Pac-12 roundtable: Season Preview

The Pac-12 has been doing nothing but making headlines this offseason

If all of the offseason ongoings of college football, specially stemming from the Pac-12 doesn't have you entertained, then you are a very difficult person to please. 

The Pac-12 has consistently been in the headlines all offseason for numerous reasons. For starters, after firing Clay Helton, USC was able to lure offensive mastermind Lincoln Riley away from Oklahoma to be their head coach. Not only did he bring some friends along with him, but he brought in the No. 1 ranked transfer portal class headlined by Caleb Williams, Jordan Addison, and Mario Williams.

Mario Cristobal left Oregon to take the Miami job, making way for Dan Lanning to take over for his first head coaching job. Without even coaching a game yet at Oregon, Lanning has Eugene as one of the hottest recruiting destinations in the country boasting the No. 21 ranked recruiting class. 

However, all of the coaching changes and transfer moves have been greatly overshadowed by the most recent Pac-12 headlines that saw both USC and UCLA announce that they are defecting from the conference, and joining the Big Ten. A move that has triggered a chain of events such as Pac-12 teams looking elsewhere, the Big 12 and Pac-12 flirting with a partnership, and people all over speculating what schools could replace them.

What is even crazier is the fact that the college football season is 35 days away, and we have all been so focused on offseason movements that we seem to be forgetting about the football season itself. That is why I invited the writers from Ducks Digest, All Utes, and All Bruins to talk about some on the field stuff such as who they think will win the conference, win player of the year, be the best newcomer, talk some realignment (of course), and give a little preview about their respective program. 

Ducks Digest-Max Torres

Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports

1. Conference championship game: Utah vs. Oregon. Champion: Utah

Utah looks like they're really picking up some steam under Kyle Whittingham on the heels of their first Pac-12 title since joining the conference. The Utes are my top dog heading into the season due in large part to the return of Cameron Rising, along with Dalton Kincaid and Tavion Thomas.

There's strong continuity on the staff as well and they should be the team no one wants to face in the conference this year. I see Oregon getting back to the title game, but I'm hesitant to pick them until we see how the Ducks fare against the Utes under Dan Lanning. 

2. Conference player of the year: Utah RB Tavion Thomas

Thomas had a monster season in 2021 average over five yards a pop and looks like he has all the makings of an NFL running back. Utah has been known to be strong in the trenches and the offense looks like it's really catching up with the defense in Salt Lake.

3. Newcomer of the year: USC QB Caleb Williams

Williams has everything falling into place for him to have success in the Pac-12. Whether it's being reunited with his former head coach in following Lincoln Riley or the embarrassment of riches he'll have to work with on offense including Jordan Addison and Brendan Rice, the sophomore passer should rip apart Pac-12 defenses on a weekly basis.

4. Weighing in on Pac-12 realignment

For a while I was in the boat that thought Oregon and potentially Washington would head to the Big Ten after USC and UCLA jumped ship. Then I thought Stanford would be an appealing option, but Notre Dame's leverage has brought everything to a grinding halt. The Pac-12 Big-12 merger looked like it might be promising and perhaps more geographically feasible, but those talks have come to an end. For now, it looks like the Pac-12 will stay as it is but I think they'll still try to add a couple schools from the Mountain West, while some of the bigger brands like Oregon, Washington and Stanford hope for an invitation to another conference.

/college/oregon/history/which-pac-12-schools-are-hurt-most-by-usc-ucla-move-to-big-ten

5. Something to look for from Oregon in 2022

Oregon is an interesting team to follow heading into next season. They're breaking in a first-time head coach in the middle of their championship window and brought in Bo Nix to lead the offense, should he be named the starter. Keep an eye on Oregon's defense taking the next step and developing multiple pass rushers. I'd also watch out for a more explosive and balanced offense with Kenny Dillingham ready to switch things up from what we've seen the past couple seasons in Eugene. 

All Utes-Cole Bagley

Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

1. Conference championship game: Utah vs. USC. Champion: Utah

Looking ahead to the Conference Championship, the Utes should be favored to repeat as Pac-12 Champions as they've returned the majority of their top performers, including Cameron Rising, Tavion Thomas, Dalton Kincaid, Brant Kuithe and Clark Phillips III. With what they did last season, Utah is on track to build upon their 2021 success and potentially go even further. 

As for who will be joining them in Las Vegas, USC should be favored to take on the Utes in December. With the team they've built and the addition of their new head coach, the Trojans are a dangerous team that should be ready to compete. However, given their inexperience playing together, that will cost them on the big stage.

2. Conference player of the year: Utah QB Cam Rising 

In 13 appearances with 11 starts, Cam Rising went 204-320 (63%) for 2,493 yards (210 yard average in those 11 starts), 20 TD's (16 passing touchdowns in those 11 starts) and just 5 interceptions. Notably, Utah was also 9-2 with Rising at the helm, only losing to Oregon State and eventually Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.

In addition to being a dangerous dual-threat, the attributes that made Rising so effective were his leadership, vision and game management. From the second he stepped onto the field, the Utes were a different squad. Instantly, they went from a team with no answers to a team that was finally living up to their full potential and could rarely be stopped. In the 11 games that Rising was at the helm, Utah averaged 38 points per game, opposed to just 29 in the other three.

With what he did in 2021 and the progress he's made in 2022, Rising is going to be the most important player for the Utes and very well could emerge as the most valuable player in the conference.

3. Newcomer of the year: Utah LB Lander Barton 

Following Utah's spring camp, the freshmen class of 2022 may have already proven itself to be one of the most talented classes in recent years, especially with the highest ranked recruit in program history in Lander Barton. Despite his young age and just barely graduating from Brighton High School, Barton has already shown he can compete on the college stage at an elite level.

Right from the beginning, Barton caught the eyes of the coaching staff, including Head Coach Kyle Whittingham who was impressed with his performance but not surprised after what they had seen from him during his recruiting process.

What makes Barton so special is his superior arm length which he greatly utilizes to shed blockers, make tackles, and break up passes. He also has great athleticism for the position, showing strong bursts, great hands to shed blockers, and a punishing physicality to make tackles and finish off plays. Similar to Devin Lloyd, Barton also possesses that sixth-sense for the football which allows him to sniff out the play and stop ball carriers at a high rate of production.

With all these abilities and a great chance to start from the beginning, Lander has a great shot to be the best newcomer in the Pac-12.

/college/utah/football/the-top-three-players-in-each-position-group-linebackers-no-2-lander-barton

4. Weighing in on Pac-12 realignment

In terms of realignment I think it hinges on what happens in this 30 day window with ESPN. If it's a low ball offer, teams will most likely begin looking to other conferences like the BIG 12. However, if it's a decent offer, the Pac-12 will more than likely remain together and look to add teams like SDSU, Boise State or even SMU to reload after the loss of USC and UCLA.

5. Something to look for from Utah in 2022

5) The Utes have a lot of potential to build off of what they did last year and turn a lot of heads. Starting out against an SEC team in Florida in week one, if Utah can emerge victorious there's a very good chance they'll be in the top 10 to start the season and could slowly build their way into the top four by the end of the year if they emerge from the conference as champions with one loss or less. Don't sleep on Utah, this is shaping up to be a big year.

AllCardinal-Kevin Borba

Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

1. Conference championship game: Utah vs. USC Champion: Utah

Utah was one of the hottest teams in the country last season, and was possibly starting Cam Rising a couple games sooner away from crashing the College Football Playoff. With Rising as the guy behind center and a major portion of their core returning with players like Dalton Kincaid and Tavion Thomas, it is hard to see them not making the conference championship.

Part of me was compelled to go with Oregon here, but it is just so hard to look past the offensive juggernaut that Lincoln Riley assembled at USC. While it will likely be the defense that hinders the Trojans (nothing new ask Oklahoma fans) and prevents them from winning the conference, they will have one of the more high octane offenses in the country that will be good enough to get to the conference championship. 

Utah's experience should pay off, and who knows this win may clinch their spot in the playoff. 

2. Conference player of the year: USC QB Caleb Williams 

Caleb Williams took the college football world by storm last season in relief of Spencer Rattler, even garnering some Heisman hype without playing the whole season. This season, he has better weapons, an easier schedule, and expectations to be one of the best quarterbacks in the country which I think he will be. Should he win, it will be the first time a quarterback has won the award since 2018 when Gardner Minishew won. If anyone can break the streak of skill position players winning the award, it would be Williams. 

3. Newcomer of the year: USC QB Caleb Williams

Considering I think he is the best candidate to win player of the year, it would be foolish not to pick him for newcomer of the year as well. A dark horse candidate for this award could be Oregon's new signal caller Bo Nix. Now that he is paired up with Kenny Dillingham again, who was his offensive coordinator at Auburn when he had his best season, he could be poised for the elite season that we have all been expecting from him. 

4. Weighing in on Pac-12 realignment

The Pac-12 schools really got a raw deal in this whole situation, simply due to the fact that past leadership was not doing a good enough job. USC and UCLA looked out for themselves (rightfully so), leaving the other schools in a fragile state. While they do have the option to partner with the ACC, I think the two most realistic options are either adding schools to the conference or the conference breaks up. Not that I want that to happen, but we have already seen almost all of the schools linked to another conference by now so if there is a chance for someone to jump ship it wouldn't surprise me. Until Notre Dame commits to something and puts pen to paper, we will not know the future of the Pac-12 unless they get uncharacteristically aggressive and make a move. 

5. Something to look for from Stanford in 2022

Stanford is projected to be one of the bottom dwellers of the conference again, because of how inferior they are in the trenches. However, their offense outside of the running back position might be the most experienced unit in the country. Tanner McKee has a chance to prove that he is QB3 in this next year's NFL Draft class, while also turning around Stanford's misfortunes. I think their offense may be sneaky good, and I also am very high on E.J. Smith at running back. He is the prototypical Stanford running back, a player who can makes plays in both the rushing and passing game and that was what Stanford really lacked last season. I consider Smith to be the key to the offense's success in 2022, because when all the pressure is on McKee that is when he starts forcing things. The offense may be what gets this team to six wins. 

All Bruins-Sam Connon

Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

1. Conference championship game: Utah vs. USC Champion: Utah

The Utes may be losing some of their top talent, but they are returning their quarterback, running back, tight end and a good chunk of their defense. Other contenders like UCLA are in a similar boat, but the head-to-head battes mean that much more this year. The Trojans, meanwhile, are stacked with new talent and would cruise to the championship game on paper. Both of them should beat the Bruins and outpace Oregon and face off in the championship game, which the Utes will likely win for a second consecutive year:

2. Conference player of the year: Utah RB Tavion Thomas 

It takes a special kind of player to rack up 21 touchdowns, and any returning player with that level of production should automatically be the favorite to win Pac-12 Player of the Year. With TJ Pledger out of the picture, Thomas should be getting even more snaps, and he could further assert himself as the conference’s top ball-carrier ahead of UCLA’s Zach Charbonnet and USC’s Travis Dye.

3. Newcomer of the year: USC QB Caleb Williams

The most high-profile choice in this category is also the obvious one, as Williams comes to Los Angeles as a former top recruit and coach Lincoln Riley’s prize catch in the transfer portal. Normally, there would be questions about how a tranfer adjusts to a new school, but he is following his old Oklahoma coach and should be one of the most productive signal-callers in the country.

4. Weighing in on Pac-12 realignment

San Diego State seems like a decent option for the Pac-12 to bring in, and Fresno State could make sense too. However, it’s only a matter of time before the Arizona schools, Pacific Northwest schools and mountain schools leave for greener pastures, at leadt financially speaking. The Aztecs and Bulldogs will happily jump aboard a sinking ship if said sinking ship brings them more cash in the short term, but they won’t be enough to save the conference. Within a decade, there will only be four power conferences, maybe only three, and the Pac-12 is not in any position to make that exclusive cut.

5. Something to look for from Stanford in 2022

Jake Bobo could restructure the Bruins’ offense. Since Chip Kelly took over, UCLA has been a successful run-first team. Over the passt few seasons, Dorian Thompson-Robinson stepped up as an elite option at quarterback as well. However, with major turnover at both tackle spots, the Bruins will likely have to reorient their offense. Bobo – a transfer from Duke – will bring a deep threat to the equation and bring a new dimension to an offense trying to adjust to new protection schemes. There will surely be more designed quarterback runs and deep passes with Sean Rhyan, Alec Anderson, Kyle Philips and Greg Dulcich all gone, meaning Bobo could play a major part in the next iteration of Kelly’s offense.