Back in action: ASU battles Texas Tech; UA takes on Houston.

TUCSON – Arizona Wildcats coach Rich Rodriguez recently was discussing the perception of his program.

“We’ve got a whole lot to prove,” Rodriguez said.

He made the statement before the season opener against Northern Arizona. It still holds true. Arizona has played and won a game. Thefinal score against NAU was decisive — 62-24.

But with all due respect to the Lumberjacks, they’re an FCS team. The Wildcats were favored by more than three touchdowns. As Pac-12 Networks analyst Yogi Roth put it: “A win over NAU does not cure all of the ills from last season by any stretch of imagination. They did what they were expected to do.”

This Saturday’s opponent, Houston, will present a different challenge. Never mind that the Cougars play in a so-called “Group of Five” conference. Roth and fellow Pac-12 Networks analyst Glenn Parker consider the UA and UH to be equals. So do the oddsmakers: Houston has been a one-point favorite for most of the week.

So what’s at stake for Arizona in Week 2? A lot. Analyst Pete Fiutak summed it up perfectly in his game preview on CollegeFootballNews.com:

“There’s still a prove-it factor when it comes these Wildcats. If they’re going to be decent this season, or even a player of any sort in the Pac-12 chase, this is the type of game they have to win,” he said.

What does “decent” mean? For Arizona, coming off a 3-9 season, it means qualifying for a bowl berth. That in and of itself probably wouldn’t satisfy most UA fans.

But context is critical here: The Wildcats used 23 freshmen and redshirt freshmen in the opener. They’re young. For that reason, Roth said, making the postseason would stand as a “big accomplishment.”

Houston could be the swing game — the one, Parker said, that you “pin your hopes on.”

Media and fans always look at the schedule and categorize games, labeling some as probable victories, others as likely losses. The third group: the ones that could go either way.

Houston represents the first of those games, and it might be the most important one. It’s the key to a 3-0 start that would make postseason play a much more realistic possibility.

“With so many new faces, we just don’t know how they’re going to keep evolving,” Roth said in a phone interview. “To start 3-0 is huge. You’re halfway there.”

Now, it’s important to keep in mind that this sort of talk is taboo inside the Lowell-Stevens Football Facility.

“In the locker room, the team, the coaching staff, I guarantee they’re not looking at it that way,” Parker said. “They look at every game as pivotal. Having been there, I completely understand. You don’t believe there’s any game we can’t win; you don’t believe there’s any team we can’t beat.”

“One game at a time” isn’t just a cliché in football; it’s a mandate. While defeating Houston might make Arizona’s season, losing to the Cougars wouldn’t necessarily break it.

But beating Houston – which has a 22-5 record over the past two seasons, including some significant upsets over Power Five foes – would answer some questions that remain unanswered after the opener. Chief among them: whether quarterback Brandon Dawkins and the passing game have improved significantly since last season.

Dawkins completed 7 of 13 passes for 89 yards and one touchdown against NAU. He exited hallway through the third quarter with Arizona leading 4814.