• The World Wide Web has produced some solid Wildcat interviews today.  The first has Ted Miller of ESPN.com questioning the guy behind the Airzona Offense, Sonny Dykes.  Dykes talks a ton about the offense, some on the defense, and even some on future coaching.
• The next interview switches over to Arizona Basketball as SI.com interviews Chase Budinger. This is another great chat as Chase discusses Coach O, his Halloweeen costume, his decision to come back, and much more.
• Speaking of basketball, schedules are shaping up and ASU is ecstatic (ESPN Insider) with the tough competition in their Anaheim Classic. This “tough” competition includes Charlotte, Baylor, St. Mary’s, UTEP, Wake Forest, Cal State Fullerton, and Providence. Sounds like some powerhouses there, I mean a whole TWO of those teams made the NCAA Tournament last year (Neither being ASU).  Maybe its time the Sun Devils look at a real schedule, if they ever want to make the Tournament.
• And Amanda Beard does not like wearing clothes.
  

(Photo: Sonny Dykes/Tucson Citizen)

We’re only three days into camp, and true freshman cornerback Robert Golden has already done well to turn the heads of coaches and beat writers. John Moredich writes in today’s Tucson Citizen:

Golden was said to be ahead of Cason at comparable stages through their high school careers. That seems to remain the case.

Even the Arizona Daily Star’s Greg Hansen took part in the drool-fest: Read more »

• ESPN.com posted their conference Power Rankings for the upcoming football season. The ‘Cats were picked 5th best team in the Pac.
• Our week one opponent, Idaho, holds the #1 spot in the Bottom Ten. Be nice, we were on that list not too long ago.
• Pac-10 coaches were also ranked by ESPN.com, Stoops did not fare well at #9… Has anyone ever gone from Preseason #9 to Pac-10 Coach of the Year. Looks like STOOOOOPS will be the first.
• A bunch of Wildcats were included in this College Football Preseason Awards lists. (Gronk, Tui, Britton, Money Mike, Crier, and Bondzio — if you don’t feel up to the task of, you know, reading it.)
• And finally, fellow RauRaurist Barrett recently had some non-Arizona related material published in menvogue.com’s 50 Best Web Sites package. Somehow AOL Fanhouse and the Wall Street Journal’s Daily Fix were included, but RauRaur.com wasn’t. Serious?

(Photo of Rob Gronkowksi: John Miller/AP Press)

I mean, seriously. The dude loves sharks. He loves sharks 18% more than he loves hitting game winning shots. And, dude, he loves hitting game winners. What’s that? You don’t believe that Gilbert Arenas loves sharks? Well, then you didn’t read today’s Agent Zero blog. Dude… he loves sharks. Loves ‘em.

So, in our position battles discussion, we left out (at least one) of the most exciting, punt returner. One has to think Mike Thomas will be given first dibs. And if you watched the Keola Antolin video from our previous post, well, you know he’s a viable candidate. If you didn’t watch it, here’s another one. But we at RauRaur are keeping an eye on redshirt freshman William “Bug” Wright, if not for his highlight video (above) then for his name. 

Only one thing’s for sure, Keola needs a nickname because, right now, Money and Bug have a marked advantage.

We’re drunk with optimism right now… but it’s August 5th, who isn’t?

But while we have visions of Tuitama doing the Heisman and Money Mike Thomas with roses in his mouth, there are still some definite questions that need to be answered in this Fall Camp. Who will fill up the defensive line? Who will step up at corner? Who’s the backup at quarterback? Could we have a two running back system that people are so fond of these days? Well, here is our take on the positional battles going on in camp.

Defensive Ends: (D’Aundre Reed vs. Ricky Elmore vs. Brooks Reed vs. Apaiata Tuihalamaka)

Tedy Bruschi is not walking through that door, so these guys really need to step up. Read more »

(Editor’s Note: Today, Greg Hansen took readers through a predicted 2008 football season from aboard an imaginary “Mike Stoops Bandwagon.” We at RauRaur have employed an equally ridiculous concept for this “crystal ball” article… a preview derived by a series of ones and zeros that collectively are known as EA Sports’ NCAA Football 2009. The following is a first-person account from the National Championship game, as played by RauRaurist Sherrick Baffert. His Facebook page currently lists him as “single.”)

The pouring rain has no effect on the thousands of fans packed into the Orange Bowl for the National Championship game. The Florida Gators are the obvious favorites with back-to-back Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow leading the way, but it is hard to count out the undefeated Arizona Wildcats. The game is a back and forth battle as both teams trade off field goals and touchdowns with superb play from their star quarterbacks. Read more »

Among the highlights of arizonaathletics.com’s newcomer equipment fitting slideshow was our first glimpse of quarterback Matt Scott in an Arizona uniform (Photoshop/EA Sports-provided images not included).

Are we excited that Robert Golden might leave fall camp with a vice grip on the starting corner job (not to give it up until early-January 2012)? Yes. Does Solomon Koehler’s massive potential — joining a potentially disastrous defensive line — cause many a crossed finger? You know it. And, although we have little empirical evidence to justify this belief, does there not seem to be something about JUCO transfer RB Nick Booth. There sure does, for better or worse. But what Arizona needs most is a playmaker who turns a close loss into a gutsy win. (Translation: The player Arizona’s been missing since the late nineties) And for this reason, Scott is the newcomer we’re most excited to watch. Read more »

ESPN.com is continuing their countdown to the NCAA Football season, discussing teams, players, rivalries, and now the art of being clutch. Naturally the Pac-10 Most Clutch Team award went to USC, who have been the dominant team in the conference for years. But in the list of past Pac-10 clutch performers, former Arizona kicker Max Zendejas was honored in the top ten for his clutch performances as a Wildcat.

“Max Zendejas, K, Arizona: As a freshman in 1982, his 48-yard field goal with no time remaining gave Arizona a 16-13 win over then-No. 9 Notre Dame. He went on to kick critical field goals in two victories over Arizona State and rewrite the school’s record book.”

This got us thinking… What other Clutch ‘Cats have called Arizona Stadium home? Read more »

• Football’s newcomers report to practice Saturday. Here are the names to start memorizing (if you haven’t already).
• Arizona basketball’s top target for the 2009 class, point guard Abdul Gaddy, may have to drop Memphis from his list of possible destinations after a Tiger booster contacted his mother.
• Mike Bell signed with the Texans.
• Spencer Larson missed his first couple days of Bronco camp due to the tragic death of his niece.
• 2009 commit Mike Moser leads his AAU team to upset the likes of Mater Dei at the Best of Summer tournament (subscription to goazcats required — and so worth it).
• ESPN.com’s Ted Miller names Sonny Dykes #6 on his Pac-10’s hot coordinators list.

(Photo of Matt Scott: Tucson Citizen)