STANFORD, Calif. — Beyond this week, when Arizona kicks off its Pac-12 schedule at Stanford on Saturday, the Wildcats will face seven ranked opponents in consecutive weeks, including a pair of showdowns against Top-10 teams Washington and USC.
Arizona (2-1) enters Saturday as two-score favorites over the Cardinal (1-2) in both teams’ final showdown as Pac-12 opponents. In 2024, the Wildcats will join the Big 12, while the Cardinal will be a part of the ACC along with Bay Area rival Cal.
To set up the UA for its tough upcoming schedule, Jedd Fisch didn’t mince words on the importance of Saturday’s matchup.
“We have to come back with a win. We have to play our best football in Palo Alto on Saturday,” he added. “We’re playing a really good football team in our first Pac-12 game, and we’ve lost to them six times in row.
“This program has been established and built to win, and we have to expect them to come back and give us their best on Saturday and we gotta give them our best shot,” Fisch added.
Yogi Roth, left, of Pac-12 Network helps moderate an interview session with Arizona football coach Jedd Fisch during Pac-12 media day in Last Vegas in July, ahead of the 2023 college football season.
Since the Arizona-Stanford game is on Pac-12 Networks, the Star chatted with longtime Pac-12 analyst Yogi Roth about the league’s last hurrah entering conference play, his initial thoughts on the Wildcats, and finding inspiration on broadcasts despite the conference’s demise. Here’s what he said:
How do you evaluate the Pac-12 from top to bottom?
A: “I think it’s everything we all hoped it would be be pre-realignment. I think it’s what everyone thought it could be post-last season with the return of so many big-time players and elite players, from freshmen, transfers to coaches. There’s a ton of intrigue and so I’m not surprised about it at all. There’s not any of these guys that surprise besides the losses. I thought Arizona would beat Mississippi State. I was surprised by that. Not as frustrated as them, but I thought they could win.
“I’m fired up about it. I think there’s some nostalgia that’s been added to it, which is unfortunate based on the cyclical nature of college football, and we hear that phrase all the time. All of us out west are all like, ‘When is it going to happen?’ It’s unfortunate that two years ago, a couple schools decided that they wanted to make a move and bolt instead of trusting the cycle of return, which it has.”
Since so many Pac-12 teams are ranked this season, do you envision the conference getting one or two bids in the College Football Playoff, or will the conference cannibalize itself?
A: “Probably a little bit of both.
“The narrative of this league and how it’s stronger than ever before, because it’s true and other leagues are down, specifically the SEC. It’s nowhere near where it was. The Big 12 hasn’t met the hype it’s had coming into the season and the Big Ten is pretty top-heavy, which is pretty standard for them. I think the narrative will carry for a while.
“I don’t anticipate anyone being undefeated in conference play, because you just never have that in the history of this league. But I think we should start talking about teams in the playoff as a one or two seed rather than, ‘Will they get a team in?’ That’s a good thing that needs to happen from a narrative standpoint.”
What’s your assessment of Arizona through three games?
A: “They let one get away (at Mississippi State). They should be a Top-25 team. One of the most explosive offenses in the country, which stands out again. I think Jedd Fisch’s development of this team is noteworthy and needs to be noted.
“The build has stood out to me. You can’t help but notice the guys up front. Guys aren’t getting blown off the ball. It’s just not happening, and that’s what allows those two linebackers (Jacob Manu and Justin Flowe) to make plays.
“I like it. I think it’s where it exactly needs to be.”
As a quarterback expert, what’s your assessment of Arizona gunslinger Jayden de Laura, who has thrown for 912 yards, eight touchdowns and five interceptions?
A: “It’s part of who he is. Streaky is probably a little harsh, but he’s always been a player that can ride momentum. He’s got some beautiful elements to his game that you don’t want to take away. I think what was surprising in that game against Mississippi State, he tried to make up for every mistake immediately and that led to another mistake and another turnover, another negative play, then a careless play with the quarterback sneak. I think he’s learned a lot from all of the games he’s played in. I bet he took the most away from that night (at Mississippi State).
“I think he proved to himself that he’s got the capability to withstand a challenge that not a lot of quarterbacks in the country come back from. Most of them reside in this conference.
“I’m really happy for him in terms of bouncing back. But it’s frustrating to see some of the decisions he made in that game. If he doesn’t make those, it’s probably a different ball game, but you take the good with the bad, and he’s made brilliant plays.
“He needs to just be boring sometimes. He’ll do that this weekend, but he really needs to do it when the lights get really bright. We’ll find out. He can win huge games. We saw that at UCLA. He can be masterful sometimes, but then other times we’ve seen him overtry and try too hard. It’ll be fun when he’s going up against better defenses.”
Ashley Adamson and Yogi Roth of Pac-12 Network interview Arizona football coach Jedd Fisch during Pac-12 media day in Last Vegas in July, ahead of the 2023 college football season.
As the lead analyst and personality of the conference’s network, what’s your approach with every game knowing the current state of the Pac-12?
A: “When everything (in terms of the conference’s future) fell apart on that Friday, that was a challenging time for everyone that’s been a part of the league. That was the option no one could ever have imagined. Every (athletic director), school president never alluded to that and then in a matter of hours, it all just fell apart. Thank God I have the most amazing wife of all time and we just took it together. She let me talk all weekend, we dropped our kids off at her mom’s house, and we just talked about life, the league.
“I’ve been in this league for 20 years now. I really came out of it, like anyone who goes through heartbreak, feeling angry, frustrated, you’re negotiating, you’re sad, and then you get to acceptance. I got to acceptance on Monday and then you go and have meaning. My meaning, which what drives me within the crap, is to do two things: celebrate the game and coach the viewer. So I’ve never been more enthused to get to games.
“It is not as hard as one might think. I’m as enthused as I’ve ever been. I’m not driven harder because it’s the last year. Hopefully I’ve called every game like it’s the Rose Bowl. A dream of my career is to call the Rose Bowl. I’m just doubling down on the honor of sitting in the chair as our analyst and I’m going to continue to do that. I’m going to celebrate the game, coach the viewer and go as hard as I can.”
VIDEO: Arizona (2-1) opens up its final conference season as a Pac-12 member at Stanford (1-2) on Saturday in Palo Alto. Video by Justin Spears / Arizona Daily Star
