside surprise Houston has been impressive thus far TCU is a possibility Same with UCF The Big is so stocked with parity that anyone well almost anyone can become the version of Arizona State If that band is Arizona the twist would come with an added turn After all Arizona State was the version of Arizona Recall the fall of final year of the former Pac- when Arizona was picked eighth in the preseason media poll under third-year coach Jedd Fisch The Wildcats stumbled early but got hot in October won games beat Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl and were one of the biggest surprises in the country With a No ranking they would have been in the conversation for a berth in the College Football Playoff had the event expanded that season Then came realignment the creation of the -team Big and ASU s rise from nowhere Expectations for the Sun Devils in the second season of Kenny Dillingham s tenure were admittedly lower than they were for Arizona in But there was more upside room available in the Big given the absence of powerhouse teams at the top Picked th in the preseason poll ASU was the last band standing in December and advanced to the CFP The Big didn t publish a preseason poll this summer but the Wildcats would have been picked for the bottom half perhaps even the bottom quartile Coach Brent Brennan s first season was such a shambles that his job shield received more attention nationally than essential changes to the coaching staff depth chart and chemistry But through three games it s clear the Wildcats are a different club Quarterback Noah Fifita does not look as burdened with expectations The running event is impactful and the defense under first-year coordinator Danny Gonzales looks stout There is greater force more speed and better deployment of personnel Arizona would have run Kansas State off the field Friday night but for a series of blunders A botched punt that led to a touchdown Missed field goals Dropped passes Too several holding penalties and false starts to count Add a perplexing abandonment of the running tournament during several stretches and the overall performance was hardly polished Which is exactly the point The Wildcats are - with clear room for enhancement If they cut back on mistakes especially along the offensive line the Wildcats will be laborious to beat in a conference with no obvious favorite It s mid-September and they are halfway to the bowl berth that presumably would provide Brennan with added job shield Now comes a break whether the Wildcats want it or not and two weeks to prepare for what might be the the greater part demanding assignment of the season a visit to No Iowa State which beat Kansas State by three points in Ireland Then Arizona returns home to face floundering Oklahoma State and faces Brigham Young one week before the Cougars play their rivalry event against Utah Related Articles Mailbag Hot Seats Jonathan Smith s options Jedd Fisch s future coaches to watch and spins of the carousel West Coast recruiting Panic time for UCLA and Oregon State plus a big weekend for ASU Week picks ATS Houston Arizona Oregon Notre Dame and Utah cover Why USC-Michigan St kicks at ET and the reality of the B media deal No resolution in Pac- -Mountain West as judge declines to rule from bench The season s second half features trips to Houston Colorado and Cincinnati plus home dates with Baylor and Kansas and decisively the Territorial Cup The Wildcats will be favored more often than not And crucially they don t play No Utah or No Texas Tech Put another way There are wins available more than enough to lock down a bowl berth and perhaps enough to challenge for a spot in the Big championship If the Wildcats cut back on their mistakes Remember ASU wasn t the company it would become at this point last season In fact the Sun Devils needed a fourth quarter field goal to beat Texas State and collect their third non-conference preeminence They were clearly improved They obviously had the personnel needed to cause havoc in the Big But the product was so unfinished at the close of Week that the endgame could not be sketched The same is true of the Wildcats an undefeated work-in-progress playing with nothing to lose and all roads open We have seen enough to consider the unexpected possibility that Arizona of all teams will emerge from the Big chaos as this year s Arizona State Send suggestions comments and tips confidentiality guaranteed to wilnerhotline bayareanewsgroup com or call - 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