ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

Sixth in a series looking at potential dream and nightmare scenarios for all Pac-10 teams, starting at the bottom and working up from my vote in the Pac-10 media poll.

Up next: Arizona

Best case

Many touted Central Michigan as a potential upset special at Arizona in week one, in large part because NFL teams are high on Chippewas' quarterback Dan LeFevour. But a quarterback can't do much when he's flat on his back.

Wildcats end Brooks Reed records three of the Wildcats seven sacks, while sophomore quarterback Matt Scott is steady in his first start, throwing for a touchdown and running for another in a 38-10 victory.

After dispatching Northern Arizona, the Wildcats head to No. 15 Iowa, which is far more salty on the offensive line. But the Hawkeyes have no answer for tight end Rob Gronkowski, who catches 10 passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns as the Wildcats make a statement that they will be a Pac-10 contender.

Still, there are skeptics. Just about everyone projects a loss at Oregon State.

And just about everyone is wrong. Arizona, playing perhaps its most complete game of the Mike Stoops era, shocks the Beavers 35-17 in Reser Stadium, with Nic Grigsby rushing for 167 yards and two touchdowns.

TV folks also finally scrap the "Stoops Cam," which in past years had picked up the emotional coach acting, well, emotional. "He's the new Tom Landry," notes one scribe. "He just stands there in his visor. Buy the guy a fedora."

Scott looks more like Washington's Jake Locker in a 41-20 victory over the Huskies, passing for 210 yards and rushing for 78, but the momentum ends with a second-consecutive heartbreaking loss to Stanford, this time when Cardinal strong safety Delano Howell returns a Scott interception for a late touchdown in a 24-20 defeat.

The Wildcats bounce back with wins over UCLA and Washington State and they carry a 7-1 record and No. 12 ranking into Berkeley for a showdown with the No. 8 Bears.

The Rose Bowl -- Arizona has never been and Cal hasn't played in one since 1959 -- is still up for grabs.

While the Wildcats had won two out of the past three from the Bears, this time there's just a little too much Jahvid Best, who rushes for 135 yards and turns a screen pass into a 68-yard touchdown in a 28-24 win.

The Wildcats trudge home, but 15,000 fans meet them at the airport, which inspires them in a 42-35 overtime victory over Oregon.

Reed, now a frontrunner for the Ted Hendricks Award, records two sacks in the 28-17 victory over Arizona State, giving him 15.5 for the season, a total that is second only to Tedy Bruschi's 19 in 1993.

The Wildcats head to Los Angeles to play spoiler for unbeaten USC, which is a win away from the BCS title game, but the Trojans offensive line takes control in the fourth quarter in a 31-20 decision.

Still, an invitation to the Holiday Bowl isn't too shabby, though Stoops isn't sure what to think of a date with big brother Bob and Oklahoma.

As often seems to happen in the Holiday Bowl, the team that wishes it were someplace else -- in this case, Oklahoma -- struggles. The Wildcats grind out a 24-20 win, sacking Sooners quarterback Sam Bradford four times.

The Wildcats finish 10-3 and ranked 10th. Tucson columnists opine that Stoops is "probably off the hot seat. For now."

Worst case

Sometimes the pessimistic projections prove true.

The quarterback tandem of Matt Scott and Nick Foles -- neither managed to separate himself during preseason practices -- is no match for Central Michigan's NFL prospect Dan LeFevour, who throws three touchdown passes in a 28-24 upset of the Wildcats.

After beating Northern Arizona, the Wildcats fall at Iowa and Oregon State. With a bye week before heading to Washington, coach Mike Stoops announces that Matt Scott will be the quarterback. Scott then leads a conservative offensive effort in a win over the Huskies.

That's the good news. The bad news is tight end Rob Gronkowski suffers a season-ending thumb injury.

Scott, who's clearly more comfortable running than throwing, rushes for 95 yards in a win over Stanford, but that approach isn't as effective against UCLA's fast defense, which holds the Wildcats to just 220 total yards.

Foles takes over, and throws for 285 yards and two touchdowns in an easy win over Washington State. But California's secondary is a bit more athletic, and the Bears intercept Foles three times in a 30-17 win.

When Foles can't get it done in a 40-20 loss to Oregon, Scott earns the start against arch-rival Arizona State.

Scott plays well, but the Wildcats fall when Sun Devils kicker Thomas Weber breaks a 20-20 tie with a 57-yard field goal with no time left on the clock.

The dispirited Wildcats are no match for USC in the season-finale, falling 44-10, a four-game losing streak capping a disappointing 4-8 season.

"Stoops seat couldn't be hotter," the headlines read.