Lev it on the Field: Breaking down the Arizona-Oklahoma matchup in the Valero Alamo Bowl

“Lev it on the Field” is back for the Valero Alamo Bowl. It’s the Star’s unique look at Arizona’s upcoming football matchup and other happenings around the Pac-12 (and Big 12) through the eyes of UA beat reporter-turned-columnist Michael Lev.

This is not a “meaningless” bowl game for the Arizona Wildcats. It is meaningful in so many ways.

Most of the 2023 Cats never have played in a bowl game. So for them, everything going down in San Antonio ahead of Thursday’s Alamo Bowl against Oklahoma is a first. That’s meaningful.

For some, such as fifth-year running back Michael Wiley, the Alamo Bowl is a finale. Wiley likely will have an opportunity to play football professionally. Most college players don’t get that chance. For many of Wiley’s teammates, Thursday represents the last time they’ll ever play. That’s meaningful.

Arizona has a real chance to knock off one of college football’s true bluebloods in front of a national-TV audience at the Alamodome. If you want to consider the Sooners representatives of the SEC, the conference they’ll be joining soon, a win becomes that much sweeter. And that much more meaningful.

The Wildcats have a chance to put the finishing touches on a truly special season — and launch themselves into the College Football Playoff discussion for 2024. With a win, and with most of the squad coming back, they could be a preseason Top 10 team.

Some teams don’t show up for games that are essentially exhibitions. They arrive unmotivated or stripped to the studs — or scrubs — by personnel losses.

Arizona isn’t one of those teams. The Alamo Bowl isn’t one of those games.

Take that for data!

A win Thursday would be Arizona’s 10th of the season. That would put the 2023 Wildcats in rarified air.

Only three UA teams have won 10 games in one season: The 1993, 1998 and 2014 clubs. The ’93 and ’98 teams are considered the greatest in program history.

For Oklahoma, 10 wins is expected — maybe even a little disappointing.

The Sooners have won 10 or more games in 19 of 24 seasons this century. One of the five times they fell short was the pandemic year of 2020, when they played only 11 games and went 9-2.

Oklahoma has won 10 or more games 42 times, dating to 1915. The Sooners have won 11 or more 27 times and 12 or more nine times.

Getting to double digits isn’t a big deal for them. It’d be a monumental achievement for Arizona.

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Going up: The transfer portal

“It’s the transfer portal! It’s out of control!” That’s the money line in the latest Dr Pepper “Fansville” commercial. It works because it’s true. As of this writing, 1,765 players had entered the portal during this cycle, per On3.com. About a third (592) had found new homes. The 30-day window officially closes Tuesday, for what it’s worth. Given the latest court and NCAA rulings, it might not be worth much. I have mixed feelings about the portal. Student-athletes absolutely should have freedom of movement. But it makes it hard, for fans and media alike, to develop a bond with players knowing they could leave at a moment’s notice.

Going down: Bowl season

It’s been rough at times. We’ve seen first-time starting quarterbacks, makeshift offensive lines, patchwork defenses and some unwatchable blowouts (South Florida 45, Syracuse 0; South Alabama 59, Eastern Michigan 10). What’s the answer here? Adjusting the calendar would help to a degree. But it’s hard to move the portal window to January because that’s when most schools start their second semesters — and most players want to enroll then to participate in spring practice. The expanded CFP will help the sport in that it will create more games with real stakes. But it’ll water down the bowl games that much more.

A question from my X

“How do you think the season would’ve gone had (Jayden) de Laura not gotten hurt against Stanford? Assuming they had lost that game, would the coaching staff have made the switch to (Noah) Fifita or let de Laura continue?” — @gdhwildcat77, via X/Twitter

This is a fascinating what-if scenario. I’m not sure Arizona would have won the Stanford game — de Laura and the offense were out of sorts when he went down — but I don’t think Jedd Fisch would have made a change even if the Wildcats had lost.

Fisch has been a de Laura advocate from the outset, recognizing what his arrival and playmaking meant to the program. Fisch also didn’t want to engage in the “musical chairs” that made a bad QB situation worse in 2021.

Fifita left Fisch with no choice: The redshirt freshman played his way into the starting job. Fisch couldn’t go back to de Laura even if he wanted to.

Would Arizona be 9-3 with JDL at the helm? The Wildcats might have won a game they lost — more likely USC than Washington — but they also might have lost a game they won. That’s how it is with de Laura, who just entered the portal: His play is much more volatile than the steady-as-he-goes Fifita.

Given the improvements across the roster, Arizona still would have made a bowl game with no QB change. But I’ll say the Wildcats’ record would have been one game worse.

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Usually we opine about uniforms in this space, but we’re breaking protocol this time because the Pop-Tarts Bowl has one-upped every other bowl game and possible uniform combination that any team could wear. If the edible mascot costume weren’t enough, the Pop-Tarts Bowl revealed its trophy this week — and it is a work of art. The top of the trophy features a metallic football with toaster slots. The picture posted by the bowl game had Pop-Tarts in those slots. The post had more than 1,400 likes as of Wednesday afternoon.

What he said ...

“Jackson (Arnold) is a phenomenal young man, extremely hard worker. He’s going to put in all the time it takes to prepare the right way each and every week, even though he wasn’t the starter most of those games this year. Like I told him, we’re both getting our first start together. It’ll be an amazing time. No one better to do it with.” — new Oklahoma OC/QB coach Seth Littrell

What he meant ...

“I’ve really only worked with the kid on the field for three weeks, so I’m trying to think of every cliché about quarterbacks than I can. In that spirit, let me add that he’s like an extension of the coaching staff, he’s a natural leader and he can make all the throws. In all seriousness, check back with me in training camp. Our relationship will be fully formed by then.”

The other side

Justin Martinez, via The Oklahoman:

No group on the OU football team has had more departures than the offensive line in the past few weeks.

Cayden Green. Savion Byrd. Marcus Hicks. Nate Anderson. Aaryn Parks.

The Sooners have lost five offensive linemen to the transfer portal since the conclusion of their regular season. But as OU prepares for an Alamo Bowl game against Arizona on Thursday night in San Antonio, it knows it can lean on McKade Mettauer.

The redshirt senior right guard will surely hear his name get called in the 2024 NFL Draft. Still, he has no intention of opting out of his final college football game.

“I love football,” Mettauer said Tuesday. “I love to represent this school any chance I can get. Obviously, it was a no-brainer, one more to be with these guys. It’s something that I wanted to do.”

Mettauer’s decision to play in the Alamo Bowl is huge for the Sooners, who need experience on the offensive line. ...

“I’m not going to leave any guys out to dry,” Mettauer said on Dec. 12. “I’m not gonna let Jackson go out there without some guys with experience. I want to keep him safe.”

Pick to click (aka #fadelev)

In the quest for our own 10-3 record, I’m taking Washington plus-4.5 in the second national semifinal vs. Texas. The Longhorns arguably have the best win anyone posted this season — 34-24 at Alabama on Sept. 9 — but let’s not forget that they barely squeaked past Houston and TCU, who combined to go 9-15. There’s something special about this UW team. The Huskies are tougher than people give them credit for. And they have the better quarterback. (season record: 9-3)

One last thing

With Oklahoma missing several key players, including star quarterback Dillon Gabriel, Arizona enters the Alamo Bowl as a three-point favorite.

It’s a position the Wildcats will have to get used to next year.

Success begets expectations. Expectations beget pressure.

How Arizona handles that will be one of the fascinating storylines of 2024.

The Wildcats have been underdogs for years, and there’s something freeing about that.

Starting Thursday, the roles will be reversed.

My prediction: With Fisch and Fifita in leadership roles, Arizona will handle it just fine.