Season Opener: Central Michigan University

The next team that we take a look at is CMU, more commonly known as Central Michigan. Serving as the Wildcats first opponent of the year, the Chippewas are an important barometer for how the season will go. If Arizona can win this game easily, then it shows that at the least we have ourselves a solid defense and our major offensive questions will be solved. If its a struggle, then it isn't much of a stretch to imagine trouble on the 'Cats horizon. The Chippewas are coached by Butch Jones, who is in his 3rd season as head coach, posting back to back 8 win seasons. They are favored to win their 3rd Mid-American Conference (MAC) title in 4 years. CMU plays at Kelly/Shorts Stadium, one of the smaller venues in Division 1 FBS Football at just over 30,000 spectators. Kelly/Shorts has a FieldTurf surface, and in every aspect of the term the Chips are a 'turf team'. There offense is built around quick plays and making people miss in the open field. They run a spread, although it is a little bit different than what we are used to in Tucson. While we run out of spread and power I looks, as well as both shotgun and under center, CMU runs a 4 wide, 1 back set almost the entire game. This also isn't an offense that is known for scoring 70 points a game. Generally, CMU stays under 40 points, surpassing that only in a 52-56 loss at Eastern Michigan.

Quarterbacks: By now you have heard all the hype surrounding Colt McCoy, Sam Bradford, Tim Tebow, and a few other national heavyweights. Let me tell you, Central Michigan has a guy that is right up there with all of them. Don't be surprised to hear the name Dan LeFevour called early on draft day next spring. In 2007, LeFevour joined Vincent Young as the only quarterbacks to throw for 3,000 yards while rushing for over 1,000 in a single season. While he doesn't have electrifying speed, the senior out of suburban Chicago serves as his teams primary rushing treat. He is just as capable through the air. Last season, LeFevour completed 67% of his passes for just under 3,000 yards and 21 touchdowns, with only 6 interceptions. He has an uncanny ability to see the field and distribute. This guy has no problem sharing the wealth and keeping a defense guessing. After LeFevour, however, things start to get dicey. The past three seasons the Chippewas have had an outstanding backup QB, a guy named Brian Brunner. He has moved on, leaving several freshmen in his place. Should anything happen to LeFevour, this team is one hit away from missing out on the MAC title, and any potential bowl bid is also out the window.

Running Backs: Balancing LeFevour's act the last couple years were the dependable Ontario Sneed and Justin Hoskins. Both have moved on, leaving sophomores Bryan Schroeder and Paris Cotton to pick up the pieces. I figure Schroeder gets the lions share of carries here, as he looked pretty good in spot duty last season. One thing I look for is action from the receivers. Antonio Brown and freshman slotback Jahleel Addae are deadly in space, and it wouldn't shock me if end-arounds and reverses start getting called, especially if Arizona has success against the run early on. LeFevour of course is also a decorated runner, who has scored a ton of rushing touchdowns in his career. While this isn't a group that wows you, they will find ways to be effective.

Receivers: LeFevour is undoubtedly the star of the team, but the most talent on the quad is right here. They will start 4 guys at wideout, 3 of whom are proven commodities. Junior Antonio Brown is an undersized lightning bolt who had nearly 2500 all purpose yards last season. You know it, you hate it, but damn if it works; Brown is utilized a lot on the bubble screen. This is essentially a running play and I love it, its a guaranteed 5 yards and maybe more with a guy like Brown. Bryan Anderson is a massive target at 6'5, 215 pounds. The senior has a chance to become the all-time leading receiver at CMU, removing the legendary Reggie Allen (OK, not that legendary) from the top of the list. Junior Kito Poblah and Addae will also see plenty of passes thrown there way. Make no mistake about it, this is a top flight receiving corps. I doubt that it is the most talented unit our secondary will face, but these guys can make you pay with the slightest lapse in concentration.

Offensive Line: As we have seen the past few years up in Tempe, you can have a ton of talent at the skill positions (just ask them) but it won't matter if your hogs can't play. This is a massive concern for Central Michigan. The spread is great because it allows for wide splits and quick ball movement, but lets take a look at what Coach Jones is working with here. Returning starters at Center and left guard, and a senior right guard, Allen Ollenburger, who has started in the past. We've certainly seen worse. But then you look at the tackles. I don't have the current weights for these guys, but as of Spring Practice right tackle Rocky Weaver checked in at 253 pounds, and Jake Olson was JUST 237! Weaver actually was a tight end last year. Look, these guys would be undersized playing in the Los Angeles H.S. City Section, so imagine what trouble they are in this season in Division 1 football. A quarterback's best friend is a big, solid veteran protecting his blind side, and LeFevour literally has the opposite here. 'Nuff said.

Defensive Line: This is a solid unit for CMU, but it is not anywhere near what the 'Cats will face later on down the road. Seniors Sam Williams and Frank Zombo start at the ends. Zombo is easily the best player of the bunch, posting 9 sacks last season. These guys have an opportunity to make a statement early on against a left tackle who is moving over from guard. In the middle, they play Sean Murnane and nose guard John Williams. These guys are quite undersized, and with a pair of 335 pound guards, it wouldn't shock me to see the Wildcats pound the ball early. Last season the Chips had a rotation of 4 guys at nose guard(3 have moved on), and it wouldn't shock me to see at least that many throughout the game here.

Linebackers: 3 starters return to a veteran unit, including Nick Bellore, who led the MAC in tackles last season with an astounding 148! Matt Berning and his 70 tackles also returns. Tim Brazzel is a returning starter, but the senior is just 195 pounds. I think you notice a theme here. Even though this isn't a "power conference" team, they are as undersized as any non service academy squad that I have ever seen in Division 1. Brazzel is a converted safety, which tells me that the team decided to sacrifice size in order to cover more ground against other wide open offenses. This is a solid group, but other than Georgia last season none of the personnel they have faced compare (favorably or relatively, that is) to Arizona's.

Defensive Backs: This is the toughest group to evaluate, and I wouldn't be shocked if names I haven't come across figure prominently into the Chips' plans. The best player is Chaz West, who had a respectable top 10 finish in the frattiest name contest (former OSU DE Slade Norris took home the hardware there). However, where he plays is up in the air. Bobby Seay and Eric Fraser started at safety last season. CMU also returns Josh Gordy and a guy named Tommy Mama at cornerback. This group had a bad year last season. However, there are a ton of experienced players competing for time, and I think that Chippewa fans can expect to reap the benefits of healthy competition here.

Special Teams: The placekicker is Andrew Aguila and the punter, who I am not related to, is Brett Hartmann (Two N's). Neither of these guys will wow you and Aguila had some consistency problems last season. Where this unit really shines is the return game. Antonio Brown had nearly 800 KR yards last year. More renowned on punt returns, he averaged an astounding 20.5 yards per return in this department, with an impressive score as well. As long as Brown is on the field, Arizona coverage units have really got to bring it or things could go south.

Season Outlook: I pay almost zero attention to the MAC, which gets almost no media coverage out west. That said, I think that Central Michigan is probably the class of the conference. This is a solid team, and although it has some holes I think that they can get away with some things, in conference play at least, they may not be able to in a BCS league thanks to a solid cast of skill position guys. I fully expect to see them bowling, and with the right things happening LeFevour could see some serious Heisman Trophy consideration.

How can the Wildcats win? By being mistake free on offense. While they have 10 starters back on 'D', the Chippewas really struggled defensively and found themselves in a lot of shootouts. Expect nickleback Corey Hall to play nearly the entire game. He did a great job on Kyle Williams, Nick Moore, and Ronald Johnson last season. I think that Arizona has a defense that is perfect for what Dan LeFevour and the Chippewas bring to the table. Arizona wins here by executing on offense. I know that is simple, but it really is the case here. Unless 'Zonas new quarterbacks completely bomb, Central Michigan may have an impossible time keeping up with an offense that can get pretty hot down in Tucson. I don't like predictions, but this is a game Arizona will be favored in and should feel pretty good about.

Stay tuned. The next edition will feature the start of my 25 favorite Wildcats. Be on the lookout for more team analysis, and a breakdown of the 11 recruits I want to see finish out Arizona's recruiting class. With me, its always real, enjoy and keep up the support!