BlackNGold
Club Member
The conference teams have played half of their schedule so this would be a good time to look at the teams again. The PAC is one of the stronger conferences but unfortunately is beating each other up with upsets every week.
List in order of strength.
North Division
Oregon - I still see them as the class of the conference when healthy. The injuries on the O-line took a toll on them as Arizona pressured Mariota all day in their lone defeat. The line is getting healthy again - Jake Fisher returning showed what he means to the team against UCLA.
Stanford - The Cardinals have the best defense in the conference but their offense is sorely lacking. Should not of lost to ND. Still a very tough team.
Oregon State - Solid Team but not as good on offense as last year, Cooks departure has had a big impact. Defense is improved.
Washington - The Huskies probably have as much talent on defense as any team in the league. The have struggled to find their offense with the new QB. To date their schedule is probably one of the weakest in the conference so it is hard to get a good read on them. They were totally shut down by Stanford but brought California's high scoring offense back to earth. Team is talented but does not appear to have gotten everything together yet.
California - Dykes definitely has gotten the bears turned around this year with a high flying offense. Cal is going into the tough part of their schedule, it will be tough for them to get bowl eligible.
Washington State - Mike Leach type of team. Puts up a lot of points but gives up a lot of points. Can upset almost any team because their offense if hard to prepare for. Still at the bottom of the North Division.
South Division -
USC - Defense is very good. Offense has struggled. Cody Kessler is not a premier QB but he is very good. USC seems to keep their offense pretty conservative this year which has kept their scoring low, IMO.
Arizona - It looks like Rich Rod has turned things around. Solomon has been the real deal at QB and will likely be the Offensive Freshman of the year. Arizona's Defense is solid especially the front line. Could still win the South Division.
Utah - The Utes are probably the most improved team in the conference. They are very balanced. Nothing flashy but solid on both offense and defense. The lost at home to Washington State was bad.
UCLA - UCLA has a ton of talent but they have not seemed to ever click all year. They are tough to beat any Saturday but if they get it all together look out. Do not like their offensive play selection when I have watched them.
Arizona State - A good team but not as good as last year. Losing Taylor Kelly hurts them but he should return later in the season.
Colorado - CU is a definite notch below the top 5 teams in their division. CU's challenge is to get a win in the remaining schedule which is the 13th toughest remaining schedule in the country. CU has improved on offense but offensive balance is not there. CU's rushing attack is weak. I am afraid the rest of the schedule is going to be against teams with better defenses and they are going to expose CU's offense because they are one dimensional. The defense has been helped by the offense but is still not that good. Red Zone defense is pretty bad. Questions going forward - can CU's offense continue with the TOP advantage to keep the pressure off of a vulnerable defense? Can CU find a running game that will keep defenses honest? CU will not be favored in a game the rest of the year - our easiest games on the remaining schedule are Washington and Utah.
List in order of strength.
North Division
Oregon - I still see them as the class of the conference when healthy. The injuries on the O-line took a toll on them as Arizona pressured Mariota all day in their lone defeat. The line is getting healthy again - Jake Fisher returning showed what he means to the team against UCLA.
Stanford - The Cardinals have the best defense in the conference but their offense is sorely lacking. Should not of lost to ND. Still a very tough team.
Oregon State - Solid Team but not as good on offense as last year, Cooks departure has had a big impact. Defense is improved.
Washington - The Huskies probably have as much talent on defense as any team in the league. The have struggled to find their offense with the new QB. To date their schedule is probably one of the weakest in the conference so it is hard to get a good read on them. They were totally shut down by Stanford but brought California's high scoring offense back to earth. Team is talented but does not appear to have gotten everything together yet.
California - Dykes definitely has gotten the bears turned around this year with a high flying offense. Cal is going into the tough part of their schedule, it will be tough for them to get bowl eligible.
Washington State - Mike Leach type of team. Puts up a lot of points but gives up a lot of points. Can upset almost any team because their offense if hard to prepare for. Still at the bottom of the North Division.
South Division -
USC - Defense is very good. Offense has struggled. Cody Kessler is not a premier QB but he is very good. USC seems to keep their offense pretty conservative this year which has kept their scoring low, IMO.
Arizona - It looks like Rich Rod has turned things around. Solomon has been the real deal at QB and will likely be the Offensive Freshman of the year. Arizona's Defense is solid especially the front line. Could still win the South Division.
Utah - The Utes are probably the most improved team in the conference. They are very balanced. Nothing flashy but solid on both offense and defense. The lost at home to Washington State was bad.
UCLA - UCLA has a ton of talent but they have not seemed to ever click all year. They are tough to beat any Saturday but if they get it all together look out. Do not like their offensive play selection when I have watched them.
Arizona State - A good team but not as good as last year. Losing Taylor Kelly hurts them but he should return later in the season.
Colorado - CU is a definite notch below the top 5 teams in their division. CU's challenge is to get a win in the remaining schedule which is the 13th toughest remaining schedule in the country. CU has improved on offense but offensive balance is not there. CU's rushing attack is weak. I am afraid the rest of the schedule is going to be against teams with better defenses and they are going to expose CU's offense because they are one dimensional. The defense has been helped by the offense but is still not that good. Red Zone defense is pretty bad. Questions going forward - can CU's offense continue with the TOP advantage to keep the pressure off of a vulnerable defense? Can CU find a running game that will keep defenses honest? CU will not be favored in a game the rest of the year - our easiest games on the remaining schedule are Washington and Utah.
