BlackNGold
Club Member
I did not want to call it ranking the PAC 12. It is still too early and the strength of schedule is all over the place and some teams have only played 3 games. But we can see some trends. Write ups are in not particular order.
North
Oregon - Ranked #2 in the country and appears to deserve that ranking except for the struggles against Wash St. on Saturday. On the other hand beating Michigan St. was impressive. They are 4-0 so far and look to be the class of the conference. Their defense tends to give up a lot of yards mostly through the air.
Stanford - The Cardinals lost a close one to USC (bad call really impacted the game) but they continue with their format of being physical on both sides of the ball. Their offense is not dynamic but they are getting it done. Toughest defense in the conference.
California - Could the Bears be the most improved team in the conference? Conference play will reveal more. But Cal had an impressive win on the road over Northwestern and Compete Well against Arizona (had the game won but could not make a stop). They seem to be an offensive machine - defense is a little suspect. Can Cal Climb out of the basement? A big Maybe.
Oregon State - The Beavers are undefeated But have played a weak schedule. The biggest red flag - Mannion has only thrown 4 TDs so far this year. Maybe Cook's absence is having a big impact. Their defense has been pretty tough so far and it looks like they are going with a Ball control offense.
Washington - Surprisingly Washington seems to be struggling more than I would have expected. They don't seem to be ready to play every game (a trademark of Sarkisian, IMO). They are undefeated but winning ugly has been their MO so far. Their offense has not been good at times.
Washington State - Typical Mike Leach team. Seems play good one week and lay an egg the next. They played Oregon very tough - makes you wonder why they could not do better against Rutgers and Nevada. The are 1-3 but will be dangerous with their scoring ability.
South
Arizona - Rich Rod has them undefeated so far. But they seem to be in the mode of most of the PAC 12 and just outscore you. This team is hard to get a handle on but it looks like they have a QB - who will probably get better as the season goes on.
Arizona State - Could almost copy Arizona - they have a high powered offense but have now lost their QB for awhile. Defense is very suspect.
Colorado - Everyone knows about the Buffs. Since the Buffs are the only team I am invested in I have the strongest opinion regarding them. To be honest, there has been a lot of disappointment with the Buffs. They have played the weakest part of their schedule and their scoring offense is by far the lowest in the conference. Liufau has the lowest rating and the lowest YPA of any of the starting QBs in the conference. CU's remaining schedule is full of teams that put a lot of points on the board. Bright spots are place kicking and punting plus of course Nelson Spruce.
USC - The Trojans have a lot of talent but not much depth. Injuries are going to impact them. The lost to BC shows the coaching of Sarkisian - just not being prepared for some games. Their rushing defense has been really bad and their offense not very dynamic - I think they end the season unranked unless they turn things around.
UCLA - Another team that is winning ugly but they have probably played the toughest schedule to date. Hundley's injury may impact their season although they are probably the class of the South. ASU game could have both starting QBs out but UCLA has the better backup.
Utah - The could be the most balanced team in the conference. They usually have a good defense but offense kills them but so far this year their offense has been getting it done. I know Michigan is not its former self but going into that stadium and winning is still a tough thing to do. They could be a surprise contender in the south.
We will know more after the next 3 weeks as conference games get into full swing.
North
Oregon - Ranked #2 in the country and appears to deserve that ranking except for the struggles against Wash St. on Saturday. On the other hand beating Michigan St. was impressive. They are 4-0 so far and look to be the class of the conference. Their defense tends to give up a lot of yards mostly through the air.
Stanford - The Cardinals lost a close one to USC (bad call really impacted the game) but they continue with their format of being physical on both sides of the ball. Their offense is not dynamic but they are getting it done. Toughest defense in the conference.
California - Could the Bears be the most improved team in the conference? Conference play will reveal more. But Cal had an impressive win on the road over Northwestern and Compete Well against Arizona (had the game won but could not make a stop). They seem to be an offensive machine - defense is a little suspect. Can Cal Climb out of the basement? A big Maybe.
Oregon State - The Beavers are undefeated But have played a weak schedule. The biggest red flag - Mannion has only thrown 4 TDs so far this year. Maybe Cook's absence is having a big impact. Their defense has been pretty tough so far and it looks like they are going with a Ball control offense.
Washington - Surprisingly Washington seems to be struggling more than I would have expected. They don't seem to be ready to play every game (a trademark of Sarkisian, IMO). They are undefeated but winning ugly has been their MO so far. Their offense has not been good at times.
Washington State - Typical Mike Leach team. Seems play good one week and lay an egg the next. They played Oregon very tough - makes you wonder why they could not do better against Rutgers and Nevada. The are 1-3 but will be dangerous with their scoring ability.
South
Arizona - Rich Rod has them undefeated so far. But they seem to be in the mode of most of the PAC 12 and just outscore you. This team is hard to get a handle on but it looks like they have a QB - who will probably get better as the season goes on.
Arizona State - Could almost copy Arizona - they have a high powered offense but have now lost their QB for awhile. Defense is very suspect.
Colorado - Everyone knows about the Buffs. Since the Buffs are the only team I am invested in I have the strongest opinion regarding them. To be honest, there has been a lot of disappointment with the Buffs. They have played the weakest part of their schedule and their scoring offense is by far the lowest in the conference. Liufau has the lowest rating and the lowest YPA of any of the starting QBs in the conference. CU's remaining schedule is full of teams that put a lot of points on the board. Bright spots are place kicking and punting plus of course Nelson Spruce.
USC - The Trojans have a lot of talent but not much depth. Injuries are going to impact them. The lost to BC shows the coaching of Sarkisian - just not being prepared for some games. Their rushing defense has been really bad and their offense not very dynamic - I think they end the season unranked unless they turn things around.
UCLA - Another team that is winning ugly but they have probably played the toughest schedule to date. Hundley's injury may impact their season although they are probably the class of the South. ASU game could have both starting QBs out but UCLA has the better backup.
Utah - The could be the most balanced team in the conference. They usually have a good defense but offense kills them but so far this year their offense has been getting it done. I know Michigan is not its former self but going into that stadium and winning is still a tough thing to do. They could be a surprise contender in the south.
We will know more after the next 3 weeks as conference games get into full swing.
