10 teams that will take the next step after big win in bowl game

MADISON, WI - NOVEMBER 18: Head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Michigan Wolverines prepares to take the field with his team prior to a game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on November 18, 2017 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

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TUCSON, AZ – NOVEMBER 11: Arizona Wildcats quarterback Khalil Tate (14) drags a Oregon State Beavers player on the way for a touchdown during a college football game between the Oregon State Beavers and Arizona Wildcats on November 11, 2017, at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, AZ. (Photo by Jacob Snow/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

8. Arizona

7-5 (5-4)

Foster Farms Bowl: Wildcats vs. Purdue, Wednesday, Dec. 27

Arizona is slated to play Purdue in the Foster Farms Bowl, and the Boilermakers would certainly be a candidate for this list if Jeff Brohm’s team gets by the Wildcats Dec. 27. However, quarterback Khalil Tate, arguably the most exciting player in the nation over the final two months of the season, gives Arizona a huge step up in the matchup.

As a sophomore, Tate ranked second in the Pac-12 (behind Heisman runner-up Bryce Love) with an average of 135.3 rushing yards per game. He averaged an incredible 10.2 yards per carry and scored 12 touchdowns on the ground. Tate also threw for 1,277 yards and nine touchdowns during the regular season, while completing 61.2 percent of his passes, so he can move the chains and score points through the air as well.

Tate’s explosiveness as a ball carrier and all-around playmaker makes him one of the early favorites to win the 2018 Heisman Trophy. He has some work to do to get his throwing mechanics and pass accuracy ready for the NFL Draft (he also tossed eight interceptions, which indicates decision-making must improve), but Tate is such an electric playmaker there’s a great chance 2018 would be his last with the Wildcats.

The quarterback might be the story during the offseason, and Tate will have the benefit of top running back J.J Taylor and receivers Shun Brown and Tony Ellison returning, in addition to as many as 10 starters on defense. Eight of Arizona’s top nine tacklers are expected to return, , including talented freshmen Colin Schooler, Tony Fields II, Lorenzo Burns and Scottie Young, Jr. Given the experience he’ll have back, Rich Rodriguez could have a Pac-12 South contender on his hands for 2018.

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