SAN DIEGO — While Nebraska players and coaches were sitting at home Wednesday night watching weather reports, Arizona players and coaches were sitting in the stands at Qualcomm Stadium watching the Poinsettia Bowl.

While the Huskers were packing Thursday for a trip to the West Coast, the Wildcats were on the practice field at the University of San Diego.

While the Huskers hope the winter storm doesn’t prevent them from hopping on a plane Friday for San Diego, the Wildcats will be considering options for Christmas brunch in the downtown Gaslamp District.

How much advantage is there to settling into a routine early, as opposed to a delayed arrival? We won’t know until Arizona and Nebraska take the field Wednesday night for the Holiday Bowl. But the Wildcats already appear acclimated to their surroundings.

Arizonans are more accustomed to coming here in the summer — the locals call them Zonies — to get away from the desert heat, though the Wildcats were quite at ease Thursday during a spirited 90-minute practice under sunny skies with midday temperatures in the mid-60s.

“We had a really good first day, so I like where we’re at,” Arizona coach Mike Stoops said as he came off the field. “We got everything we needed to get out of today.

“We’re in a good place. We know Nebraska is going to be a big challenge, but we’re excited for the opportunity.”

Arizona (8-4), which tied for second in the Pac-10 at 6-3, actually arrived early because the Wildcats couldn’t arrange a charter flight on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

So they checked into their downtown hotel Wednesday afternoon and then headed to the stadium in time to see Utah beat California 37-27 in the Poinsettia Bowl.

“It’s fun going in there and watching a game that we didn’t have to worry about and had no significance to us,” said Stoops. “I thought that was relaxing. But at the same time I hope we learned something from it.”

The bowl season is young, but Pac-10 teams are off to a poor start. In addition to Cal’s loss, Oregon State lost 44-20 to BYU Tuesday in the Las Vegas Bowl. Not that the weight of the conference has been transferred to the Wildcats’ shoulders.

“All we can control is Arizona,” said Stoops. “We can’t control Oregon State or Cal or the matchups. They are what they are sometimes. Teams match up better with others for whatever reason.

“But going to the game last night might have helped us in a roundabout way. Seeing Cal. We haven’t played well or won a game yet as a conference. That gets our attention.”

Maintaining focus can be difficult with all the activities planned around practices.

There is team day at SeaWorld Saturday and then at the San Diego Zoo on Sunday. There is a luncheon aboard the USS Makin Island Monday and another luncheon at the San Diego Convention Center Tuesday.

“All young kids when they come to a great city like this you want them to be able to experience certain things about the city and have a good time,” said Stoops, “but ultimately it’s about the game.

“There’s a big difference to winning and losing a bowl game. ... We understand the significance of winning a big game like this and what it can mean to your program.”

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