Expectations — at least on the local level — were high for Arizona football this year after Rich Rodriguez's initial Wildcat team went a surprising 8-5 last season.

The college coaches (or, rather, their sports information directors) didn't share those lofty thoughts when the USA Today preseason Top 25 poll came out two weeks ago, as Arizona was only among the 'others receiving votes' category and were basically ranked 42nd overall.

Seems like the national media is just as meh on the UA, as the preseason Associated Press poll has our hometown squad ... among the others receiving votes. But this time, it was for a TIE FOR 39TH PLACE with Cincinnati and North Carolina.

So, there's that.

For the record, the Pac-12 Conference is well represented in the poll, as Oregon is No. 3, Stanford is No. 4, UCLA is No. 21, USC is No. 24 and - in what can only be described as a pity ranking - Dan Gibson alma mater Oregon State was picked 25th.

Like all such before-the-season rankings, they're essentially meaningless because they cannot factor in yet-to-occur events such as injuries, suspensions of uber-douchey Heisman winners who aren't satisfied just cashing the trust fund baby checks and other such season speed bumps.

Undoubtedly, though, at least one member of the local mainstream media — probably the TV guy in the ill-fitting station logo polo — will ask RichRod about being 'spurned' by the polls following tonight's UA scrimmage that likely won't be a scrimmage because RichRod is sandbagging the heck out of this team based on his comments to this point.