PAC-12
OVERVIEW
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| Washington's Chris Petersen (Saturday Down South) |
The Pac-12 is a Power 5 conference by name, but based on last season there are many who wonder whether it should be. The conference failed to place a team in the College Football Playoff, and while it seemed to have strength by getting nine teams to bowl games, it went 1-8 in said games. That certainly isn't the way a conference that claims to be elite performs, especially when the lights are brightest.
But that's why each season is a reboot, a chance to regain lost respect. And while the Pac-12 may not necessarily be better overall, it does have a legitimate shot at reaching the sport's Final Four in 2018 -- thanks to Washington. Chris Petersen's Huskies are loaded with experience and talent, boasting as many as 10 potential all-league selections. Many teams would love to have a quarterback as productive as Jake Browning, but fans in Seattle are oddly ambivalent about the senior. He likely won't be throwing as much this season as he has workhorse runner Myles Gaskin back to tote the mail, and future star Salvon Ahmed in relief. The line has experience, and the defense is led by the nation's top secondary, notably cornerback Byron Murphy and safety Taylor Rapp. An opening game with Auburn will set the course for the Huskies season. The biggest challenge in the North will be Stanford, which hopes to have Heisman favorite Bryce Love healthy all-season. He played with a nagging ankle injury yet still gained over 2,000 yards, and should once again be the focal point of the offense. The defense was not good last year but should be better with experience. Oregon played hard for interim coach Mario Cristobal in last year's Las Vegas Bowl, so much so that the school made him full-time coach after Willie Taggart bolted for Florida State. Cristobal has a premier talent in quarterback Jake Herbert, and a defense rife with talent and overseen by coordinator Jim Leavitt, who may be as important a piece of the puzzle as Cristobal. Justin Wilcox made California more competitive last season and could take the next step, to a bowl game. The offense is very good, led by quarterback Ross Bowers and underrated runner Patrick Laird, and will need to win games as the defense is in rebuild mode.
USC lost a host of front-line stars -- most notably quarterback Sam Darnold, running back Ronald Jones II and receiver Deontay Burnett -- but still has as much star power as anyone. Stephen Carr should be an able replacement for Jones in the backfield, and new signal-caller JT Daniels' job will be made easier behind an experienced offensive line. The defense is feast or famine, just as often giving up big plays as blowing up plays. Linebacker Cameron Smith is a standout. Utah is one of those programs that never gets headlines but simply wins. Last year's seven wins was the fewest for the Utes since 2013, and it should be better with one of the most experienced teams in the conference. Zack Moss is an underappreciated talent at running back, while the defense is paced by pass-rush terror Bradlee Anae and corner Julian Blackmon. It will be interesting to see how Arizona does under first-year coach Kevin Sumlin. His teams typically do well out of the box before growing stagnant, but as long as Khalil Tate is around to run the offense there shouldn't be too many worries. The defense has upgraded in talent, with sophomores Kylan Wilborn and Colin Schooler proving to be revelations last year. Getting Oregon and USC at home will help the Wildcats quest for a South Division crown. UCLA also has a new coach, albeit one with a slightly higher profile, in Chip Kelly. After four years away from the college game, Kelly is back, seemingly reinvigorated. He has a very young team, which allows him start with a blank slate. His trademark tempo and read option could take a while to master, which means the Bruins might run the ball a bit more. The defense was abysmal last season but should be better with a healthy Jaelan Phillips, who moves from end to linebacker. Darnay Holmes and Nate Meadors are a solid corner combo.
RISING: California
FALLING: Washington State
BOWL TEAMS (8): Washington, Stanford, Oregon, California, USC, Utah, Arizona, UCLA
PAC-12 PROJECTED STANDINGS
NORTH
1 Washington (13-0, 9-0)
2 Stanford (9-3, 6-3)
3 Oregon (9-3, 6-3)
4 California (7-5, 4-5)
5 Washington State (4-8, 2-7)
6 Oregon State (1-11, 0-9)
SOUTH
1 USC (9-4, 7-2)
2 Utah (9-3, 6-3)
3 Arizona (8-4, 5-4)
4 UCLA (6-6, 4-5)
5 Colorado (5-7, 3-6)
6 Arizona State (3-9, 2-7)
PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIP
Washington over USC
ALL-PAC 12 TEAM
FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
QB Jake Browning/Washington
RB Bryce Love/Stanford
RB Miles Gaskin/Washington
WR N'Keal Harry/Arizona State
WR Tyler Vaughns/USC
WR JJ Arceaga-Whiteside/Stanford
TE Caleb Wilson/UCLA
OT Trey Adams/Washington
OT Walker Little/Stanford
OG Nate Herbig/Stanford
OG Calvin Throckmorton/Oregon
C Toa Lobendahn/USC
FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
DE Kylan Wilborn/Arizona
DE Jalen Jelks/Oregon
DT Greg Gaines/Washington
DT Christian Rector/USC
LB Troy Dye/Oregon
LB Cameron Smith/USC
LB Bobby Okereke/Stanford
LB Colin Schooler/Arizona
CB Byron Murphy/Washington
CB Iman Marshall/USC
S Taylor Rapp/Washington
S Evan Worthington/Colorado
FIRST TEAM SPECIALISTS
K Matt Gay/Utah
P Mitch Wishnowsky/Utah
KR Darnay Holmes/UCLA
PR Dillon Mitchell/Oregon
SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
QB Khalil Tate/Arizona
RB Stephen Carr/USC
RB Zack Moss/Utah
WR Dillon Mitchell/Oregon
WR Shun Brown/Arizona
WR Laviska Shenault/Colorado
TE Hunter Bryant/Washington
OT Kaleb McGary/Washington
OT Austin Jackson/USC
OG Luke Wattenberg/Washington
OG Tim Lynott/Colorado
C Jake Hanson/Oregon
SECOND TEAM DEFENSE
DE Bradlee Anae/Utah
DE Nnamdi Oguayo/Washington State
DT Renell Wren/Arizona State
DT Javier Edwards/Colorado
LB Jahad Woods/Washington State
LB Jaelen Phillips/UCLA
LB Ben Burr-Kirven/Washington
LB Rick Gamboa/Colorado
CB Alijah Holder/Stanford
CB Lorenzo Burns/Arizona
S Jalen Thompson/Washington State
S Marvell Tell/USC
SECOND TEAM SPECIALISTS
K Jet Toner/Stanford
P Alex Kinney/Colorado
KR Cameron Scarlett/Stanford
PR Vic Wharton/California
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Bryce Love/Stanford
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Troy Dye/Oregon
COACH OF THE YEAR: Chris Petersen/Washington
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: QB JT Daniels/USC
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