TUCSON, Ariz. -- With three games remaining in the regular season, Arizona is holding onto slim hopes for its first bowl berth since 1998. But the Wildcats' remaining schedule is difficult.
Arizona (4-5, 2-4 in the Pac-10) face No. 8 California in Arizona Stadium on Saturday before visiting No. 21 Oregon and then returning home to face in-state rival Arizona State. The three opponents have a combined 20-7 record. "What do we have to lose?" Arizona coach Mike Stoops said Monday at his weekly campus news conference. "I like our position. "I think our guys are going to be excited to play," Stoops said. "We are playing two Top 25 teams and then Arizona State. What can't you get up for?" With two wins in its last three games, Arizona is feeling much better about itself. The Wildcats are coming off a 27-17 upset of Washington State in Pullman last weekend. That was Wildcats' fourth victory of the season, the most wins for the school since it went 4-8 in 2002.
The biggest obstacle is California. The Golden Bears have buried the Stoops-led Wildcats 38-0 and 28-0 over the past two seasons. "We have not been very productive in the red zone and our scoring opportunities when we have played them," Stoops said. "We need to turn that around in this game." Arizona managed a total of 451 yards of offense in those two games. A year ago, Arizona rushed for 37 yards against the Bears. Those are discouraging numbers for a team with bowl dreams. Arizona must win two out of three to become bowl-eligible and may need to sweep all three to assure themselves of a bid. "Our season has not gone as planned, but our goal is to win out," Arizona linebacker Ronnie Palmer said. "We all want to go do a bowl game for the seniors and to make a name for ourselves."
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