College Football Preview: Pac-12 Coference

By Andrew Musur on September 29, 2015

It has been an enjoyable run of conference reviews, but we are down to our final three. First up we have the Pac-12 conference.

Over the last few years, the Pac-12 has been a conference dominated by Oregon and Stanford. Either the Ducks or the Cardinals have won a Pac-12 championship for the last six years.

But Oregon has a key hump to get over this season, as they lost superstar and Heisman winning quarterback Marcus Mariota a year ago. With Mariota gone, who will compete for the next Pac-12 championship?

North Division

No. 1 Oregon

2014 Record: 13-2 (8-1)

2015 Prediction: 10-3 (8-1)

The biggest question for Oregon coming into this season was who would play quarterback for the Ducks. Heisman winner Marcus Mariota graduated and the Ducks desperately needed a replacement.

Oregon called in fifth-year transfer Vernon Adams to take over the high-powered offense. Adams is a 5-foot-11 dual threat quarterback, who threw for more than 10,000 yards and 110 touchdowns. Duck fans expected the transition from Mariota to Adams would be fairly easy, but that hasn’t been the case thus far.

Adams started in Oregon’s first two games this season, throwing for 555 yards and three touchdowns. The senior quarterback had his toughest task in week two, when the Spartans of Michigan State hosted Oregon. Adams only completed 56 percent of his passes and threw two interceptions against a tenacious Michigan State defense. Granted, Adams was facing a broken index finger, but Ducks fans were hoping for a little more out of their veteran quarterback.

Along with Adams the Ducks possess one of the most explosive running backs in all of college football: Royce Freeman. Freeman is only a sophomore, but professional scouts are drooling over the 5-foot-11 speedster. The California native has run for more than a hundred yards in all, but one game this season, and has added five touchdowns as well.

With the Ducks’ high-scoring offense back in place, Oregon should have no problem competing for their second consecutive Pac-12 championship.

No. 2 Stanford

2014 Record: 8-5 (5-4)

2015 Prediction: 8-5 (5-4)

The Cardinals of Stanford had some huge expectations coming into this season, but their College Football Playoff hopes were dashed after they were upset in week 1 by Northwestern. Stanford is not completely out of it yet, as they took down top 10 ranked USC last week, and still have four ranked opponents left on their schedule.

Starting quarterback Kevin Hogan really picked up his play after that week 1 loss. Hogan has thrown for 775 yards, five touchdowns and one interception on the season. The Virginia native is in his senior season, and there should be no excuses this time around.

On the other side of the ball is where the Cardinals dominate. Stanford led the Pac-12 in total defense last season, and their hope is to do that again. Linebackers Kevin Anderson and Peter Kalambayi will be the core of this defensive unit, and they will need to top their 12 sacks and 21 tackles for a loss of numbers from last season.

No. 3 California

2014 Record: 5-7 (3-6)

2015 Prediction: 7-5 (4-5)

California missed out on a bowl game by one win last season; it would have been the Golden Bears’ first postseason game since 2011. Although the past few years have been rough on Cal fans, there is a little flicker of hope surrounding this year’s squad.

Stud junior quarterback Jared Goff is off to a hot start throwing for 898 yards, nine touchdowns and only two interceptions. Goff has been a starter since his freshman year, so he understands the Cal system. The California native will have to keep up the hot start as things get much tougher on the Golden Bears.

From October 10 until November 7, every team California will face is currently ranked. I know Golden Bear fans are tired of their mediocre team, but Cal is heading in the right direction and should be bowling by the end of this season.

No. 4 Washington

2014 Record: 8-5 (4-5)

2015 Prediction: 6-6 (4-5)

Washington head coach Chris Petersen had a tough time against his former team, Boise State, in this year’s opening week. The Broncos took down Petersen on their blue turf, and made sure he knew he had made a mistake leaving Boise State.

Much like California, Washington’s schedule does not do them any favors. For five weeks in the middle of the season, the Huskies will take on five ranked teams (USC, Oregon, Stanford, Arizona and Utah). With so many big games coming up, it is essential for Washington to trust their starting quarterback, Jake Browning.

Browning is an inexperienced freshman, but he is learning the ropes quickly. The California native has thrown for more than 800 yards and five touchdowns, not to mention his completion percentage is over 66 percent. Browning will have to get the Huskies past Cal. this weekend, before Washington heads into their five game gauntlet.

No. 5 Oregon State

2014 Record: 4-7 (2-7)

2015 Prediction: 4-8 (2-7)

Oregon State has not been a terrible football team over the past few years, but the man that was in charge of the Beavers, Mike Riley, took his talents to the Big Ten at Nebraska. The Beavers went to two bowl games under Riley, but they have their work cut out for them if they hope to return to that spot.

Freshman quarterback Seth Collins has had a tough time picking up the new Beaver system. Collins has only completed 54 percent of his passes this season and has yet to throw over 135 yards. But Collins doesn’t thrive in the air, he thrives on the ground.

The California native has rushed for more than 100 yards in two games this season, and has also added two touchdowns. Collins has an enormous amount to learn, but assuming he will be the starter for the next four seasons, the Beavers should be in good shape.

No. 6 Washington State

2014 Record: 3-9 (2-7)

2015 Prediction: 3-9 (1-8)

Washington State has been one of the most disappointing teams in the Pac-12 for the past few seasons. Head coach Mike Leach is in his fourth year as the leader of this Cougar team, but his lowly 14-26 record doesn’t do him much justice. The Cougars opened up the 2015 season with a loss against FCS Portland State. Many thought Washington State wouldn’t win a game after that lousy performance, but the Cougars have won their last two and are on a bye this week.

The biggest bright spot for this Washington team is hands down their quarterback, Luke Falk. Falk has thrown for a whopping 1,070 yards completing 73 percent of his passes and adding eight touchdowns. The sophomore has had multiple touchdowns in all three games this season; I look forward to seeing what he can do against some stout Pac-12 defenses.

South Division

No. 1 USC

2014 Record: 9-4 (6-3)

2015 Prediction: 11-2 (7-2)

It should go without saying, but the Southern division of the Pac-12 conference is much more talented and competitive than its northern counterpart. It has been a long, long time since USC was in the national spotlight. The Trojans suffered postseason bans and scholarship reductions, but they are starting to emerge from the days of darkness.

USC will be led by Heisman hopeful, Cody Kessler. Kessler has been downright unbelievable during the start of this season. The senior has completed more than 78 percent of his passes for 922 yards, 10 touchdowns and zero interceptions. It is true that the Trojans played some weak competition in their first two weeks of the season, but with Pac-12 play coming up Kessler will have plenty of chances to prove his worth. USC did suffer a week three loss to Stanford, but the Trojans have plenty of time to come around and I still have them in my Pac-12 championship.

No. 2 UCLA

2014 Record: 10-3 (6-3)

2015 Prediction: 10-2 (7-2)

Coming into this season I had a ton of faith in this UCLA team. Yes, the Bruins had to replace their star quarterback, Brett Hundley, but the offense he led returned nine of 11 starters this season. Not to mention, UCLA had the top quarterback recruit in the nation come in.

Josh Rosen has been everything UCLA fans could have asked for. Rosen has thrown four interceptions this season, but he has tossed five touchdowns and completed more than 60 percent of his passes. The California native is young, which is a great reason to have faith in him.

I am anxious to see what Rosen can do against Pac-12 teams, but the Bruins 3-0 start is no fluke. The Bruins are looking to make their fifth consecutive bowl trip, and their third 10 win season in a row. UCLA has a huge date this Saturday with fellow Pac-12 foe, undefeated Arizona.

No. 3 Arizona State

2014 Record: 10-3 (6-3)

2015 Prediction: 9-3 (7-2)

Arizona State was a team that many saw as a sleeper in the Pac-12 conference, but after their opening week loss to Texas A&M, people quickly changed their minds on the Sun Devils. Arizona State is led by quarterback Mike Bercovici. Bercovici is a returning senior, and has completed more than 61 percent of his passes for 799 yards.

The California native has plenty of weapons at his disposal. Running back Demario Richard has been a force to be reckoned with on the ground. Richard has carried the ball 56 times for 298 yards, an average of 5.3 yards per carry. Richard has also been one of Bercovici’s favorite wide receivers catching eight passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns. Arizona State is not completely out of the College Football Playoff race, but it will be quite the uphill struggle for the Sun Devils.

No. 4 Arizona

2014 Record: 10-4 (7-2)

2015 Prediction: 9-3 (6-3)

The Wildcats have been a scoring machine this season, putting up more than 42 points in every game. Arizona is led by returning starting quarterback, Anu Solomon. Solomon was a fan favorite last season as he completed 313 passes for nearly 3,800 yards and 28 touchdowns.

The Nevada native is already off to a hot start this season completing nearly 70 percent of his passes for 778 yards and 10 touchdowns. The 6-foot-2 quarterback has had a lot of help on the ground too, with senior running back Nick Wilson. Wilson has put up video game numbers over the past three games. He has carried the ball 62 times for a whopping 434 yards and five touchdowns.

The combo of Wilson and Solomon is going to be filthy this season, and to be honest I could really see the Wildcats competing for a Pac-12 Championship. And if that Championship run doesn’t come this season, they still have plenty of time with Solomon behind center.

No. 5 Utah

2014 Record: 9-4 (5-4)

2015 Prediction: 8-4 (5-4)

Utah was my sleeper pick going into this season, and the Utes have yet to disappoint. Utah took down Michigan in their first game and beat down Utah Sate and Fresno State in their next two games. The Utes have their biggest test of the season this upcoming Saturday when they travel to Eugene to take on #13 Oregon.

Senior running back Devontae Booker has been the catalyst of this Utah offense. Booker has carried the ball 84 times for 345 yards and four touchdowns. He has also shown his dual threat capabilities snagging 14 passes for 126 yards, an average of 9.0 yards a catch. If Utah can pull the huge upset this weekend, they will be sitting pretty at the end of the Pac-12 season.

No. 6 Colorado

2014 Record: 2-10 (0-9)

2015 Prediction: 3-9 (0-9)

Colorado might have had one the worst opening weekends in all of college football. The Buffaloes traveled to Hawaii, but ended up losing 28-20. Luckily Colorado rebounded taking down UMass and rival Colorado State in overtime. The Buffaloes have one more winning game coming up against Nicholls State, but after that it may be a little difficult for the Buffaloes to pull off another win.

——-

Conference Championship: USC vs. Oregon

Conference Champion: USC

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