By: Rich Douglas
The Pac 12, in my opinion, is the second best conference in the country. While it's not as deep as the SEC, it's not out of the realm of possibility that more than half of the conference will see the Top 25 while only Colorado can be seen as a punching bag team.
North Division
-Oregon: Even after losing head coach Chip Kelly, the Ducks look poised to make a run at the national title. Kelly's teams went 34-3 in conference play with 31 wins by 10 or more points as his offenses dominated every single year. New head coach Mark Helfrich has a tough act to follow, but as the teams offensive coordinator under Kelly's reign, he should have no problem continuing their dominance as he has plenty of key players returning. Everyone likes to talk about their elite offense, and why not, but people forget that their quick and opportunistic defense was the reason they led the country in TO Margin last season at +21.
-Stanford: The Cardinal look to defend last season's Rose Bowl victory, and while they are probably second best this year, they are likely to see plenty of success throughout the season as David Shaw continues to move this team forward. With QB Josh Nunes retiring, the Kevin Hogan era will continue after he got some experience last season starting six games under center.
-Washington: The North division could be its own legitimate conference. This fourth place ranking of the Huskies is a bit misleading because this team could beat any team in this conference on any given night. They struggled last season because of various injuries to key players, and a regression of QB Keith Price, but they should be healed up and ready to challenge every team on their schedule. Junior Bishop Sankey is back, fresh off of a 1,439 rushing season and he'll be behind a big experienced line. The defense is stacked with plenty of impact players including 3 Linebackers that are amongst the best in the North in Feeney, Shaq Thompson, and Timu.
-Oregon State: The Beavers are coming off of the biggest turnaround in school history as they were wildly successful in a season where the expectations were very low. Head coach Mike Riley has a roster that is stacked with returning lettermen on both sides of the ball. The state of Oregon may become the most exciting place for college football this year if things come together for a Civil War showdown against Oregon at the end of the year. As is the common theme in the Pac 12s elite teams, the Offensive Lines are deep and experienced. With Sean Mannion just being named the starting QB, OSU will have a solid offense with Storm Woods at RB and Brandin Cooks likely leading the way at WR. Future NFLer Scott Crichton leads a defense that should stifle opposing defenses. They'll need to be strong as there is a lot of firepower in this conference.
-Washington State: The Cougars had an interesting year with Mike Leach running things in Pullman. After losing to lowly Colorado at home, they rebounded with a comeback victory in the Apple Cup over their instate rivals. There is plenty of experience returning for the Cougs, as their heavy air attack will be led by QB Connor Halliday.
-California: The Tedford era is over after 11 seasons as former Louisiana Tech offensive guru Sonny Dykes takes over in Berkeley. Dykes' complex offensive schemes caused problems for every team they faced, but his teams suffered in defense as they were ranked last in the country in 2012 allowing 455 yards per game. They lose plenty of key players on offense so they should struggle, but this program should get going once he gets his players in action down the road.
South Division
-USC: While there is plenty of uncertainty as to who will start behind center for the Trojans, their roster is loaded with talent and they should be able to get to the conference title game and attempt to make a run at the Rose Bowl. Lane Kiffin has shown that he can recruit, but will need to actually have his team perform on the field in order to secure his job. The Offensive Line will be very good and should pave the way for a career season for Silas Redd. Marqise Lee doesn't have a QB yet, but it won't matter as he's projected to be a top 5 pick. The defense will be much better with the likes of Bailey, Dawson, and Pullard all experienced LBs, as well as a big line that should disrupt enemy backfields.
-Arizona State: Many have the Sun Devils as the favorites to win the South, and with good reason. Heisman candidate Taylor Kelly returns at QB after finishing 3rd in the nation in passing efficiency. Todd Graham has plenty of returning players including explosive RB Marion Grice. There isn't a lot to complain about Tempe and a victory at home against USC on September 28th could set them up for a great season. On defense, the Sun Devils are deep as they have 3/4s of their DL coming back, 2/3s of their LBs and both of their safeties. Alden Darby and Chris Young have had great college careers in the secondary and look to have big senior seasons for their team.
-Utah: The Utes look to get back onto their winning ways as their transition to the Pac 12 has not been as smooth as they had hoped for. Their offense has a ton of potential with Sophomore QB Travis Wilson starting under center. Wilson has plenty of size and arm strength and will look to utilize what should be a stellar offensive attack. Coach Whittingham now has Dennis Erickson running the offense as they should be a team that surprises the Pac 12 this season.
-UCLA: The loss of Johnathan Franklin hurts this highly potent offense, but Jim Mora Jr. has plenty of things to be excited about with Sophomore QB Brett Hundley leading the offense. The team will likely go as Hundley goes. Unfortunately for the Bruins, they aren't as experienced as their cross town rivals, or Arizona State, but they're highly athletic and will look to win the South 3 straight years.
-Arizona: This season may be a let down for Rich Rodriguez' Wildcats. They struggled mightily on the defensive side of the ball, but were able to make up for it with their excellent offense last season. With QB Matt Scott's graduation and a defense that is very inexperienced, it's entirely possible that they'll be even worse defending in this pass heavy conference.
-Colorado: What can you say about my alma mater? It's going to be a brutal season. They'll certainly be better than last year…but that's obviously not saying much after they were able to secure just 1 win. WR Paul Richardson returns after missing all of last season and former Texas recruit Connor Wood should find some success passing the ball, but coach Mike McIntyre has his hands full. Still, people are hopeful in Boulder as this wouldn't be the first program that McIntyre has turned around, but he's got a ways to go to right this ship.
Conference Championship Game: Oregon over USC
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