X’s and O’s obviously are the biggest key to the week for Arizona football before playing at Stanford on Satuday, but here’s another one for ya, Phd. That’s right, the mental game maybe equally as important this week.

The reason I suggest this is because the Cats have flat out foiled some chances to capitalize on previous success. In other words, they’ve failed on more than a few occasions to validate what they set on the table the week before. Take, for example, September, October and Novmeber of 2006.

September 30, 2006

(2-2) Arizona hosting Washington...Final Score...UW 21 Arizona 10

Drop to below .500 instead of climbing above it!!!

October 21, 2006

(3-4) Arizona hosting Oregon State...Final Score...OSU 17 Arizona 10

Drop even further below .500 instead of drawing back even!!!

November 25, 2006

(6-5) Arizona hosting Arizona State...Final Score (This One Hurt)...ASU 28 Arizona 14

Finish the regular season at .500 instead of (7-5) and a post season bowl birth!!!

And then take, for example, the 2007 season. It wasn’t as much of a let down as the previous campaign, but the point is still taken.

September 16, 2007

(1-1) Arizona hosting New Mexico...Final Score (Yikes)...UNM 29 Arizona 27

Drop below .500 three games into the regular season.

October 20, 2007

(2-5) Arizona hosting Stanford...Final Score (Bad Home Loss)...Stanford 21 Arizona 20

Things looking bleak instead of finding some sort of positive energy on the home field.

December 1, 2007

(5-6) Arizona @ Arizona State...Final Score (Boring Game)...ASU 20 Arizona 17

Finish the regular season (5-7) instead of closing with four wins for bowl eligibility!!!

Coach Stoops talked to me about changing the culture of things this preseason. Well guess what, he’s doing that better right now than he has at anytime all things taken into consideration, mostly wins. But I think right now is when Mike jumps inside the heads of those college kids and points out a few things. And let me make a few suggestions to Dr. Mikee Mike.

- Understand what it means to be (4-1) the first month and a half into the season

- Egos will obviously be on cloud nine right about now...Keep ‘em in check

- And goodness gracious I’ve come to dislike this one...But in all seriousness (I think???)...TAKE IT A GAME AT A TIME (More over usage than hairspray for any news anchor in town, except me, I use gel baby!!!)

- Have an understanding for what you can accomplish

- Realize how important you are, as an individual, for doing your part to continue with the important culture change for this TEAM

- And last but not least, and here I am skipping ahead, so this is for Coach Stoops only...Please don’t lose to Arizona State in Tucson to close the regular season...They are NOT GOOD!!! J

So there you go Dr. Stoops. Where you and the boys are right now hasn’t been felt since the night of October 30th Y2K, and that’s a stated fact. And here’s the bad news about that. Arizona finished that season (5-6), after a (5-1) start as a matter of fact. Things can always go south in a hurry in sports. Any chance that could happen this time round? Sure it could, but in this case likely not I would say? But that’s the point. It could happen and letting it happen would be devastating after the past decade coupled with the way things have started this season. So good luck Dr. Stoops. Fight the good fight and I’d be prepared to handle “head” games as much as I would “field” games the rest of this season. Bear Down Arizona!!!