Not since the “Desert Swarm” days of the late 1990s has Pasadena seemed so close.

By Rich Cirminiello | @RichCirminiello

Arizona has never played in the Rose Bowl Game, but it appears to be just a matter of time before that lengthy dry spell comes to an end. In three years, Rich Rodriguez has succeeded in changing the culture in Tucson, highlighted by last year’s 10 wins, South Division title and first Top 25 finish since 1998.

However, the ‘Cats failed to close strong, losing to Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship Game and Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. So, instead of becoming a fly in the College Football Playoff ointment, they were left with a feeling of unfinished business. Now, Arizona wants to take the next step on its evolutionary ladder by writing a different, er, rosier ending to the 2015 season.

Rich Rod has revitalized Arizona football, and in so doing has revitalized his own coaching career. That three-year debacle at Michigan now feels like a distant memory, an anomaly intersecting fruitful stints in Morgantown, W.V. and now Tucson. And consistent with the West Virginia years, Rodriguez is winning with his kind of players … and an up-tempo offensive attack.

The Wildcats are scrappy and hard-working on defense. Witness one Scooby Wright. With the ball, though, they’re potent and a menace to every other Pac-12 program. It’s not so much that the ‘Cats don’t play D as it is they don’t win with D. That’s largely the responsibility of Rodriguez’s offense, which will again be dangerous and diverse.

RichRod welcomes back his starting quarterback, sophomore Anu Solomon, for the first time since joining Arizona, and a supporting cast led by RB Nick Wilson and WR Cayleb Jones will stretch defenses like taffy in all directions. The O-line, however, must prove it can remain an asset with three new starters in the lineup.

Rodriguez is way ahead of schedule with the Wildcats, rising above the eight-win bar to go 10-4 last season. Now, he and his ‘Cats plan to remain in the rarified air of Pac-12 contention. The conference portion of the schedule is daunting, and both lines are going to face intense scrutiny in the summer and the fall. But with Rod’s offense ready to peak and his systems firmly in place, Arizona will once again be among the contenders for a Top 25 finish and a spot in the league championship game.

What to watch for on offense: Snap judgment. The Wildcat offensive line is a question mark entering 2015, as three new starters get inserted into the lineup. But the staff is cautiously optimistic about the guards and tackles, with holdovers Jacob Alsadek and Cayman Bundage manning the inside and Cal transfer Freddie Tagaloa locking down left tackle. At the pivot, though, there are concerns, especially the all-important shotgun snaps back to Anu Solomon. The battle between undersized Carter Wood and Zack Hemmila will hinge on who’s cleaner this summer.

What to watch for on defense: The new-look secondary. Three of last year’s starters are gone, leaving ‘spur’ William Parks and CB Jarvis McCall as the lone returning regulars of the five-man group. Cam Denson is closing in on a job at the other corner, and Jamar Allah and Tellas Jones have leads at free safety and ‘bandit’, respectively. But a pair of newcomers to the unit bear a close watch this summer. Former wide receiver—and Notre Dame recruit—DaVonte’ Neal looked comfortable at cornerback this spring. And well-travelled JUCO signee Paul Magloire will make it difficult to keep him on the sidelines.

The team will be far better if… the offense gets efficient. Arizona boasts a lot of weapons at the skill positions, but too often stalled in 2014, the byproduct of going with a young quarterback. The Wildcats averaged more than 34 points per game, despite ranking 89% nationally in third-down conversions and 86th in red-zone touchdown percentage. If QB Anu Solomon is sharper with his decisions—and P Drew Riggleman and PK Casey Skowron are used less—there’s no reason why this attack can’t get to 40 points per game.

The Schedule:
The Wildcats’ non-conference schedule isn’t overly taxing, opening with UTSA before travelling to Reno to play Nevada and hosting Northern Arizona.
– The schedule does not feature a traditional bye, meaning Arizona will play on 12 consecutive weekends without a break. It will, however, get an extra week to prepare for the Pac-12 Championship Game in the event it qualifies.
– The toughest road stretch of the season occurs in Week 9 and Week 10, with trips to Washington and USC in the span of seven days.
– There’ll be no rematch of last December’s Pac-12 title game with Oregon. The Wildcats toughest opponent from the North Division will be Stanford on the Farm on Oct. 3.
– The Territorial Cup between rivals Arizona and Arizona State grows in importance each year. This November’s matchup takes place in Tempe, with the Sun Devils looking to avenge last year’s 42-35 defeat.
– WATCH OUT FOR … Colorado. A trip to Boulder on Oct. 17 is nestled into the softest part of the 2015 slate. The ‘Cats better have their secondary retooled, because Sefo Liufau to Nelson Spruce is a relentless pitch-and-catch combo.

Best offensive player: Junior WR Cayleb Jones. Jones should be to Arizona what Jaelen Strong was to ASU the past couple of seasons. Jones possesses the triangle numbers, size, speed and strength, to abuse most opposing defensive backs on the schedule. And his familiarity and comfort level with the Wildcat quarterbacks continues to grow now that he’s two years removed from being a Texas Longhorn. In an offense with so much diversity and so many options, Jones is the ‘Cat most likely to stretch the field on opposing defenses.

Best defensive player: Junior LB Scooby Wright. Wright delivered one of the best seasons for a second-year defender in recent history. And he’s anything but content. Wright operates with a warrior’s mentality and unmatched passion, spending most of the game around the ball. Plus, he plays with an infectious intensity that inspires those around him. Will Wright match last year’s monstrous production? Possibly not, as offenses key on neutralizing him. But if his numbers decline, others, like up-and-coming OLB Derrick Turituri, should see a spike in production.

Key player to a successful season: Sophomore QB Anu Solomon. While Solomon certainly enjoyed a solid debut, setting numerous school records, Arizona needs him to further evolve. Rich Rodriguez is challenging his young quarterback to further evolve. Winning the South Division for a second straight year hinges on Solomon’s ability to grow, as a leader and a decision-maker. For all the good he achieved, his lasting impression was taking an inexcusable sack at the end of the Fiesta Bowl. And the ‘Cats were inconsistent and inefficient offensively last year. There’s boundless optimism surrounding Solomon, but he has to continue fulfilling it in 2015.

The season will be a success if … the ‘Cats win 10 for a second consecutive year. Why not? The program is on a roll under Rich Rod, the quarterback is no longer a rookie and the star defender has two years of eligibility left. Plus, Arizona will get a head start on reaching 10 wins by opening with UTSA, Nevada and Northern Arizona. Repeating as the South Division champ is clearly a goal, but a challenging one at that. Of the four toughest opponents on the schedule, UCLA, Stanford, USC and Arizona State, only the Bruins will be traveling Tucson this fall.

Key game: Sept. 26 vs. UCLA. Sure, no game on the schedule will ever be bigger than the annual battle with in-state rival Arizona State. But the Week 4 visit from UCLA is a pivot point that will impact the rest of the 2015 campaign. This is must-win territory for the Wildcats, which should be 3-0 by this point, yet having proved little against a soft non-conference schedule. Beating the Bruins will dispatch a statement that Arizona is once again a threat to win the South. And with a tough road slate ahead, winning in Tucson is especially vital this fall.

2014 Fun Stats:
– Yards per game: Arizona 463.6 – Opponents 451.0
– Takeaways: Arizona 26 – Opponents 18
– Third-down percentage: Arizona 47% – Opponents 39%

What you need to know about the offense: The read-option has produced good results in Rich Rodriguez’s three seasons, but it’s yet to click to full capacity. The hope around Tucson is that that changes in 2015. The Wildcats’ big three, QB Anu Solomon, RB Nick Wilson and WR Cayleb Jones, are back together for another year. Solomon and Wilson were just rookies in 2014, yet the team still averaged 34 points and 463 yards per game. But efficiency, especially on third downs and in the red zone, escaped the offense. The onus now falls on Solomon, who’ll team with one of the better wide receiver corps in the Pac-12, to take his game to a new level. He’s worked hard throughout the offseason, adding muscle and engrossing himself in becoming a more complete player. However, he’ll face a new hurdle this fall, an O-line breaking in three new starters. The staff is comfortable with the guards, returning starters Jacob Alsadek and Cayman Bundage. And Cal transfer Freddie Tagaloa has been a find at left tackle. The pivot, though, remains unsettled and needs to be solved in the summer.

What you need to know about the defense: Jeff Casteel’s D is a bit of an enigma. On the one hand, the unit housed the nation’s most decorated defensive player in 2014, LB Scooby Wright. On the other, it became soft down the stretch and was generally unremarkable beyond Wright. Arizona is what it is on D, an attacking group that’s going to be vulnerable against quality offenses. Wright, naturally, remains the centerpiece, but he’s going to need more help from the balance of the two-deep. Spur Will Parks is ready to turn heads in his finale, and a fifth year of eligibility for DE Reggie Gilbert is a boon to the front wall, but who else is ready to step up and deliver? Based on the offseason so far, OLB Derrick Turituri, CB Cam Denson and FS Jamar Allah are early candidates to author career years in 2015. And the progress of DaVonte’ Neal’s relocation from wide receiver to corner warrants a close watch based on how well he performed in March and April.

Players You Need To Know

1. LB Scooby Wright, Jr.
In 2014, Wright authored one of the best individual seasons in the 115-year history of Arizona football, remarkable considering his career began as a two-star longshot. The reigning Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year—and self-proclaimed gym rat—plays with relentless determination and a chip on his shoulder. Wright racked up staggering numbers, 163 tackles, 29 stops for loss, 14 sacks and six forced fumbles, to become the first player this century to rank top 5 nationally in all four categories. And the 6-1, 246-pounder is the last player in Tucson to rest on his laurels, even after winning the Bednarik Award, Nagurski Trophy and Lombardi Award.

2. WR Cayleb Jones, Jr.
Jones’ debut as a Wildcat was a memorable one. The Texas transfer quickly emerged as Anu Solomon’s favorite target, catching a team-high 73 passes for 1,019 yards and nine touchdowns to earn honorable mention All-Pac-12. At 6-3 and 215 pounds, Jones is tough to defend, especially since his vertical ability can make DBs feel even smaller. Now that he’s been on campus for two years, and developed chemistry with Solomon, Jones is poised to be one of the Pac-12’s most lethal wideouts of 2015.

3. QB Anu Solomon, Soph.
The Solomon era in Tucson is off and running. After winning a protracted battle to replace B.J. Denker, the heralded recruit from Las Vegas began what could be a four-year journey as Rich Rodriguez’s offensive point man. The 6-2, 205-pound Solomon is still learning the nuances of the system, and he’s only a year into his college career. But he displayed tremendous upside in 2014 by completing 313-of-540 passes for 3,793 yards, 28 touchdowns and nine interceptions, while adding 552 pre-sack yards on the ground. The hope around campus is that he’ll be even more dangerous through the air as a sophomore.

4. RB Nick Wilson, Soph.
It turns out that Wilson simply needed a chance. Once he got it, he quickly became the feature back the Wildcats were after before the season began. He was a revelation in his first year out of high school in Fresno, Calif., rushing for 1,375 yards and 16 touchdowns on 236 carries. Wilson is only 5-10 and 199 pounds, but he deftly squirts through traffic and almost never fields contact in the backfield. He’s a deliberative runner who wastes no movement when the ball is in his hands.

5. WR Samajie Grant, Jr.
Arizona is comfortable using Grant at all four wide receiver positions. But he’s most dangerous working out of the slot, finding soft areas in defenses and creating mismatches with linebackers. He’s a very slippery 5-9, 177-pounder who’ll pick up huge chunks of real estate if he isn’t properly hemmed in. Grant led the team’s receivers with a 16-yard average in 2014, turning 45 catches into 718 yards and six touchdowns.

6. Spur William Parks, Sr.
To play the ‘spur’ on Jeff Casteel D, a defender must be smart and versatile. Check and check as it pertains to Parks, who’s coming off a breakout season in Tucson. The Philadelphia native made the most of his first full season in the lineup, collecting 81 tackles, 13 stops for loss, two picks and eight pass breakups. At 6-1 and 194 pounds, Parks has both the length and the athleticism to make plays all over the field.

7. OT Freddie Tagaloa, Jr.
Tagaloa has yet to play a snap in Tucson, yet he’s already being viewed as one of the leaders of a line in transition. The 6-8, 316-pounder sat out last season following a transfer from Cal, and has impressed the coaches on the scout team and during spring drills. The consensus favorite to protect the blindside of Anu Solomon, Tagaloa has the size to envelope opposing pass rushers and the passion to continue improving. He has a high ceiling, which could include All-Pac-12 recognition in his Wildcat debut.

8. DE Reggie Gilbert, Sr.
The Wildcats are thrilled that Gilbert has received a fifth year of eligibility, payback for missing most of his rookie season to an injury. Since then, he’s started 34 career games, while making 10.5 sacks and 18.5 stops for loss. Gilbert is one of the staff’s favorite players, for his work ethic and his versatility up front. And at 6-4 and 262 pounds, he has the size and strength to overpower opposing blockers and contribute to the Arizona run defense.

9. P Drew Riggleman, Sr.
While it didn’t make many headlines, Riggleman was one of the most improved Wildcats of 2014. He upped his punting average by six yards to 46.1 per attempt, which ranked second in the league. Riggleman maximized his leg strength during an offseason of conditioning to cop a well-deserved spot on the All-Pac-12 Second team. His ability to project Arizona out of trouble will once again support his team’s shaky defensive unit.

10. OG Cayman Bundage, Sr.
On a line that’ll be replacing three important starters, Bundage’s experience and leadership will be crucial to the Wildcats this season. He’s entering his third year as a starter, including all but the USC game a year ago. While only 6-2 and 281 pounds, Bundage gets off the snap in a hurry, which allows him to generate a push that continues into the second level of the defense. He’ll be an All-Pac-12 candidate in 2015 if he can remain in shape and shake off a rough close to 2014.