Arizona football depth chart: B.J. Denker's quarterback gig to lose

For the time being, there's no more fooling around about which quarterback will be leading the Arizona Wildcats. B.J. Denker appeared on the pre-UNLV game depth chart as the clear-cut starter, and while it's not surprising, it is still worth deducing how this story will play out.

The feeling here is that the story isn't over. It's just that things won't get interesting until Sept. 28, when the Wildcats head to Seattle to face the Washington Huskies in the Pac-12 opener.

Denker played within himself Friday against NAU, and it's quite possible we're underestimating his athleticism. The Vanilla Vick dubbing is fair, but through NAU, UNLV and UTSA, it's hard to see Denker losing his starting spot or making a whole lot of mistakes. He's smart enough to know his limitations, and that's a good thing. But what happens once he's seeing Pac-12 blitzes and being forced to throw the ball more will be the key.

So will Denker get pushed in the next few weeks? Likely not so long as he doesn't perform horribly during practice.

Denker has a shot to grow in the next few weeks as he did for the majority of the NAU game, and with that, it appears Rodriguez is putting his eggs in that basket and only that one, which is a better idea than rolling the dice with two or three quarterbacks seeing time.

But if Denker had separated himself truly in the offseason, then there's no reason Rich Rodriguez wouldn't have gone with him as the starter all along. The point is, RichRod isn't 100 percent confident about his quarterback situation. Javelle Allen took second string snaps against the Lumberjacks -- we are beginning to wonder about Jesse Scroggins health -- and took a 61-yard run to the house. He could be the guy to push Denker if Pac-12 play gets rough.