By: Kevin Ryan
Pac-12 North
Oregon Ducks
After suffering a week one loss to the No. 4 ranked LSU Tigers in 2011, the Ducks outscored their next nine opponents by 263 points.
While many saw last year’s quarterback controversy as a potential spoiler for another BCS title birth, 2011 quarterback Darron Thomas made the most of his opportunity and entered the NFL Draft at the conclusion of the season. Thomas’ choice to enter the draft seemed like a premature move at the time, however Ducks fans enter 2012 without doubts of properly filling Thomas’ shoes.
Not only do the Ducks have a top-shelf talent at quarterback in freshman Marcus Mariota, but having the promising Bryan Bennett as a safety net truly favors Oregon in 2012.
Mariota is the first freshman to open the season as Oregon’s starting quarterback in over 20 years.
On top of the explosive offense in Chip Kelly’s arsenal, the Ducks are returning seven defensive players – raising the season-long question:
Can the Ducks defense stop Matt Barkley and the USC Trojans?
Mark your calendar for November 3rd, the likely preview to the PAC-12 Championship.
Stanford Cardinal
Losing Andrew Luck for 2012 cripples the Cardinal on paper. However, Stanford is returning 13 starters – seven of which on defense.
Luckily for Stanford, the recruiting staff landed the best recruiting class in the PAC-12 (according to ESPN) – including two standouts at the offensive line position to replace David DeCastro and Jonathan Martin.
Though Stanford will likely fall in the BCS rankings throughout the season, the Cardinal still poise a considerable threat to knock off USC at home or Oregon late in the season.
Though Stanford will likely fall in the BCS rankings throughout the season, the Cardinal still poise a considerable threat to knock off USC at home or Oregon late in the season.
Washington Huskies
After losing Jake Locker to the NFL two years ago, the Huskies have been looking to Keith Price to lead the Dawgs back into contention.
Price brings both agility and poise to the quarterback position – enough of which to land him in the mix of “Heisman hopefuls” for 2012. In his first full season with the Huskies, Price set three school records with his 33 passing touchdowns, 66.9 completion percentage and an overall quarterback rating of 161.9.
While the Huskies are returning just four players from last year’s powerful and efficient offense, the five returning starters on defense still raise the biggest question:
Can the Huskies 106th-ranked defense back up Price’s prolific offense?
California Golden Bears
While Cal gets to show off a brand-new, state-of-the-art football facility for home games, the Golden Bears must focus on the challenging road games on the schedule.
Though the Bears will be returning the all-around athlete Keenan Allen at wide receiver with starting quarterback Zach Maynard, the tandem is forced to travel to Ohio State and USC in weeks three and four (respectively).
While Allen is a pure stud at wide-out, the Bears are no match for Urban Meyer’s Buckeyes let alone the No. 1 ranked USC Trojans.
Oregon State Beavers
After a troubling 3-win season, the Oregon State Beavers return 14 starters, including Defensive End Scott Crichton and his redshirt-record six forced fumbles.
Just three years prior the Beavers were an eight or nine-win football program yet have since fallen into the bottom of the PAC-12.
2012 will likely be another “rebuilding year” for the Beavers as they travel to Madison, Wisconsin to take on Montee Ball’s Badgers in just the second week of the season.
A team built like Oregon State wouldn’t add a game like Wisconsin to the schedule as a chance to prove their talent level, but rather to land a handsome check to further build the program.
Washington State Cougars
Along with Oregon State, Washington State has been scraping the bottom of the PAC-12 for the last five seasons.
Since 2007, the Cougars have tallied just 14 wins total – a feat accomplished by the Oregon Ducks in their last 17 games.
Luckily, Washington State is one of only two PAC-12 teams to skip a 2012 matchup with the No. 1 ranked USC Trojans.
Pac-12 South
USC Trojans
The No. 1 ranked USC Trojans are loaded with talent ranging from a Heisman favorite to the most lethal wide-receiver core in the country. Adding Penn State transfer Silas Redd to the 1,000-yard talent of Curtis McNeal gives the Trojans one of the most stacked offensive packages in recent college football history.
With six returning starters on defense and universal athletes to return kicks, the Trojans are truly built for a BCS title run.
Miraculously, the Trojans have built a powerhouse in spite of a recent two-year bowl ban – commonly draining schools and their recruiting power.
Matt Barkley leads the truly unique opportunity in bringing the USC tradition back to life with an undefeated National Championship.
UCLA Bruins
Built with a returning starter at both quarterback and running back, UCLA is another roster I am very high on.
Last season, the Bruins were given a spot in the Pac-12 Championship game, due to the sanctions against USC, where were dismantled for 49 points by Oregon. In the previous game, the Trojans spanked UCLA 50-0 – needless to say the Bruins need some redemption.
In total, the Bruins welcome 13 starters back to campus – covering the third best rushing offense in the PAC-12.
Look for new head coach Jim Mora Jr.’s NFL experience to propel this year’s Bruins to a PAC-12 contender.
Utah Utes
In their first PAC-12 season the Utes posted an impressive 8-5 record overall, though they finished 4-5 in PAC-12 competition.
Going into 2012, the Utes are headlined by nose tackle Star Lotulelei – a 6’4’’, 320-pound behemoth projected to go high in the first round of April’s NFL Draft.
A lot of hype is added to the Utes impressive returning roster because of the week-five matchup with the No. 1 USC Trojans, poising the question:
Can a Star Lotulelei-led defense stop Matt Barkley’s offensive attack?
Arizona Wildcats
The Wildcats return to action in 2012 returning just four starting linemen on offense after leading the PAC-12 in passing offense in 2011. Aside from literally replacing all of their offensive weapons, the Wildcats are also adding a new head coach in Rich Rodriguez – the former head coach of the Michigan Wolverines and West Virginia Mountaineers.
Rodriguez and the Wildcats will turn to their week two matchup with the Oklahoma State Cowboys as a chance to put themselves on the map.
Arizona State Sun Devils
In 2011, Brock Osweiler’s Sun Devils completed a thrilling overtime upset of the No. 21 Missouri Tigers two weeks before beating the far more talented USC Trojans by three touchdowns.
To end the 2011 season, however, the Sun Devils dropped six of their last seven games including an embarrassing Bowl game loss to Boise State.
After losing quarterback Brock Osweiler on top of the weak freshman class, the Sun Devils are unfortunately headed to another year of disappointment.
On paper, the Sun Devils will have a tough time hanging with teams like Illinois, Missouri, Utah, Oregon, UCLA and USC.
Colorado Buffalos
Looking forward to the 2012 Colorado Buffalos season, there are few (if any) positives for the Buffalos immediate future.
The Buffalos won just three of their 13 games in 2011 – none more impressive than the final game upset over the Utah Utes.
After finishing 3-10, the Buffalos lost 14 starters to the NFL combine – foreshadowing a very poor 2012 season in Colorado.
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