The Arizona Wildcats emerged from the non-conference season with an encouraging 10-1 record. Still, there were questions.
Had they really improved to the point where they could compete in the brutal Pac-12? Were they the 10th-best team in the conference, as the preseason poll suggested, or were they being underestimated?
The first suggestion that they were ready to compete came on Dec. 29 when they beat in-state rival Arizona State by 12, controlling the game from start to finish.
After that, the question was whether they were ready to back that up by sweeping the regular season series.