Pac 10 Preview
Oregon St: 8-4 (7-2)
Offense: RB Jacquizz Rodgers will once again be the focal point of Oregon St offense this year. Rodgers is small but mighty and very hard to stop, ask the other Pac 10 coaches. The Beavers do want to take some work off him though this year. Jovan Stevenson will look to help out Rodgers in running the ball. There will be a new QB starting this year. Ryan Katz and Peter Lalich will battle for the job and may even split time through out the year. Who ever the QB is will have some good targets, including the other Rodgers brother, James Rodgers. Give James some space and he could burn you. WR Markus Wheaton and Jordan Bishop provide good options as well. The offensive line returns four starters led by C Alex Linnenkohl.
Defense: The defensive line will need to work on getting more pressure on the QB this year and should with more experience this year. DT Stephen Paea will lead the line again this year as he can both stuff the run and pressure the QB. The area of concern on defense is the LB corps. LB Dwight Robertson returns this year and will once again do a good job. There is questions whether LB Keith Pankey will be ready for the start of the year after tearing his Achilles tendon in the winter. The rest of the LB corps are very young. The secondary returns four starters, but can’t give up as many TD this year. CB James Dockery S Cameron Collins and S Lance Mitchell all have good size to compete for jump balls with taller receivers.
Special Teams: The return game will once again be in good hands with James Rodgers this year. The kicking game is also is good shape with the return of K Justin Kahut and P Johnny Hekker.
Overall: Once again head coach Mike Riley has a good team that will compete for the Pac 10 title. The offense is in good hands with the Rodgers brothers making plays all over the field. If one of the QB can step up the offense will be very tough to stop. The defense is looking to rebound from a down year last season. How the LB corps comes together will determine how well the defense does. The Civil War game with rival Oregon could once again decide who goes to the Rose Bowl. Revenge for last years lose in Eugene would be a great way for the Beavers to go to their first Rose Bowl in 41 years.
Oregon: 10-2 (7-2)
Offense: The dismiss of QB Jeremiah Masoli hurt the Ducks, who would have been one of the national title favorites if he was back. Instead Nate Costa and Darron Thomas will compete for the starting job and most likely split time through the year as Costa is a good passer while Thomas is the better running QB. Who ever the QB is will have a lot of weapons around him. Starting with the RB tandem of LaMichael James and Kenjon Barner. WR Jeff Maehl, Lavasier Tuinei, and DJ Davis all return this year as well. The whole offensive line returns as well. LT Bo Thran will lead the line that does a good job in opening holes for the run game along with good pass protection.
Defense: The Ducks are deep in all possessions of the defense and have a lot of speed, but lack size up front. That shouldn’t hurt Oregon again this year. DE Kenny Rowe returns again this year after leading the Pac 10 in sacks last year. The LB corps is the strength of the defense with Casey Matthews and Spencer Paysinger leading the very deep group. The whole secondary returns this year led by former LB Eddie Pleasant, who will play a rover safety possession.
Special Teams: Oregon will have a new K this year in either Alejandro Maldonado or Rob Beard. P Jackson Rice did a good job last year as a true freshman and should be even better as a sophomore. LaMichael James and Kenjon Barner will once again provide big plays in the return game this year.
Overall: Oregon has plenty of talent all over the field. The offense has plenty of fire power all over the field to help the new QB. While the defense will be flying around the field. If a team can line up and pound the ball between the numbers for they could give the undersized defense some issues. One thing head coach Chip Kelley needs to do is get control over the program with respect to getting into trouble. The dismissal of Masoli dropped the Ducks back into the pack of teams that will compete for the Pac 10 title this year.
Stanford: 8-4 (6-3)
Offense: The keys to Stanford’s offense are in QB Andrew Luck’s hands now. After being lead by RB Toby Gerhart last year the Cardinal’s offense is based more on the pass this year with Andrew Luck. Luck looked real good last year and should be just as good if not better this year. He has one solid option in WR Ryan Whalen. WR Chris Owusu has good speed but drops too many balls and sophomores Jamal-Rashard Patterson and Griff Whalen need to have break out years to help the offense. TE Levine Toilolo does provide a nice big target at 6’8”. The group of RB Jeremy Stewart, Stepfan Taylor and Tyler Gaffney will work together to replace the departed Gerhart. The line returns four starters from last year which will help out both the run and pass game. LT Jonathan Martin will lead this very physical group.
Defense: The Stanford defense was really bad last year and has a new coordinator in Vic Fangio who will change the scheme from 4-3 to 3-4. NT Sione Fua will fit well in helping stop the run. The rest of the line should be solid as well as it has plenty of depth. The LB corps has some new players in it including Thomas Keiser and Chase Thomas who both started at DE last year. Owen Marecic will play on both sides of the ball, being the lead blocker at FB on offense and LB on defense. SS Delano Howell will lead a secondary that will have to improve a lot in a conference that is very pass happy.
Special Teams: Chris Owusu and Richard Sherman are back again this year returning kicks and punts respectively. K Nate Whitaker is back again this year after a solid season while P David Green may be pushed by Daniel Zychlinski.
Overall: Head coach Jim Harbaugh has a very good offense again this year led by Luck. If some WR can step up it will be even better. The defense is where the issues are. The team needs to be able to stop some teams instead of always being in shoot outs. Some of the changes should help in that the secondary is where the biggest concern is. The Cardinal do have an even schedule with a good mix of tough home and road games. With a better defense Stanford could be one of the favorites in the Pac 10.
Arizona: 8-4 (5-3)
Offense: Arizona’s offense is definitely the strength of the team this year. It all starts in the back field with QB Nick Foles. Foles split time at the beginning of the year in Matt Scott but took over after a few games and helped lead the Wildcats to the Holiday Bowl. After a solid spring he should be even better this year. Foles has plenty of options to pass to, from RB to WR Juron Criner, Bug Wright, Travis Cobb, and David Roberts. The RB corps is very deep as well with Nic Grigsby, Keola Antolin, and Greg Nwoko. Back up QB Matt Scott will also get a decent amount of playing time to change the pace as he is a good duel threat player. The offensive line returns four starters this year led by C Colin Baxter and LT Adam Grant.
Defense: The defense returns only four starters this year, but has had good depth and still should be solid. The line is in pretty good shape, with a lot of depth at end including both DE starters from last year, Ricky Elmore and Brooks Reed returning this year. The LB corps area is the big area of concern as there are no starters returning this year. Jack Fischer looks to be the best player out of that group. The secondary returns both CB in Trevin Wade and Robert Golden. There isn’t the greatest depth though which could be an issue.
Special Teams: P Keenyn Crier is looking to rebound from a disappointing year last year and K Alex Zendejas is back as well, but needs to improve his range. Both Travis Cobb and Bug Wright are some very good return man.
Overall: Mike Stoops has quietly built a quality program in Arizona. The Wildcats were a few breaks away from winning the Pac 10 last year. The offense can compete with any in the conference. Even with the lack of returning starters on the defense this year they will still be solid. Having only to travel to Oregon and Stanford this year makes Arizona a dark horse to win the Pac 10. An early non-conference game at home against Iowa will show how good the Wildcats will be.
USC: 10-3 (6-3)
Offense: QB Matt Barkley had a mediocre year last year, but as a true freshman it was actually a decent year. This year he will be looked at to lead the offense. Barkley did show good improvement last year and should be even better after a full off season of work as well. The backfield doesn’t have the big names this year like it has in the past, but it is still very solid. RB Allen Bradford will be the starter and runs well between the tackles. CJ Gable is also back this year. The new flashy RB this year is freshman Dillon Baxter. FB Stanley Havili will also be used a good amount in both the run and pass game. The WR will need a main guy to step up this year now that Damion Williams is in the NFL. WR Ronald Johnson could be that guy. Freshman WR Kyle Prater and Robert Woods will have plenty of opportunities to play as well. The line will be strong with three starters returning, led by C Kristofer O’ Dowd.
Defense: The defense took a step backwards last year, but should be better this year with new defensive coordinator and guru Monte Kiffin. The line should be the strength of the defense with DT Jurrell Casey leading the way as three of the four starters return. The LB corps had issues last year and will be important in the Tampa 2 defense that Kiffin came up with. OLB Malcolm Smith and Michael Morgan should be better now that they have a full season of experience as a starter under there belt. MLB Chris Galippo started last year, but struggled and are being pushed by Devon Kennard for the job this year. The secondary has all new starters this year, but does return CB Shareece Wright who was academically ineligible last year. Wright can lead the young secondary.
Special Teams: P Jacob Harfman returns again this year, but the Trojans will have a new K in Joe Houston. There will be a group of players that will try out the return man rule.
Overall: USC was hit hard over the summer by the NCAA with a two year postseason ban and lose of 30 total scholarships over the next three years. New head coach Lane Kiffin has an uphill battle to fight and is know for stirring up some controversy at times. Matt Barkley will be the key to the offense. If he shows some real good improvement USC could challenge for the Pac 10 title. The defense is in real good hands with Monte Kiffin. The defense still will not be as dominate as past were but it can be very good.
Washington: 8-4 (6-3)
Offense: QB Jake Locker is arguably the best QB in the nation. He will lead a Washington’s offense that should put plenty of points on the board this year. WR Jermaine Kearse, Devin Aguilar, and James Johnson provide very good targets for Locker and could even be the top WR trio in the conference. RB Chris Polk had a very solid season as a freshman last year and looks to put similar numbers this year. The line should a good job in both run blocking and pass protection, led by Senio Kelemente.
Defense: The defense is the area of concern for the Huskies this year. The line has some big concerns with the depth of the defensive line. DE Cameron Elisara will lead the thin group. Due to injuries the line could have some issues. The LB corps are in decent shape. LB Mason Foster will lead the group and can put out some bone jarring hits as well. He will have to help in improving the run defense. The secondary returns three starters from a young group last year and still fairly young. There is some good experience though. SS Nate Williams will be the elder statesman of the group.
Special Teams: K Erik Folk is known best for making the game winning kick to upset USC last year, but beyond that he did a solid job throughout the whole season. P Will Mahan is back after a solid season last year as well. Chris Polk and the trio of WR will all share the duty of being the return man.
Overall: Steve Sarkisian has Washington going in the right direction. This is a big year as Jake Locker will be a senior and wants to help lead the Huskies to their first bowl game since 2002. The offense will be able to keep up with any of the top offenses in the Pac 10. The defense is the area of concern, Nick Holt did a good job with a below average last year and should be able to get a lot out of this years defense as well. With a better defense the Huskies could come up and compete for the Pac 10 title.
UCLA: 5-7 (3-6)
Offense: UCLA’s offense isn’t any where near what Norm Chow coached at the USC in the early and mid 2000s. The Bruins offense has had some issues the past few years. QB Kevin Prince will be looked at to lead the team now that he has a year of starting experience under the belt. Prince has two decent starting WR to pass to in Nelson Rosario and Taylor Embree. Form Colorado transfer Josh Smith can also provide some speed to that unit. The run game should be good with RB Johnathan Franklin and Derrick Colman along with some solid recruits. The line should finally be in good shape this year with four starters returning. UCLA will use a form of Nevada’s Pistol offense to help kick start the team this year.
Defense: Unlike the Bruin’s offense last year their defense did a solid job last year, allowing the team to get to a bowl game. Unfortunately some of the key players from last year are gone now. DE Datone Jones and LB Akeem Ayers are the only returning starters on the front seven. There was some depth so they aren’t in an awful situation. The lack of returning starters on the front seven doesn’t help with the run defense which had some issues last year. The secondary returns three starters this year, led by FS Rahim Moore.
Special Teams: Both K Kai Forbath and P Jeff Locke return again this year and could be one of the top kicking duos in the conference. Josh Smith will look to help the return game that struggled at times last year.
Overall: The Rick Neuheisel hasn’t been as good as advertised. UCLA fans need to be patient and now is the time for Neuheisel to make his move since USC is in the NCAA’s dog house. This year will not be the year though. The offense still has some issues but should improve. The defense will not be as good as last year and could have some growing pains with some young players high up on the depth chart. A brutal non conference schedule of at Kansas St, vs. Houston, and at Texas will prevent UCLA from going to another bowl game this year.
California: 5-7 (2-7)
Offense: Cal’s run game should be strong once again this year even with dynamic RB Jahvid Best. Shane Vereen showed he can easily replace Best last year after Best was knocked out for the season. The rest of the offense is a concern though. QB Kevin Riley is back for the third consecutive season as a starter, but needs to be more consistent and not have one of those awful games that he is known for having. The WR core has one decent WR in Marvin Jones and then a bunch of ok guys. The Bears did sign five WR in their recruiting class this year. The line returns four starters on the line this year. They will need to work on pass blocking to help Riley. C Chris Guarnero and LT Matt Summers-Gavin will lead the line.
Defense: The Bears lost there top two defensive players in DE Tyson Alualu and CB Syd’Quan Thompson, return only five starters, and have a new defensive coordinator. The line should be ok with out Alualu with DE Cameron Jordan returning along with NT Derrick Hill. Hill could be pushed for his job by Kendrick Price. The LB corps return two starters in Mike Mohamed and DJ Holt. There are also some good LB recruits that came in and will contribute this year. The secondary needs some work after ranking 111th in total passing yards last year. Only one starter returns in S Sean Cattouse.
Special Teams: Once again this year there will be a battle for the K job between Giorgio Tavecchio and Vince D’Amoto. P Bryan Anger is one of the top punters in the nation. Isi Sofele and Shane Vereen with both take their turns as the return man.
Overall: Over the past few years Cal has been the highly regarded nationally at the beginning of the year, but have never lived up to the hype. This year the Bears have a lot of question marks this year and look to be at the bottom half of the conference. The run game will once again be the main part of the offense. The defense will have to play better against the pass if they want to help the team reach a bowl game, otherwise it could be a long season in Berkeley.
Arizona St: 3-9 (1-8)
Offense: Arizona St has had two down years on offense and it doesn’t look much better this season. To start with there is a battle going on for starting QB between Michigan transfer Steven Threet, and Brock Osweiler. Who ever wins the job does not have a lot of proven WR to pass to either. WR Kerry Taylor is the only returning starter, and Oregon transfer Aaron Pflugrad will be looked at to help out the offense right away. RB Cameron Marshall will be the starter but doesn’t have much experience, along with the rest of the RB corps. The line has a lot of question marks other then C Garth Gerhart. One positive is there is a good amount of depth and experience.
Defense: Unlike the offense the defense is in good shape. Starting up front with three starters returning led by DT Lawrence Guy. They should once again be able to stuff the run very well. The LB core returns last years Pac 10 freshman of the year in Vontaze Burfict, who can fly all around the field to make plays. The secondary is probably the area with the most concern on the defense and that is only due to the lack of experience in the depth chart. Other wise they should once again do a good job this year.
Special Teams: Both K Thomas Weber and P Trevor Hankins return this year and will be solid. Omar Bolden and Jamal Miles will be the return man this year.
Overall: Head coach Denis Erickson is on the hot seat in Tempe to have his team perform this year. A tough road schedule does not help either, with trips to Wisconsin, Oregon St, Washington, Cal, USC, and Arizona. The offense will have to come together quickly if the Sun Devils want to have a shot at a bowl game. The defense will carry the team again this year, but as it was proven last year they can’t carry them all the way to a bowl game.
Washington St: 1-11 (0-9)
Offense: The past two years the offense hasn’t been very pretty for Washington St, but this year there is some optimism with seven starters returning this year. QB Jeff Tuel showed some signs of being a good QB last year, and should improve even more this year. He as a decent set of WR to pas to in Gino Simone and Jared Karstetter. JUCO transfer WR Isiah Barton will be looked at to be the deep pass threat this year. The Cougars have a bunch of ok RB that will share carries this year between Chantz Staden, Logwone Mitz, Marcus Richmond, and Carl Winston. Former Cal transfer RB James Montgomery is a wild card coming into the season, if he can come back strong from a knee injury he could be the main RB this year. The offensive line is a work in progress. They will have to do a better job then last year when they gave up 53 sacks.
Defense: The defense has had its own issues in trying to stopping teams. This year the team returns five starters and finally has some good depth and experience. Starting up front DE Travis Long is arguably the best player on this side of the ball and is only a sophomore. LB Alex Hoffman-Ellis was the leading tackler for the team last year and returns again this year. LB Louis Bland could have a big break out year as he seems to always be around the ball when on the field. The secondary should also be better again this year after injuries hit them hard last year.
Special Teams: P Reid Forrest returns again this year and should do another solid job this year. K Nico Grasu is also back and needs to be more consistent this year. There will be a group of players that will compete for the return man job.
Overall: Paul Wulff is going into his third year as Washington St’s head coach and is on the hot seat. His team needs to show a good amount of improvement on both sides of the ball. The offense looks to be headed in the right direction with Tuel under center. The defense also has some good young players that could develop as well. A four or five win season should save Wulff his job. The problem is non of the teams games are guaranteed. The best chance for a win is week two when Montana St comes into town, but that still will be tough as Montana St is a very good team in the FCS level.
