2011 NCAA Conference Previews Part 11

-Pacific 12 Conference-

Predicted Finish

North

1.Oregon
-Oregon is the #3 ranked team in the country but still are not everyone's choice to win the conference. That can be attributed to the Ducks losing a lot of talent in the defensive front 7 and a few pieces on offense like WR Jeff Maehl as well as the hype surrounding Andrew Luck and Stanford. I am not doubting Oregon's ability to repeat however. The team brings back stars in QB Darron Thomas and Heisman candidate RB LaMichael James as well as 3 offensive lineman and receiving threats like Josh Huff, Lavasier Tuinei and David Paulson. Backup RB Kenjon Barner will make plays as will Freshman DeAnthony Thomas. On defense, the Secondary, led by Cliff Harris and John Boyett, will be the strength as the defensive line re-tools. The linebackers might be the biggest surprise to people this season as they are talented and deep at the position. Not only can this team beat LSU the opening weekend, but they are capable of winning the Pac-12 on the way to a 2nd straight trip to the National Championship game.
2.Washington
-I went back and forth with this one but I am going to slide Washington above Stanford. The Huskies finished the year strong last year and now return 8 starters on offense as well as 8 on defense. The offense will replace QB Jake Locker with Keith Price, who I think will do an adequate job, and he will be protected by 4 offensive lineman who started last season. They have a good running back in Chris Polk, he rushed for 1,400 yards last season, and a great receiving duo with Jermaine Kearse and Devin Aguilar. If coach Nick Holt can improve the defense further and QB Keith Price can keep the mistakes to a minimum, the Huskies will surprise a few people. We will see how good this team actually is early as they host Hawaii then travel to play @Nebraska in September.
3.Stanford
-This Stanford team comes into the 2011 season with a lot of buzz. The Cardinal are coming off a 12-1 season led by Heisman Candidate QB Andrew Luck and many expect this team to be a top-10 team all season. With Luck, they also return RB Stephan Taylor and top receiving threats with receiver Chris Owusu and tight end Toby Fleener. The defense brings back 6 starters and expects to have a strong secondary with both safeties returning. Having said that, I am not buying into the Stanford hype. The offensive line loses 3 starters and head coach Jim Harbaugh is now coaching in the NFL. I'm not sure if new coach David Shaw can bring the same intensity, and coaching for that matter, to keep this team overachieving like Harbaugh did. We will see how Stanford can hold up when it visits Arizona in September. The schedule is nice in that it gives the team home-field advantage to play Washington and Oregon.
4.Oregon State
-The Beavers look to bounce back after a disappointing 2010 season and having 9 offensive starters back helps. QB Ryan Katz is back and should be improved with the help of 4 O-lineman and top two receivers back. The problem may come on the defensive side though, as they must rebuild the front 7. This team will never have an easy week in conference and has a tough game @ Wisconsin in week 2.
5.California
-I just can't find too much to be excited about with this Cal Bears team. They lose running back Shane Vereen, need to find a quarterback and are playing their home games somewhere other than home as renovations take place on campus. The schedule isn't too friendly either as they have to go on the road to play Oregon, Washington, Arizona State and Stanford.
6.Washington St.
-I have the Cougars last in the North division but am eager to see how they look this year. Coach Paul Wulff has this team improving and they can no longer be penciled in as an easy win for opposing teams. Quarterback Jeff Tuel is progressing nicely and needs his O-Line to drastically improve so he can throw to his very underrated receivers. The defense also needs to get better this year as it brings back 8 starters.

South

1.Arizona St
-The question will be whether or not the Sun Devils can live up to the hype and their potential this year. The team brings back 10 starters on offense and 8 more starters on defense. The entire O-Line is back and they will have the task of blocking for RB Cameron Marshall and QB Brock Osweiller. Marshall had over 1,000 total yards last year and Osweiller passed for over 600 yards and 5 Touchdowns once he was the go-to QB the last two games of the season. The defense should be good as it is once again led by star linebacker Vontaze Burfict. ASU avoids games with both Stanford and Washington and gets USC at home. The non-conference slate will give a good look at this team as they play Missouri at home and @Illinois in September.
2.USC
-Entering the final year in which they are barred from postseason play, the Trojans will again play for pride and bragging rights. Junior QB Matt Barkley is the undisputed leader on this team and is one of the few big name players. If this team can find a good rotation at O-Line and someone to carry the ball, then Barkley and WR Robert Woods can take care of the passing game. Somewhat shockingly, the USC defense is full of what are pretty much no-name guys but that's not an excuse for them to be as awful as they have been these past two years. Coaches Ed Orgeron and Monte Kiffin will do their best and if they can make this defense look better, USC will approach the 10-win mark this season.They travel to ASU and Oregon but get Utah, Stanford and Washington at home.
3.Utah
-The Utes come into their first season in a BCS conference itching to prove they belong. They return 7 offensive starters, including QB Jordan Wynn and 3 O-linemen, but lose their entire secondary and all but 1 D-lineman. This won't be the best Utah team they've had the last few years but they are blessed with an easier schedule than other PAC-12 teams. Both Stanford and Oregon are not on the schedule and they play Washington and ASU at home.
4.UCLA
-We've all been waiting for UCLA to improve under coach Rick Neheuisel and this might be the year he makes larger strides or is shown the door. UCLA brings back the backfield and receivers from last year along with 3 D-lineman, 2 linebackers and both starting corners. The offensive line will have to replace 4 starters and will hope to figure things out early as the Bruins face Houston and Texas in the seasons' first month. This team can squeak out a bowl appearance and maybe play spoiler in the conference.
5.Arizona
-This won't be the same Arizona team we've seen the last two seasons and it wont be going in the right direction. Only 10 starters come back and the entire offensive line has to be replaced. There are some nice parts with QB Nick Foles, RB Keola Antolin and WR Juron Criner but it simply won't be enough for this team to be successful.
6.Colorado
-Colorado's first season in the PAC-12 looks like it will be a tough one. There are some promising spots with 1,000 yard rusher Rodney Stewart running behind 4 O-linemen from last year but there just isn't enough talent on the rest of the team to make this transition into a new conference a smooth one. The Buffs will have to play all the big boys with homes games against USC and Oregon and road trips to Stanford, Washington and Arizona State.

-Player of the Year-
RB LaMichael James, Oregon

-Best Conference Games-
USC @ Arizona St, Sept 24th
Washington @ Stanford, Oct 22nd
Oregon @ Stanford, Nov 12th
USC @ Oregon, Nov 19th