If No. 20 Arizona can pull off the upset victory against No. 1 Oregon, the Pacific-10 Conference bowl picture suddenly gets more interesting.
The Wildcats are 4-3 in the Pac-10 and 7-3 overall, tied for third in the conference with presently bowl-ineligible Oregon State.
In the event of a tie, the Beavers hold the tiebreaker after beating Arizona in Tucson on Oct. 9.
With Stanford and Oregon left to play, Oregon State faces a difficult road ahead, while the Wildcats stay home for Arizona State on Thursday, Dec. 2.
The pressure is on Arizona to take greater control of its bowl destiny Friday in Eugene.
“Our backs are against the wall, and we’re going to have to come out fighting,” senior defensive end Ricky Elmore told the Arizona Daily Star. “It’s a chance to go out there and compete again.”
Elmore and the Wildcats defense must step up to avoid a third straight loss.
To date, Arizona has performed better than expected after losing seven starters to graduation.
The Wildcats lead the Pac-10 in rushing defense (112.9 yards per game) and are second in scoring defense (18.1 points per game).
As is customary with Mike Stoops-led Wildcats teams, domination starts on the defensive line.
Redshirt freshman defensive tackle Justin Washington (35 tackles, 8.5 for loss, four sacks) was an early-season revelation for Arizona.
Elmore and fellow senior end Brooks Reed are first and fourth in the conference in sacks, respectively, with Elmore adding 10 tackles for loss.
“They’re probably the best combination of defensive ends in the conference,” Oregon head coach Chip Kelly said.
Offensively, Arizona should have the full services of junior quarterback Nick Foles, to the possible dismay of the Ducks’ defensive staff.
Foles, a junior from Austin, missed two games because of a dislocated kneecap earlier this season but still leads the Pac-10 in passing yards (275.1 per game).
Stoops has not, however, ruled out appearances from backup quarterback Matt Scott, who served admirably in the two games, replacing Foles before succumbing to a knee injury as well.
Scott is considered more of a running threat than Foles, who possesses the more powerful arm.
“(Scott) has progressed well, and we feel like he will be an option,” Stoops told the Tucson Citizen this week. “To what extent, I think, will be how good he feels by Friday.”
Scott has appeared in six games this season, completing 64 of 91 passes for 772 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions.
Whether Stoops is comfortable working him into the game plan in certain situations remains to be seen.
Foles and Scott — who have been barred from speaking with the media this week — will be protected by an all-senior Wildcats offensive line.
Arizona’s line has allowed 24 sacks this season, but its collective mass (four players over 6-foot-4 and four players over 300 pounds) has bothered Oregon in the past.
“It’s going to be probably the biggest line we’ve seen since Tennessee,” Oregon senior defensive tackleZac Clark said. “They’re a good, solid group all around. They have a bunch of good players on the offense. Of course, the O-line’s huge (for what they do).”
Arizona junior Juron Criner has emerged as one of the best wide receivers in the conference in 2010, and is a reliable target for Foles and Scott. The Las Vegas native leads the Pac-10 in both receptions per game (6.4) and yards per game (98.2), with six touchdown catches.
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