The ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats are where many thought Oregon would be right now.
Picked to finish last in the Pac-12 South, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ is 7-3 and headed for a bowl game to be determined.
Considered a strong bounce-back candidate after a down year, Oregon is 5-5 and fighting for a postseason berth.
They still could end up with identical 7-5 regular-season records — an outcome that would require the Ducks to defeat the Wildcats on Saturday in Eugene. But the current vibe around each program feels different.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ has won five of six and is brimming with hope thanks to the emergence of Khalil Tate, the sophomore quarterback-turned-Heisman Trophy candidate. Oregon has lost four of five and is still trying to find its footing under first-year coach Willie Taggart.
It wasn’t supposed to go this way. But when does it ever in the unpredictable world of sports?
UA coaches and players could sense a change in the offseason after last year’s 3-9 debacle. They were optimistic. But no one knew, including Wildcats coach Rich Rodriguez.
Rodriguez never had experienced anything quite like 2016. At West Virginia — and even at Michigan — his teams gradually improved. They never endured the three- and four-win drops that befell ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ the past two seasons.
“What has caused the turnaround?†Rodriguez asked this week. “I’ve been thinking: Is it a turnaround? Or are we staying the course and just trying to get better in all aspects? I think it’s been more that.â€
Several ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ veterans have developed and improved over the past year. But three other factors have played an even bigger role in putting the Wildcats ahead of their perceived schedule: