Are you as fed up with Wildcat Football as I am???

Arizona football is in trouble, folks.

As of this writing, the team has a 3-6 record in a year where ten starters returned on defense and a new pass-oriented offensive system was introduced. QB Willie Tuitama, whose very career was in doubt after suffering two major concussions in the 2006 season, was medically cleared to play and seemed excited about the new spread offense of offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes, whose system at Texas Tech was one of the top-rated passing offenses in the NCAA in recent years, and kept the Red Raiders competitive in the Big XII, arguably one of the elite conferences in college football with such opponents as Oklahoma (former school of fourth-year head coach Mike Stoops), Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Texas, Kansas (with a resurgent football program this year) among others.

This Wildcat football season has been disappointing to say the least. A pre-season loss at BYU, losing the home opener to New Mexico, a road loss to a good yet overrated California, then the win against Washington State - followed by a tough loss to Oregon State and an even tougher loss to former national-champion-favored-USC and a tougher loss still to Stanford squad rebuilding under new head coach and former NFL QB Jim Harbaugh.

Yesterday's decisive comeback win over Washington (October 27) was a plus. But in my opinion the Wildcats could and should easily have a 8-1 overall record. Now they must win the remaining schedule (UCLA and Oregon at home and Arizona State in Tempe) just to break even at 6-6 which will not get them into a bowl game - the goal for this season.

Mike Stoops has done a lot to improve the Arizona football program after the debacle that was the tenure of John Mackovic. And there are bright spots this year, such as the defensive play of Spencer Larsen and Antoine Cason, the catches of "Money" Mike Thomas, the kicking of Jason Bondzio, the record-setting runs of freshman Nicholas Grigsby.

But in the fourth year of a five-year deal, the former defensive coordinator of Oklahoma - arguably one of the elite football programs in the NCAA year in and year out since the arrival of head coach, brother Bob Stoops - the Arizona program is struggling a lot more than it should be at this point. This Blog, written by a UA alum who was a UA student during the "Desert Swarm" era of Dick Tomey, is intended to start a dialogue on what needs to be done to get the Wildcat football program to the status of "elite", how we do it, and how long will it take.