Washington Huskies Recruiting: Sarkisian Looking Beyond California in 2013

Early success in college football recruiting solely depends on the perspective of the individual dissecting the information. Until a recruit finishes his college football career the only enlightenment recruiting services provides fans are rankings, player ratings, and the  hope that said recruiting classes reward fans with winning seasons.  

Over the past three years Washington Huskies head coach Steve Sarkisian has signed highly ranked recruiting classes including his 2012 class ranked No. 20 by Rivals.com and No. 22 by Scout.com.

A staple in Sarkisian’s past recruiting classes have been signing talent from California but also keeping in-state players at home. Over the past two years 28 players have been plucked from the Golden State. Only five players signed out of the Evergreen State in 2012, nine committed in 2011.

For Sarkisian and the Huskies to improve upon their success in recruiting and in Pac-12 conference play, the coaching staff needs to baton down the hatches on talented in-state recruits and expand beyond the fertile but competitive grounds of California .

The loss of the top four rated players from the state of Washington in the 2012 class hurts especially when three home grown talents leave for competing Pac-12 programs. None perhaps more devastating than the deflection of five-star offensive tackle Zach Banner to USC.

The late deflections of 3-star defensive end Pio Vatuvei from USC and five-star safety Shaquille Thompson from Cal to the Huskies cannot always be counted upon.

Much of the recruiting success in Washington’s 2011 class was the ability to sign nine of the top-15 in-state players including four of the top five.

Rivals.com and Scout.com premiered their early 2013 top-100 list this week. Only one in-state player, quarterback Max Browne from Skyline High School in Sammamish, made the list.

Scout.com ranks Browne No. 15 while Rivals.com lists him as the No. 8 player in the nation.

Browne has put together back-to-back 4,000 yard passing seasons with 95 touchdowns and only 20 interceptions. Wisconsin, Cal, Clemson, Arizona State, and Alabama have all offered Browne a scholarship to date.

One of the highlights of Sarkisian’s 2012 class was the signing of two Elite 11 quarterbacks- 4-stars Jeff Lindquist and Cyler Miles.

Will Miles and Lindquist scare off the highly touted Browne in 2013 to another Pac-12 rival?

The good news is the Huskies currently have 31 scholarship offers out to prospects from across the nation. In past recruiting classes Sarkisian has done a good job of pulling the occasional player out of Hawaii, Arizona, Nevada, and Colorado.

The early efforts by the Huskies’ staff for the 2013 class has interest from players in 10 different states including Virginia, Texas, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Tennessee. 22 of the players are rated a 4-star or better including five-star recruit Max Browne.

Other than Browne, inside linebacker Sean Constantine from Bellevue High School is the only other in-state player that has been officially offered by Sarkisian.

Even better news is seven of the top-100 players announced by Scout.com list Washington as a school of interest.

How many top recruits will the Huskies sign in 2013?

Here’s a list of the seven players with the Huskies among their early favorites:

(Position/Player/Measurements/Rating/Location)

OLB Michael Hutchings, 6’1”, 210 pounds, 5-star, Concord, CA

QB Max Browne, 6’5”, 196 pounds, 5-star, Sammamish, WA

OG John Lopez, 6’5”, 320 pounds, 4-star, Orange, CA

DE Marcus Farria, 6’4”, 240 pounds, 4-star, Peoria, AZ

MLB Chans Cox, 6’3”, 220 pounds, 4-star, Lakeside, AZ

SS Su’a Cravens, 6’1”, 205 pounds, 4-star, Murrieta, CA

CB L.J. Moore, 6’1”, 175 pounds, 4-star, Fresno, CA

The Huskies do not have a verbal commitment for the 2013 class at this time. 

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College Football: AP Voters Not Watching Pac-12 Football Thus No More West Coast Bias?

Somewhere during the 2011 season, traditional sports logic and college football reasoning has been lost between the Associated Press Top 25 and the USA Today’s Coaches’ Poll.

The final 2011 regular season college football polls released Sunday shows that the “experts” fans look to for football guidance might be drawing names out of a hat to pick their college football Top 25.

Week 15, the final week of the regular season in college football, should have been the easiest week of the season for voters to fill out their Top 25 polls. Only 22 college football games were played during the final weekend meaning of the 120 FBS teams 44 were in action. 11 games featured ranked teams. 5 of the 11 games featured ranked teams playing against each other.

16 teams that played were ranked in the week 14 AP Top 25 Poll. Of the 16 ranked teams that played five lost. Per the rankings, three of the five ranked teams that lost were “upset” by lower ranked teams. No ranked team that lost was defeated by an unranked team.

Traditionally this would mean that three ranked teams would drop in the polls and the three previously lower ranked teams would move up in the polls. Teams on a bye would have the opportunity to be jumped in the polls by teams playing one extra conference championship game, especially schools on a bye not playing in the conference championship game, right? Guess again college football fans.

In week 14 Stanford was No. 4, Oregon was No. 8, and USC was No. 9 in the AP. The AP was so impressed with Stanford and USC’s bye that in the final polls they kept Stanford at No. 4, jumped USC to No. 5, and placed Oregon at No. 6.

Voters rendered Oregon’s Pac-12 championship game win over UCLA useless.

Voters may have forgotten that Oregon beat Stanford November 12, just four weeks ago, 53-30 at Stanford Stadium. The following week USC went on the road and upset the Ducks at Autzen Stadium 38-35.

One can see an argument being made for USC being a Top 10 team. They have quality wins over Oregon and - Notre Dame? USC’s two losses have been to unranked 6-6 Arizona State 43-22 and to No. 4 Stanford 56-48. USC’s last regular season game was a victory over UCLA 50-0.

Are the AP voters are telling America that they are more impressed with USC’s 50-point win over UCLA than Oregon’s 49-31 win over UCLA in the Pac-12 championship game? Yes, they are. They are also telling college football fans that two teams in the Pac-12 are better than the team representing the conference in the Rose Bowl.

According to the AP, Stanford with a quality win over USC, Oregon with a quality win over Stanford, and USC with a quality win over Oregon is enough to rank the teams 4-6 in the final regular season poll. None of the teams have quality non-conference victories to help support their positions.

Oregon played four ranked teams during the season and finished with a 2-2 record against those teams. One of the ranked teams the Ducks beat was Arizona State. ASU finished the season unranked with a 6-6 record. Another way to look at it is Oregon went 1-2 against quality opponents during the 2011 season.

Stanford also played four ranked teams during the season. Two of those teams, 7-5 University of Washington and 8-4 Notre Dame are not ranked in the final AP Poll. Stanford went 1-1 against quality opponents during the 2011 season; beat USC, lost to Oregon.

Again, USC played two ranked teams and finished with a 1-1 record; lost to Stanford, beat Oregon.

Don’t look for wisdom with The USA Today Coaches’ Poll because that poll is no better than the AP. Due to the fact that USC cannot participate in post season games because of NCAA sanctions, the Coaches Poll has completely left USC off the ballot.

USC is deserving of place among the top 25 teams in the nation. Where they deserve to be ranked can be debated. But leaving them off the ballot is another way of saying this team does not exists.

Yet when USC beat then No. 4 Oregon on November 19, the coaches dropped Oregon to No. 9 the following week. Strange how Oregon can drop in their poll to a team that does not officially exist to them?

Luckily the AP Poll does not count towards the BCS Rankings. Although one does have to fool themselves to think that the Harris Interactive Poll is not influenced by the AP Poll in some way.

Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott has to be happy that three of his teams occupy spots within the final regular season AP Top 10. Scott and Duck’s head coach Chip Kelly have to be angry that voters have made a joke out of the Pac-12 inaugural championship game by jumping USC ahead of Oregon.  

Through it all fans have to realize that the so-called college football “experts” do not know as much about college football as we have traditionally given them credit for. 

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College Football Recap: PAC-12 Week Two

The PAC-12 split the weekend with the Big 12 when Oklahoma State beat University of Arizona 37-14 and Arizona State beat Missouri 37-30 in overtime.

Former PAC-10 members Cal and USC forgot to roll out the welcome mat to their new PAC-12 members Utah and Colorado.

Arizona (1-0) vs. Oklahoma State (1-0)

OSU quarterback Brandon Weeden torched the Wildcats defense for 397 yards passing with two touchdowns. Not to be outdone by Weeden, Arizona quarterback Nick Foles threw for 398 yards with one touchdown.

The game was in the Cowboys’ hands by halftime leading 21-0. The Wildcats scored first in the second half cutting the lead to 21-7 then OSU responded just before the end of the third quarter with Justin Blackmon’s second touchdown of the game; an eight yard fade pass. Blackmon finished the game with 12 catches gaining 128 receiving yards.

Arizona head coach Mike Stoops made some questionable calls early in the game going for fourth down conversions instead of kicking field goals. The Wildcats finished the game with one successful fourth down conversion on three attempts.

The difference in the game was OSU’s defense stopping the Wildcats when needed and OSU’s rushing attack piling up 197 net yards. Arizona was a one dimension team as they were held to 41 yards rushing.

Joseph Randle led OSU in rushing with 118 yards on 15 carries with two touchdowns.

Life doesn’t get any better for Mike Stoops this week when Andrew Luck and the Stanford Cardinal travels to Tucson.

Nick Foles and Brandon Weeden are the top ranked quarterbacks in NCAA Division 1 terms of yards per game, averaging 405 yards per game and 392.5 yards per game respectively.

Next Game:

OSU (2-0) plays at Tulsa (1-1).

Stanford (2-0) travels to Arizona (1-1).

Missouri versus Arizona State

ASU outlasted the Tigers after blowing a 14-point fourth quarter lead winning in overtime 37-30.

Missed opportunities and penalties marred the game for both teams. Missouri field goal kicker Grant Ressel missed two field goals including a 47-yard attempt late in the fourth quarter that could have been the difference for the Missouri Tigers. Both teams combined for 23 penalties (ASU 12, Missouri 11) totaling in 110 yards lost for ASU and 114 for the Tigers that kept stalling moment gaining drives.

James Franklin showed marked improvement against ASU after having a poor game against Miami of Ohio in week one. Franklin threw for 319 yards completing 26 passes on 42 attempts with two scores and no interceptions. Franklin picked up tough rushing yards throughout the night finishing the game with 59 yards on 27 attempts. Henry Joesy led the Tigers with 94 yards on nine rushing attempts.

Brock Osweiler made play after play with his arm and legs for the Sun Devils. Osweiler ended the game with 353 yards passing, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. Osweiler added a 12 yard rushing touchdown on a bruising run up the middle to start the fourth quarter.

Both quarterbacks spread the ball out evenly, each finding eight different receivers during the game. Aaron Pflugrad led all receivers with eight catches for 180 and two touchdowns.

Missouri’s tough defensive line was only able to sack the big 6’8” Osweiler once. ASU’s feared defense was able to sack Franklin twice.

Neither defense played particularly well. Missouri gave up 492 yards of offense and ASU gave up 501 yards.

Missouri played without their two top running backs.

Next Games:

Western Illinois (1-1) versus Missouri (1-1).

Arizona State (2-0) at Illinois (2-0).

Oregon State (0-1) versus Wisconsin (1-0)

Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson continued his seemingly effortless transition back into college football helping the Badgers beat the Beavers 35-0. Wilson, a 2010 draft pick of the Colorado Rockies, put his baseball career on hold to finish out his collegiate football career when he transferred to Wisconsin. The move from North Carolina State to Wisconsin has been an early success for both Wilson and the Badgers.

Wilson completed 17 of 21 passes for 189 yards with three touchdowns allowing the rushing attack time to wear down the smaller Oregon State defensive unit. Montee Ball ran for 115 yards on 15 attempts with two second half touchdowns.

OSU starting quarterback Ryan Katz was benched for the second straight game in favor of backup quarterback Sean Mannion. Mannion ended the game completing 25 passes on 38 attempts for 244 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.

OSU was playing without their week one freshman running back stud, Malcom Agnew. Agnew is expected to return to game action for OSU’s October 1, game at Arizona State. Even with Agnew playing OSU would have had a tough time overcoming their poor special teams play. Shanked punts, penalties on special teams, and poor kick return decisions kept the Beavers pinned in their own territory for much of the game. Without Agnew, OSU was held to 23 net rushing yards.

Junior Beaver receivers Jordan Bishop and Markus Wheaton had five catches for 98 yards and eight catches for 83 yards respectively.

Next Games:

UCLA (1-1) at Oregon State (1-1).

Wisconsin (2-0) at Northern Illinois (1-1) in Chicago.

California (1-0) versus Colorado (0-1)

California welcomed Colorado to PAC-12 play in an exciting fashion as the Golden Bears rolled past the Buffaloes 36-33 in overtime.

Colorado field goal kicker Will Oliver kicked a 32-yard field goal with 34 seconds left to send the game into overtime. In overtime Oliver connected on another field goal, his fourth of the day (including a 52-yard bomb in the second quarter), to break the 30-30 tie.

Cal answered with Zach Maynard’s fourth touchdown pass of the game; a 5-yard pass to Keenan Allen for the winning score.

Maynard only completed 51 percent of his passes but of the 18 completions he threw, four of those passes were for touchdowns. Maynard ended up with 243 yards passing and one interception.

Maynard’s Colorado counterpart, Tyler Hansen, had a record setting day for the Buffaloes throwing for 474 yards and three touchdowns. Keenan Allen ended up with 97 yards receiving and tight end Anthony Miller had two catches for 27-yards with a pair of scores.

Both defenses were committed to stopping the run. Colorado’s 2010 1,000 yard rusher, Rodney Stewart, was held to 68-yards rushing on 24 attempts. Stewart could never break past the second tier of Cal’s defense. Stewart’s longest rush was for 13-yards. Colorado finished with 108 net yards rushing while Cal finished with 100 net yards rushing.

Cal’s victory tied Jeff Tedford for the most all-time wins as Cal’s head football coach.

Next Games:

Colorado (0-2) versus Colorado State in Denver.

Presbyterian, a FCS school, (1-1) at California (2-0).

Stanford (1-0) versus Duke (0-1)

Andrew Luck tied a career high with four touchdown passes leading the Cardinal easily past the Blue Devils 44-14.

Duke kept the score close pulling within 3 points with 2:08 left before halftime. Luck immediately led the Cardinal downfield, scoring with 48 second before halftime to pushing their lead to 17-7.

The Cardinal offense was able to take advantage of the outmatched Blue Devils on offense. Luck was efficient completing 20 passes on 28 attempts for the game. The Cardinal finished the game with 205 net rushing yards led by Stepfan Taylor’s game leading 75 total yards.

The Cardinal defense shut down the Blue Devils rushing attack holding Duke to 30 net yards rushing. The Blue Devils tried every different pass play in their book having four different players attempt at least one pass including a fake punt.

Stanford only punted twice during the game.

Next Games:

Stanford at Arizona.

Duke at Boston College.

Nevada (bye) versus Oregon (0-1)

Oregon shrugged off their offensive woes from week one beating the Wolf Pack 69-20. Nevada was down 34-0 in the second quarter before responding with a five yard touchdown pass from Tyler Lantrip to running back Mike Ball.

Nevada, a 13-1 team in 2010, looked like a FCS program against Oregon’s spread option attack. Oregon compiled 603 net yards of offense (331 passing, 272 rushing) on Darron Thomas’ way to throwing six touchdown passes; tying a school record.

Neither team played much defense as Oregon gave up 516 yards of total offense but made plays to stop Wolf Pack drives. Oregon intercepted three passes; Lantrip twice, Cody Fajardo once.

True freshman running back De’Anthony Thomas (Los Angeles), a former USC commitment before changing to Oregon, led the Ducks in rushing with 81-yards on eight carries including a 62 yard run. Thomas also had two receptions for 93 yards and two receiving scores. La’Michael James was held to 65 yards rushing on 12 attempts with one touchdown.

Next Games:

Missouri State (0-2) at Oregon (1-1).

Nevada (0-1) at San Jose State (0-2).

University of Hawaii (1-0) versus Washington (1-0)

Washington’s quick start foils the Hawaii Warriors second PAC-12 victim of 2011 as the Huskies won 40-32.

Sophomore Keith Price responded well to Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian’s criticism of the Huskies’ play versus Eastern Washington in week one action. Price threw for a career high four touchdowns and 315 yards. All-PAC-12 candidate Chris Polk ran for 105 yards and one touchdown to help balance out the Huskies’ offensive attack.

Washington’s defense did a great job containing Hawaii’s double threat quarterback Brian Moniz. Moniz was held to -15 net yards rushing after accounting for two Huskies sacks. Moniz did threaten with his arm late in the game bringing the Warriors within five points at the start of the fourth quarter (26-31). Moniz threw his only touchdown pass of the game with 1:46 to play in the fourth quarter. The Warriors could not get the ball back ending their comeback hopes. Moniz ended the game with 333 yards passing.

Notes to the Game:

Washington wide receiver Devin Aguilar caught five passes for 131 yards and a touchdown.

Washington outgained the Warriors 466 yards to 388.

Hawaii fumbled the ball three times losing possession once.

Hawaii’s field goal kicker missed two extra point attempts.

Next Game:

Washington (2-0) at Nebraska (2-0).

Hawaii (1-1) at UNLV (0-2)

UNLV (0-1) versus Washington State (1-0)

Washington States offense overpowered UNLV defense winning 59-7. The Cougars racked up 610 yards of offense with backup quarterback Marshall Lobbestael. Lobbestael had career highs with 361 yards passing and five touchdowns.

Washington State’s defense responded to the call of their offensive leader Jeff Tuel being out with a broken collar bone as well. The Cougars only gave up 158 yards of offense to the Rebels; 98 yards rushing, 60 yards passing.

Washington State seemingly scored at will only having to punt once.

With this win the Cougars have matched their win total from 2010 and 2008.

Next Games:

Washington State (2-0) at San Diego State (2-0).

Hawaii (1-1) at UNLV (0-2).

Utah (1-0) at USC (1-0)

17-14 or 23-14, either way USC hands Utah their first loss as in PAC-12 play. Controversy over the last play of the game became the headlines over a well played college football game.

On the last play of the game USC blocked Coleman Petersen’s 41 yard field goal attempt and ran it back for a touchdown making the score 23-14 as time expired. An excessive celebration penalty against USC for running out on the field temporarily took the touchdown off the scoreboard. No small irony that the most controversial rule change in college football should cause the biggest controversy amongst college football sports bettors.

Final score aside, Utah showed they could play with the “big boys”. Jordan Wynn drove the Utes to their final score with 6:30 to play in the fourth quarter. Then Wynn took the Utes within field goal range before USC blocked their attempt.

USC did make Utah into a one dimensional team. The Utes riding the arm of quarterback Jordan Wynn proved to be their main source of offense against USC’s defensive front. Wynn threw for 238 yards and one touchdown. Utah’s rushing attack was held to 81 total yards.

USC’s Matt Barkley and wide receiver Robert Woods picked up from their week one performance where they left off. Barkley completed 20 passes for 264 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Woods hauled in eight passes for 102 yards.

Marc Tyler got his first action of the season running for 109 yards on 24 attempts with one touchdown. Tyler was suspended for USC’s first game.

Next Games:

Utah (1-1) at BYU (1-1)

Syracuse (2-0) at USC (2-0).

San Jose State (0-1) versus UCLA (0-1)

UCLA overcomes to lost fumbles and uses a fourth quarter rally to come from behind to beat the Spartans 27-17.

Derrick Coleman and Johnathan Franklin provided the offensive punch needed for the Bruins to survive an upset loss at home. Coleman ran for a game high 135 yards on 14 rushing attempts, all in the second half, while Franklin added 80 yards on 16 attempts. Both Bruin running backs contributed a touchdown rushing. UCLA tight end Joseph Fauria added a receiving touchdown in the second quarter.

UCLA outgained San Jose State 417 yards to 317. The Bruins’ 272 rushing yards as opposed to San Jose State’s 202 made a big difference in the game.

Next Games:

Texas (2-0) at UCLA.

Nevada (0-1) at San Jose State (0-2).

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Week One College Football Recap: The PAC-12

Arizona State vs. UC Davis

Arizona State took care of UC Davis 48-14 to start their 2011 football campaign. ASU was in command throughout the game and only allowed 14 fourth quarter points after the game was decided. The Aggies had trouble with ASU’s offense and defense in the 104 degree heat. Look for Missouri to have trouble doing the same in week two against the Sun Devils.

Junior running back Cameron Marshall got the short yardage and goal lines carries; 7 rushes for 23 yards with two touchdown runs of 2-yards each. Brock Osweiler threw for 262 yards 2 scores and one interception.

Notes to the game

ASU racked up 517 yards of total offense; 300 passing, 217 rushing. ASU turned the ball over twice while only getting one takeaway on defense.

ASU’s defense only allowed 243 yards of offense; 155 passing, 88 rushing.

Jamal Miles carried the ball once for 36 yards but showed his speed on a 98-yard kickoff return to start the second half.

Aaron Pflugrad had three catches for 50-yards with 2 touchdowns.

Redshirt freshman Alex Garoutte was perfect on six extra points and two field goal attempts including a 49-yarder before halftime.

ASU is still waiting for the return of LB Brandon Magee (Achilles’ Tendon), RB Deantre Lewis (shot in leg), and CB Omar Bolden (torn ACL). If ASU can get completely healthy again, watch out!

Utah vs. Montana State

Utah beat Montana State 27-10 to earn their first victory as a PAC-12 member. Utah was in control early and never let up jumping out to a 24-0 lead before Montana State scored a touchdown with a minute to go before halftime.

Utah quarterback Jordan Wynn was efficient completing 15 of 23 passes for 101 yards and two scores. True freshman John White (Torrance, CA) was the story of the game for the Utes. He led all rushers with 150 yards on 19 attempts with a running and a receiving touchdown.

Utah looked like they were going through the motions against Montana State. Perhaps they were looking ahead to their week two game on the road at USC? Since neither the Utes nor the Trojans looked in top form in week one, this should be an interesting matchup for both schools. USC is familiar with Norm Chow’s (USC and UCLA) offense but not the Utah players. USC struggled with their run game against the Golden Gophers. How will the two teams off-set each other at the Coliseum?

Notes to the Game

Utah’s starting left tackle senior John Cullen was held out of the game due to a concussion. He is expected to play against USC in week two.

Linebacker Brian Blechen intercepted two passes against Montana State.

All eyes were on Wynn and his shoulder. Wynn did not open it up too much but expect to see him air it out against USC next week.

USC vs. University of Minnesota

USC fought off the Golden Gophers to hang on for a 19-17 opening season victory. USC quarterback Matt Barkley and wide receiver Robert Woods received the headlines with their impressive and record setting performances; Barkley set a USC record completing 34 passes while Woods set a USC record for receptions in a game with 17, but the real story of the game is the decision making of the USC coaching staff.

Twice USC went for two after their initial scores and failed on both attempts. USC pulled the same stunt in last year’s opener against Hawaii. Why? Lane Kiffin will learn at some point that he has to play the game the correct way or his brash attitude will catch up with him. USC lost two games last year on last minute field goals adding an extra emphasis to the phrase “every point counts”. For USC to be successful, Kiffin will have to learn that each point does count even if he feels his team is better than their opposition.

Minnesota played tough in the second half and kept the game close with a third quarter nine yard touchdown by Duane Bennett (10-19). In the fourth quarter Max Shortell threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Green to draw the Gophers within two of USC.

Notes of the Game

USC was without starting tailback Marc Tyler. Tyler was suspended for his comments about USC players being paid to play on “TMZ”.

Matt Barkley finished the game 34 of 45 for 304 yards passing with three touchdowns.

Robert Woods had 177 yards receiving on 17 catches with three touchdowns.

USC only had 67 yards rushing for the game.

UCLA vs. University of Houston

Casey Keenum got revenge against UCLA shredding UCLA’s defense for 310 yards passing enroot to a 38-34 win. Keenum injured his ACL against the Bruins at the Rose Bowl during UCLA’s third game of the 2010 season; a 31-13 win for UCLA. Keenum was granted a sixth year of eligibility and delivered his payback.

The game was a shootout with Houston leading the entire way. Both team put up gaudy offensive numbers as little defense was played. UCLA had 554 yards of total offense to the Cougars 469. The two teams combined for 10 total touchdowns.

UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince left the game in the second due to a concussion allowing backup quarterback Richard Brehaut, last year’s starter, to finish the game (17 of 26 for 264 yards passing, 2 TD, 0 interceptions).

The hot seat just got hotter for UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel. UCLA has a game to get things back on track before facing the University of Texas at the Rose Bowl on September 17. Texas will be looking to revenge last year’s home loss to UCLA (34-12).

Notes to the Game

UCLA running back Johnathan Franklin started off 2011 where he left off in 2010 rushing for 126 yards on 16 attempts with one score.

Richard Brehaut ran 13 times for 78 yards. That’s putting the Pistol Offense to work!

UCLA’s wide receivers and tight ends had a great day against Houston’s weak defense. Junior Joseph Fauria exploited Houston’s defense for 110 yards on six catches with a score.

Oregon State vs. Sacramento State

Mike Riley is in for a long year. Oregon State fought back from a 21-6 deficit to tie the game and send it into overtime. Oregon State got the ball first in OT scoring a touchdown on an 18-yard run by true freshman Malcom Agnew (St. Louis, MO). Sacramento State hung tough in OT. Hornet’s quarterback Jeff Fleming threw a 6-yard touchdown pass in OT then followed with a 2-yard pass to convert the two-point conversion to win the game 29-28.

OSU plays on the road at Wisconsin in week two action. Wisconsin routed UNLV 51-17 in their season opener.

Notes of the Game

Malcom Agnew finished the game with 223 yards rushing on 33 attempts with 3 scores.

This was OSU’s first season opening loss since 2001.

OSU played seven true freshmen.

OSU quarterback Ryan Katz was benched in the second half after going 11 for 22 for 87 yards with an interception.

Stanford vs. San Jose State

The score was not indicative of the game as the Cardinal rolled to an easy 57-3 romp of the Spartans. Stanford was in control throughout and gave up the Spartans only points on an 18-yard field goal with 52 seconds before halftime.

For his standards, Andrew Luck had a mild game, throwing for 171 yards on 17 for 26 attempts with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Luck also added a one yard rushing touchdown.

Stanford should have another easy opponent in week two as they travel to North Carolina to take on the Duke Blue Devils.

Notes of the Game

The Cardinal defense was in full force only allowing 237 yards of total offense; 210 passing and 27 yards rushing.

San Jose State’s quarterback Matt Faulkner was sacked twice for a loss of 48-yards.

Stanford head coach David Shaw started preparing for 2012 by getting snaps for redshirt freshman quarterback Brett Nottingham and sophomore quarterback Robbie Picazo.

Washington State vs. Idaho State

The Cougars blasted the Bengals 64-21 leaving them one victory shy of their 2010 season total. The game for WSU went from great to bad after learning that starting quarterback Jeff Tuel, perhaps the best quarterback in college football that no one knows about, broke his left clavicle during the game. Backup quarterback Marshall Lobbestael filled in nicely going 14 of 19 for 230 yards with 2 touchdowns.

Washington State gets another game they could win this week in a matchup against UNLV at home.

Notes of the Game

True freshman running back Marcus Mason (Etiwanda, CA) made his debut against the Bengals rushing for 88 yards and a touchdown on six carries.

Sophomore wide receiver Marquess Wilson had four catches for 91 yards and a touchdown.

Andrew Furney missed an extra point kick for WSU.

California vs. Fresno State

Fresno jumped on Cal early for a 7-0 lead in the first but the Cal Bears scored three straight touchdowns, missing 2-PATs, to take a 19-14 lead before the end of the first quarter on their way to a 36-21 win. Cal’s junior scat back Isi Sofele carved up the Bulldogs defense for three scores and 69 yards rushing. Senior receiver Marvin Jones had five catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns while sophomore Keenan Allen had eight catches for 112 yards.

The Bears offense accounted for 413 yards from the line of scrimmage.

Notes of the Game

Cal is playing their home games at AT&T Park this year. Will they be able to retain the home field advantage they normally get in Berkley? Fresno State drew a larger crowd to AT&T Park for Cal’s “home opener”.

Cal’s defense, as always, looked sharp against the Bulldogs only surrendering 68 yards rushing and 142 yards passing.

Cal opens conference play next week at Colorado.

Washington vs. Eastern Washington

Washington survived a 30-27 scare against the Eagles. The Eagles lived and died by their quarterback play against the Huskies all night. Bo Mitchell threw for 473 yards against the Huskies and drove the Eagles from their 5-yard line to the Huskies’ 25-yard line with 40 seconds to play. Washington’s preseason All-PAC-12 cornerback Desmond Trufant intercepted Mitchell’s pass in the end zone to stop the Eagle’s drive and secure the Huskies’ season opening victory.

Huskies’ quarterback play was average at best. Keith Price threw for three touchdowns but only compiled 102 yards passing. Running back Chris Polk was dominating in the season opener running for 122 yards.

Notes of the Game

The Huskies’ defense had four Eagles’ receivers go for 70-yards or more on their secondary.

The Eagles attempted 69 passes but only ran the ball 17 times.

Washington plays University of Hawaii at home. This will be Hawaii’s second game against a PAC-12 team in 2011.

Oregon vs. LSU

Before a crowd of 87,711 Tiger and Ducks’ fans in Arlington, Texas, LSU capitalized on four Oregon turnovers and 12 penalties to win going away 40-27. LSU was in control most of the game leading 16-13 at halftime and 30-13 at the end of the third quarter. Oregon true freshman running back De’Anthony Thomas (Los Angeles, CA) fumbled on back-to-back possessions leading to two LSU scores in the third quarter.

Darron Thomas tried to get revenge in his home state against Les Miles, who recruited him to play at LSU but would not promise him the opportunity to stay at quarterback. Thomas played well completing 31 passes for 240 yards, one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown, but could not help overcome the mistakes made by the Ducks and the lack of a running game against LSU’s stout defense. Oregon was held to 95 rushing yards. More notably preseason Heisman candidate LaMichael James was held to 51-yards rushing on 18 carries.

LSU starting quarterback Jarrett Lee played the role of quarterback but did not impress pundits with his play; 10-22 for 98-yards with one touchdown. Spencer Ware and Michael Ford got tough rushing yards all game for the Tigers. Ware finished with 97-yards and Ford finished with 94.

If defense wins championships, LSU has a defensive unit capable of getting them to the BCS Championship Game.

Notes of the Game

This is Oregon’s first time with consecutive losses since 2007.

Oregon outgained LSU offensively 335 total yards to 273.

LSU has won 34 consecutive non-conference games.

Colorado vs. University of Hawaii

Adding to the PAC-12 woes in week one was the Buffaloes 34-17 loss to the Warriors in Hawaii. Colorado’s new head coach Jon Embree had no answers for Hawaii quarterback Bryant Moniz. Moniz was the story of the game as he threw for 178-yards with a touchdown and ran for 121 yards with three scores (120 rushing yards in the first half; Moniz was sacked five times for a loss of 30 yards). The good news for Colorado is they held Moniz to 182-yards below his passing average during the 2010 season when he threw for 360-yards per game.

The Warriors forced Colorado to punt on their first five possessions of the game. Rodney Steward, a 1,318 yard rusher in 2010, was held to 41-yards on 18 attempts but caught 4 passes for 98-yards.

Notes of the Game

Colorado has lost 19 consecutive road games.

Colorado sacked Bryant Moniz five times but gave up seven sacks offensively to the Warriors for a total loss of 44-yards.

Colorado opens conference play at home against California this week.

Arizona vs. Northern Arizona

Arizona quarterback Nick Foles started the 2011 season on a winning note leading the Wildcats to a 41-10 win over Northern Arizona. Foles ability as a passer has never been questioned. He finished the game with 412 yards passing, completing 34 on 42 attempts with five touchdowns. The question centered on Foles is his offensive line. All five linemen are new starters and the responded well, protecting their senior quarterback by only giving up one sack. The run blocking is another issue. The Wildcats were held to 75-yards rushing.

Senior wide receiver Juron Criner continued his great colligate career by catching six passes for 151 yards with a touchdown. Wildcats receiver David Roberts had seven catches for 58-yards.

Arizona gets an opportunity for a shootout and to display their offense on the national stage this week against Oklahoma State in Stillwater.

Notes of the Game

Arizona’s defense held the Lumberjacks to 259-yards of total offense.

Arizona committed 10 penalties costing them 74-yards during the game.

College Football Stat of the Week

Florida State quarterback Clint Trickett: 1 for 1 passing with a touchdown for a quarterback rating of 665.2. Trickett is the son of FSU’s offensive line coach, Rick Trickett. 

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PAC-12 Notes for Week One

PAC-12 North

California Bears

Brock Mansion started the final four games of 2010 but finds himself third on the depth chart starting 2011.

Sophomore walk-on linebacker Dan Camporeale won a starting spot over senior Ryan Davis and freshman Chris McCain.

True freshman cornerback Stefan McClure of Vista, California will get time as a backup to junior Marc Anthony.

Oregon

Cornerback Cliff Harris and linebacker Kiko Alonso are out against LSU. Redshirt freshman Terrance Mitchell replaces Harris and senior Dewitt Stuckey fills in for Alonso.

Red shirt freshman Hroniss Grasu and senior Ramsen Golpashin have earned the open starting offensive lineman spots for the Ducks.

Oregon State

Injuries have marred the starting and two-deep roster for the Beavers vs. Sacramento State. Look for Mike Riley to play as many people as he can to evaluate his team in game time situations.

True freshman running back Malcom Agnew will be the Beavers’ starter. Agnew should provide the breakaway pop they will miss now that Jacquizz Rodgers is gone.

Senior cornerback Brandon Hardin is injured, Rashad Reynolds will start in his place.

True freshman wide receiver Brandin Cooks will start against Sacramento.

Stanford

The three new starters on the offensive line for the Cardinal will be junior Sam Schwartzstein at center, redshirt freshman David Yankey at guard, and redshirt Cameron Fleming at right tackle. The Cardinal has two warm-up games before entering conference play against Arizona. This should give the line time to gel.

Three true freshmen will see a lot of playing time against San Jose State: highly recruited linebacker James Vaughters from Stone Mountain, GA, cornerback Wayne Lyons from Ft. Lauderdale, FL, and free safety Jordan Richards from Folsom, CA.

Washington

Two freshmen will see the significant snaps at tight end against Eastern Washington, true freshman Austin Seferian-Jenkins from Fox Island, WA, and redshirt freshman Michael Hartvigson.

Freshmen and sophomores line the two-deep chart: DT Danny Shelton, DE Josh Shirley, LB John Timu, and LB Princeton Fuimaono to name a few.

Washington has two warm-up games before traveling to Nebraska for their 2010 tie-breaker.

Washington State

Only two freshmen made the two-deep chart for the Cougars: LB Chester Su’a from Pearl City, HI, and cornerback Spence Waseem from Apopka, FL.

No surprise that C.J. Mizell is the starter at MLB.

Washington State plays Idaho State this week and gets another tune-up game against UNLV before facing a possible tough test against San Diego State on the road.

PAC-12 South

Arizona

Three true freshmen made the two-deep chart on defense for the Wildcats: linebacker Rob Hankins (starter) from Dallas, TX, linebacker Hank Hobson from Bakersfield, CA, and cornerback Cortez Johnson from New Orleans, LA.

University of Texas transfer, wide receiver Dan Buckner (6’4”, 220 lbs), made the four deep receiver rotation. Look for his size and speed to be a difficult matchup for opposing defenses all season.

Arizona plays Northern Arizona before traveling to Oklahoma State next week.

Arizona State

Arizona State easily won their game against UC Davis Thursday night 48-14. UC Davis started playing in the final quarter but not before ASU was well on their way to amassing 517 total yards of offense.

ASU is still waiting on Omar Bolden, Brandon Magee, and Deantre Lewis to return from their injuries. If the Sun Devils can get to full strength before conference play in week four at home versus USC. The rest of the PAC-12 better watch out.

Colorado

True freshman cornerback Greg Henderson from Corona, CA, will start for the Buffaloes against Hawaii. True freshman Kyle Washington from Pasadena, CA will see time as the backup strong safety.

Jon Embree will alternate Daniel Munyer and Gus Handler at center.

UCLA

No big surprises for UCLA. Wide receiver Taylor Embree has a calf injury and may see limited action against Houston.

USC

Lane Kiffin is still looking for his starting running back, Marc Tyler is suspended for the game against Minnesota. Dillion Baxter, Curtis McNeal, D.J. Morgan and true freshman Amir Carlisle should all see time against the Gophers.

Walk-on redshirt freshman quarterback John Manoogian is listed as Matt Barkley’s backup.

Look for USC to try several players out on offense and defense before entering conference play next week against Utah. Kiffin will look for several players to separate themselves from the back against University of Minnesota.

Utah

Utah had an easy win over Montana State but did not look impressive. Utah jumped out to an early 17 point lead in the first quarter going tying 10-10 from the second quarter to the end of the game. Norm Chow did not open up the playbook but one still has to wonder how Utah will fair next week on the road at USC. 

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2011 PAC-12 South Division College Football Preview

Does the newly aligned PAC-12 South division seem wide open to you? If not it should. After Southern California’s disappointing 2010 season, the 2011 south division seems ripe for any team to break out of the pack and set the tone for the new division. The only problem is who can knock off USC in the south? How will the two new additions to the conference, University of Utah and University of Colorado, fair against the old PAC-10 teams?

Overview

The state of Arizona has somehow upset the football gods; what did they do wrong? Can they reverse the curse? Both Arizona schools have been snake bit with injuries and bad breaks in 2010 and during spring and fall practices in 2011. University of Arizona seemed destined for greatness last year after a 7-1 start. A 0-5 finish including a 36-10 loss to Oklahoma State in the Alamo Bowl quickly brought Wildcat fans back to a disappointing reality. Arizona State wins the games they are supposed to win but can’t seem to get on a consistent even playing field with the top tier teams in conference.

What more can be said about UCLA and Rick Neuheisel that has not already been said? Neuheisel is 15-22 in his three years at UCLA with big non-conference wins over University of Texas and University of Tennessee during his tenure. Why does UCLA falter in conference play? With the wealth of talent in the state of California, how can Neuheisel finish ranked 45^th in recruiting (rivals.com) after the 2011 recruiting season following a top ten recruiting class in 2010? There is talent is on campus. Another question Bruins fans have is can Neuheisel develop his own players or does he need to be an offensive coordinator or quarterbacks coach on the colligate level? There are too many questions in Westwood with far fewer answers.

The good news is Colorado is no stranger to playing in a tough BCS conference. The bad news is Colorado has not performed well in a tough BCS conference. New head coach Jon Embree has to instill a new philosophy for the Buffaloes and pray that the losing ways under former head coach Dan Hawkins are quickly forgotten. Colorado has not made a bowl since 2007 (Independence Bowl). Embree has returning experience on the two-deep depth chart. Recruiting rankings don’t mean everything but Colorado has not finished in the top 50 in recruiting over the past two years; placing 48^th in 2009. A fresh start in a new conference with a new head coach could be just what the Buffaloes needed.

All eyes will be on the University of Utah this season. During the spring, public officials in Utah had a much publicized standoff with the NCAA over anti-trust issues regarding unfair practices; a political publicity stunt but the action helped bring more attention to the possibility of a college football playoff system in the future. The Utes will not have any excuses this season for not being able to make the BCS National Championship Game. Mixed thoughts range amongst college football pundits if Utah can play at a BCS Conference level for an entire season as opposed to a Mountain West schedule. Utah went 2-3 against top tier competition last season. Do they have the depth and talent to play in the PAC-12 week after week? That’s why all eyes will be on the Utes during the 2011 season.

Which USC team will show up to the party this season? The USC teams of 2009 (9-4) and 2010 (8-5) that underperformed, by their own previous standards, or the USC teams of the early to mid-2000’s that we’ve come to expect 11 and 12 wins from each year? Second year head coach Lane Kiffin has not dropped the ball on recruiting. In 2010 USC finished ranked number 1 in the nation (rivals.com) and in 2011 they finished ranked fourth in recruiting. Pete Carroll didn’t completely deplete the depth charts before leaving either. A second season in Pa and Son’s offense and defense should help the players, their reactions times, and overall performance. Can the “Kiffin’s” keep the team motivated through another non-bowl berth season (their last year to forfeit a bowl game for the Reggie Busch violations)? Pushing to win the PAC-12 South Division and the first annual PAC-12 Football Championship Game will have to pass as USC’s 2011 bowl game.

University of Arizona Wildcats

Injuries and missed opportunities have marred Mike Stoops and the Arizona Wildcats over the past year. Arizona has talent returning at their skill positions on offense; quarterback Nick Foles, running back Keola Antolin, and wide receiver Juron Criner. Stoops will have to use incoming recruits to fill out holes along the depth chart. There’s only one offensive lineman returning with starting experience. Foles will be on the run early in the season unless the line gels overnight.

Defensive coordinator Tim Kish has a strong group of linebackers to lean on along with quality players up front. The secondary is said to be talented but time will tell against one of the more difficult college football schedules in the nation. If the offensive line cannot run block and eat up the game clock, this talented group could be worn out quickly. Starting free safety Johnny Thomas has been ruled ineligible for the game against Oklahoma State making life more difficult for Stoops and company on a national stage.

Outcome

Mike Stoops is entering his eighth season as the head coach for the Wildcats and has largely underperformed (40-55). Fans of Stoops will point to three straight bowl berths as a sign of things to come. Less inclined fans of Stoops will say his time has come as head coach of the Wildcats.

Look for Arizona to flip-flop last year’s performance of starting off strong and ending poorly. Stoops did not do himself any favors scheduling consecutive games (starting week two) at Oklahoma State, vs. Stanford, vs. Oregon, at USC, at Oregon State. The Wildcats may start the season 1-4 before playing seven games they may have a better chance of winning. If Arizona goes 7-1 or 6-2 in their final eight games Stoops may have saved his job. If Arizona plays .500 ball or less over the final eight, a change of direction with the football program maybe coming.

Arizona State University Sun Devils

Dennis Erickson is on the hot seat after three straight years without a bowl berth. Six wins normally qualifies any division 1 program for a bowl game but two of ASU’s six victories in 2010 were against sub-division teams. An appeal to the NCAA for bowl eligibility was denied turning up more heat on Erickson’s seat; why is a third of the team’s wins coming against sub-division teams? A more forgiving schedule in 2011 will help, dropping an away game at Wisconsin for an away game at Illinois, and losing Stanford from this year’s schedule. ASU gets University of Missouri at home on September 9. Playing at home and in the Arizona heat should be enough of advantage for the Sun Devils.

This team is stacked top to bottom, even with all of the injuries they have suffered; Steven Threet, J.J. Holliday, Devan Spann, etc…Quarterback Brock Osweiler played well when Threet was hurt last season (109 attempts, 62 receptions, 797 yards passing, 5 TD, with 0 interceptions) and seems ready for the 2011 season. The Devils top running backs are back; Cameron Marshall (787 yards rushing, 9 TD) and Deantre Lewis (5.9 yards per rush, 4 TD). The wide receivers are talented but who will be the go-to guy? Four of five starters are back which should help make the Devils a bowl team in 2011.

If you like defense, you should enjoy watching the Devils play in 2011. The defensive line is good enough to help the up and coming secondary out. ASU should be strong against the run because of their linebackers. ASU’s linebackers could be as good as any other team’s linebackers in the nation not named Alabama. MLB Vontaze Burfict is a beast and could be the meanest and best on the colligate level. His talent has never been questioned but his ability to control himself on the field and even against his own teammates has been; he had a fall practice fight in the locker room against a teammate. ASU fans hope he can keep his emotions under control during the season. Losing him to suspension or a getting a costly penalty at the wrong time is always a possibility with Burfict.  

Outcome

The Sun Devils were only chased out of one game during the 2010 season; 50-17 at California. Look for the Devils to be nasty on defense and balanced on offense. Erickson’s hot seat goes cold, unless a major injury strikes the team again, as this team should win at least nine games this season. Anything less… something has gone terribly wrong, again, for the Erickson and the ASU faithful.

University of Colorado Buffaloes

New head coach Jon Embree will have his hands full this year with the Buffaloes. He has to adjust the offense, the defense, and the mentality of a program that has not made a bowl game since 2007. Embree wisely hired staffers that have coached in the PAC-10 at various times in their career; Embree was a coach at UCLA before taking an assistant’s position in the NFL. Learning the ropes of the PAC-12 should be easier with the staff he put together.

Colorado was a different team at home than on the road in 2011. That mentality comes from the coaching staff and a home field altitude advantage. Hopefully Embree will be able to take the 14 returning starters along well enough to make a difference from the five win team in 2010. Quarterback Tyler Hansen played well in the spring and has continued that trend in fall practices. The offensive line is battle tested and returns a 1,318 yard rusher in RB Rodney Stewart. Stewart had 10 touchdowns last season and looks to expand upon that in a conference that has smaller but quicker defensive linemen in the PAC-12 than he faced in the Big 12. If Stewart can keep gaining yards and Hansen can continue to find WR Toney Clemons and Paul Richardson, this could be a tough team offensively.

And then there’s the defense. Defensive coordinator Greg Brown will run a 4-3 scheme with the Buffaloes. He has quality players upfront especially with the return of senior defensive end Josh Hartigan (7 sacks). Junior linebacker Jon Major will help solidify an unknown linebacker unit. Free safety Ray Polk was second on the team in total tackles last season. A free safety with 72 tackles is not unheard of but that is not what you want for a quality defense. Brown will have to find some playmakers to replace last year’s starting cornerbacks. The defense has holes which will place more of an emphasis on the Buffaloes running game. Running back Rodney Stewart and the offensive line could be the best defensive players the Buffaloes have on campus.  

Outcome

I hope the players have registered for their frequent flyer miles because they will have earned them after the first month of the season. Colorado travels to Hawaii during week one and then to Ohio State in week four. Will all of the travel wear on the team? Tough road games are strung throughout their season including at Stanford, at Washington, at Arizona State, at UCLA, and at Utah. Can Embree make Colorado a tough team on the road and at home? If not, this could be another long year for fans. The final two games of the regular season, both on the road (UCLA and Utah), should determine if Embree takes his team bowling or not.

University of California at Los Angeles Bruins

The motto for the 2011 Bruins campaign should be “No More Excuses”. Head coach Rick Neuhesial fired both head coordinators and slotted himself as the quarterback’s coach. New offensive coordinator Mike Johnson and defensive coordinator Joe Tresey have a lot of work to do in a short amount of time. Tresey is widely liked in coaching circles and thought of as a good hire for UCLA. Johnson has NFL experience but how will that translate on the college level? Neuhesial is experiencing the pains, again, of not living up to expectations as a college head coach; see University of Washington and University of Colorado. Can he turn around a four win season and take UCLA to a bowl better than the 2009 Eagle Bank Bowl?

Kevin Prince has looked sharp in fall practices and Neuhesial is hoping this translates into a successful season. Prince has all of last years top receivers back, for better or for worse, along with junior running back Johnathan Franklin. Franklin is a workhorse and should improve upon the 1,127 yards rushing and 8 TD during the 2010 campaign. The offensive line has talent but players keep getting hurt. Jeff Baca was hurt in spring practice along with Kai Maiava and Sean Sheller. Can this unit stay healthy long enough to come together as a powerful unit in 2011? Time will tell.

The defense should be solid this year, if the offense gives them time to rest between series. The Bruins finished 2010 ranked 94^th in total defense. Depending on how you look at the experience returning, they have either six to eight starters returning including their entire line backing unit. The defensive line is solid and should benefit from Joe Tresey’s schemes. The secondary has returning experience which will be aided by the push and pressure the big guys get up front. Look for UCLA to be much improved on the defensive side of the ball.

Outcome

Neuheisel tried to install the pistol offense last season with mixed results. The running attack finished ranked 32^nd in the nation while the passing attack finished 116^th. The defense better be ready in week one when they travel to Houston. Houston’s offense is hotter than the Texas heat they will experience. Completing their Texas football circuit in week three versus the University of Texas will be interesting. Last season UCLA upset Texas at Texas 34-12 but lost at Kansas State 31-22 in their first game of the season. Can UCLA pull off a couple more upsets this season? If not, look for UCLA to miss another bowl game in 2011. Many of the PAC-12 teams are on shaky ground this season. UCLA can either take advantage of it or be in for a long season.

University of Southern California

Lane Kiffin is a polarizing figure in college football thus it’s hard to feel sorry for him and the expectations of being the head coach at USC. But it’s never easy following up after a legend, assuming one views Pete Carroll as a college football legend, no matter who you are. Lane helped build USC to the level of elite college football program as an assistant and offensive coordinator from 2001-2005 so some of the burden his due to his own success. After a nine win season in 2009 (under Carroll) and an eight win season last year, USC critics are quick to dismantle the team from their elite status. Fans of USC’s program know better. There’s talent at USC and a lot of it. After a recruiting class ranked fourth in the nation in 2011 and number one ranked class in 2010, is there any doubt? The big question centers on Lane. Will he stay at a program long enough to sink or swim? With the talent he’s getting at USC, how can he sink?

Matt Barkley is going into his third year as USC’s starting quarterback and shoulders the burden of returning the Trojans to greatness. Robert Woods returns as Barkley’s favorite target (65 receptions, 792 yards, 6 TD) as does senior tailback Marc Tyler (913 yards rushing with 9 TD); suspended for USC’s week one matchup against University of Minnesota for his comments about USC players being paid on TMZ. The offensive line is the question mark of the team, much like the rest of the PAC-12. Can the three new starters on the offense line gel fast enough to make USC an elite team?

The defense was woeful last season. How can a Monte Kiffin coached team finish ranked 84^th in total defense? Is this a sign of things to come or was this part of an adjustment period between coaching staffs? The defensive line should be stout and experience returns in the secondary and with the linebacking unit. Another year in the system along with eight home games should make USC’s defense tough to beat.

Outcome

USC’s non-conference schedule sounds tougher than it really is. They get Minnesota and Syracuse at home but play Notre Dame on the road; all winnable games. Arizona State and Oregon on the road should be the toughest games of the season for the Trojans. USC went to the wire with the Cardinal in Palo Alto (37-35) last season. If the Kiffin’s have things going their way during the 2011 season, look for USC to upset the Cardinal at home. Nine wins should be easy to come by. Arizona State will push USC for the right to be the first PAC-12 South Division winner.

University of Utah Utes

Whoever made the PAC-12 conference schedule for the Utes must have been a Utes alumnus. Whoever scheduled the Utes non-conference games must be a Utes hater. The Utes avoid Stanford and Oregon during their first season in the PAC-12 but play at BYU and University of Pittsburgh. Head coach Kyle Whittingham’s toughest games are split between USC on the road and Arizona at home. Whittingham will face tougher defenses week in and week out in the PAC-12. Last year’s squad had a nice record on paper (10-3) but only had two quality wins; at home versus Pittsburgh and at home versus BYU. They struggled, putting it kindly, against better opponents in 2010. No more New Mexico State’s or Wyoming’s in this league. Every game will challenge Utah in 2011.

Junior quarterback Jordan Wynn is back to help the Utes. He was impressive as a sophomore with 2,334 yards passing with 17 touchdowns. The 10 interceptions are a concern. The Utes were balanced in the backfield during the 2010 season but have no experience returning running the ball. Until a running back breaks out of the back during the season and shows he can carry the load, Wynn will have a tougher time finding his receivers. The wide receivers are another area of concern. Only one player, DeVonte Christopher (39 catches, 660 yards receiving, 6 TD), returns with any big game experience.

Norm Chow is in his first year as offensive coordinator for the Utes. His time in Los Angeles (UCLA) did not go as well the second time around. Can he help the Utes or was his genius at USC a product of the talent Carroll and company provided for him?

Returning starters should not be counted against Utah. Defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake rotates players in and out of the game at all times. Experience is there for the Utes in the front seven. The secondary gave up 225 yards per game last season in a weaker conference. Everyone knows the PAC-12 likes to air it out. If the front seven cannot get a constant push up front, this unit can and will be exploited.

Outcome

Utah has a tough start to their season. They take their bye after a week one tune up against Montana State before starting conference play at USC. This will make a longer season a little bit longer. If Utah can win three or four of their first seven games they can be in great shape to finish the season strong. They play at USC, at BYU, home vs. Washington, home vs. ASU, and then they play at Pittsburgh before going to Cal. Utah has the ability to win 8 games or more if the team can weather the storm through early September to early October. If the team gets down, no running backs or wide receivers emerge, this could be a very long year for a state and university that wanted their shot at the national championship.

Predicted Order of Finish in PAC-12 South

USC

Arizona State

Utah

Arizona

UCLA

Colorado

PAC-12 Championship Game

Oregon vs. USC

Champion

USC

Oregon wins the first matchup at home and USC wins the second game to unseat the Ducks national championship hopes. 


* USC is ineligible to play in the PAC-12 Championship, an oversight on my part. With this new/old information, look for ASU vs. Oregon with Oregon winning the 1st annual PAC-12 Championship. 

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