You know what’s the first thing I notice when I look at Arizona? Man, they scheduled way smarter than us. Four games against legit teams (they went 2-2) and then 9 games against teams that almost entirely sit between 100 and 199 nationally. Arizona wasn’t THAT much better than Cal in the non-conference, but their computer profile looks miles better because of smart scheduling. Sigh.
OK, that’s a not-super-important tangent to what really matters: Beating Arizona and starting off Pac-12 play with a huge win that would be a strong signal of intent - that Cal is a contender right alongside the Wildcats, Ducks, and Bruins.