By Jordan Hansen
Part 3 of The Daily Iowan’s NCAA conference football previews: Pac-12
1) Stanford
The Rose Bowl will haunt Iowa fans for a very long time, but it served as a huge boost to both Stanford and stud running back/wide receiver/returner Christian McCaffrey. The Cardinal should be at the top of the conference most of the year and very well could find themselves in the College Football Playoff.
2) USC
Despite a number of off-the-field distractions last year, including the sad story of former head coach Steve Sarkisian, the Trojans still showed they have what it takes to compete with the best in the conference. Oh, and USC still recruits as well as anyone in the nation. That’ll always help.
3) Oregon
After suffering a disastrous collapse against TCU in the Alamo Bowl and the loss of quarterback Vernon Adams, the Ducks are in a decidedly different place than they were last season. However, like USC, Oregon has the ability to immediately reload and should contend once again.
4) Washington
The Huskies are a team that has the potential to have a tremendous breakout year if its young core can take another step forward, quarterback Jake Browning especially. He threw for almost 3,000 yards but had a 16/10 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Add in a solid running game, and this might be the year Washington actually does something.
5) Utah
The Utes enjoyed a solid year last season, going 10-3 and topping BYU in the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl. While they did lose longtime quarterback Travis Wilson, there’s ample experience at other positions to help hold down the fort while the passing offense develops itself.
6) UCLA
Quarterback Josh Rosen is the real deal and is probably the best at the position in the conference. The Bruins did lose a bit off last season’s roster, but Jim Mora is a good coach, and the team should contend for a spot in the Pac-12 Championship game.
7) Washington State
If there’s one thing to know about Wazzu, it’s that Mike Leach will once again build an unstoppable passing offense. The defense will probably struggle, but quarterback Luke Falk will put up some absolutely gaudy numbers. The Cougars are the epitome of #Pac12AfterDark, and if you’re like me and enjoy ridiculous football games late on Saturday nights, then they are must-watch television.
8) Arizona State
A team that can’t defend at all won’t do very well in the Pac-12, and the Sun Devils need to figure out how to plug a defensive unit that often struggled last year. There’s potential here, but this team has certainly regressed from years past.
9) Cal
After paying a whopping $445 million for upgrades to the stadium, there needs to be some sort of success in the future for the Golden Bears. That doesn’t seem to be in the cards, and it will be interesting to see just who pays for their now earthquake-sound stadium.
10) Arizona
Oh, good ol’ Rich Rod. The former Michigan coach fired his entire defensive staff last season, so it’ll be interesting to see how a new system can be put in place.
11) Colorado
It seemed for a while that the Buffaloes might be a team to watch for in the future, but they have been relatively disappointing over the last several years. Maybe this season they turn the ship around?
12) Oregon State
After going 2-10 in Gary Anderson’s first year, he’s probably wondering why he decided to leave Wisconsin for oranger pastures. I still think it’s strange he ended up there, and he really needs to make a strong impression this season.