Monday, September 14, 2015

Could College Game Day be heading to Tucson?

So you're saying there's a chance..?

As we digest the latest AP poll rankings, where Arizona has moved up two spots to No. 20, the week four matchup with UCLA seems to be drawing some intrigue.

So much intrigue, that it might just be a landing spot for ESPN's College Game Day. Week four doesn't provide us with a whole lot of great match-ups, but the draw of the SEC could overcome.

Now, College Game Day would be a great experience for this campus, program, and the city of Tucson, but it's hard for me to believe that Arizona can compete with UCLA, and on a national stage, that could spell trouble for the Wildcats. If we take away preseason rankings, UCLA looks like what could be the third best team in the nation. As of now, I'd expect our final score to look very similar to 2012 when Arizona traveled to the Rose Bowl.

Here are a few of the games Arizona would be competing with to host College Game Day in two weekends:

Mississippi State at No. 18 Auburn

Mississippi State is coming off of a tough loss to LSU at home, missing a 52-yard field goal to win the game. They play Northwestern State in week three, which would put them at 2-1 on the season, with their lone loss coming from No. 14 LSU. Auburn was pushed to the limit vs Jacksonville State, and almost became the second top-ten team to ever lose to an FCS opponent. They play at LSU in week 3, which would be a huge win for Auburn and would put them back into the top 15.

No. 21 Utah at No. 12 Oregon

Oregon is coming off a tough loss to Michigan State, which pushed them back in the polls a bit. They get Georgia State in week three, which should give them no problems. Utah gets Fresno State on the road and should be able to handle them.

One thing to keep in mind: Oregon hosts USC on November 21st, which is probably ESPN's top candidate for Game Day that week, or at least they would hope.

No. 6 USC at Arizona State

If all goes well for both parties, ASU could also be a top candidate for College Game Day on November 21st, when the Wildcats take Tempe. The Devils get New Mexico this week, which could give ASU problems, much like Cal Poly did, since both schools use the triple option. USC will host Stanford, who has given the Trojans trouble in the past, but this year it shouldn't be a problem. ASU looks pretty bad, but they're still receiving votes, and could get just enough to slide in exactly at 25 heading into week 4.

No. 3 TCU vs Texas Tech

TCU will play SMU and Texas Tech will head to Arkansas before the two meet in week four. With a Tech win, they could climb into the top 25. It's hard to imagine the Big 12 getting a lot of opportunities to host College Game Day, and that would certainly play a factor in the decision process. Baylor and TCU play on Friday, November 27th, which rules that game out for contention. Then you would just have to think that it's a combination of Oklahoma vs TCU or Baylor, whichever works in ESPN's favor.

No. 19 BYU at Michigan

Despite losing their starting quarterback, BYU has improved to 2-0 on the season, beating two respectable opponents. This is where things get interesting, as BYU will head to Westwood to play UCLA. Now, if BYU beats UCLA, that would presumably take Arizona out of the question for Game Day. BYU would climb the ranks, and Michigan is always going to be Michigan in the eyes of ESPN, and with Jim Harbaugh, this could be an attractive draw. Michigan hosts UNLV this week, and the Wolverines looked pretty good at home this past weekend.

No. 19 Texas A&M at Arkansas

A&M will host Nevada and I would expect Nevada to put up about three points. Arkansas, will get Texas Tech, who could also be playing for a chance to host Game Day. Now, Arkansas is coming off of a bad loss to Toledo, but you never know with the SEC.



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