Pac-12 Steps it Up
Posted: Fri Sep 27, 2013 5:28 pm
http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/9729454/sec-apologist-concedes-the-pac-12-year
It might be too early to say for certain, but the Pac-12 looks really, really good. They have filled the void the Big 12 left after last year as being the deepest conference. The Big 12 last year had tremendous QB play and tremendous skill players with no defense. I think this allowed for anybody on any given day to provide a test. Kansas was the only weak team out of 10 last year.
Now for the Pac-12 in 2013, it appears that Colorado or Cal could be the weakest link, and they don't even look terrible. Cal will have an offense that can move the football under Sonny Dykes which should give them a chance. Colorado already has two wins which I believe matches last year's total and they look much more competitive. Wazzu has a defense. Washington has a defense and a stellar running game. Arizona is moving the ball offensively. Oregon State has definitely dropped off, but they look like a balanced team that should be good for the postseason. Oregon and Stanford look great, as expected.
I think the thing everybody is overlooking is the quality of coaching in the Pac-12. The coaching talent that they've gotten on board is insane. Todd Graham had tremendous success at Tulsa and Rice. Mike Leach is an offensive guru who should get Washington State's passing game into the next level in another year or so once he finds a true fit at QB. Coach Sark was a solid choice. Sonny Dykes is a great offensive mind judging from his stint at Louisiana Tech and his tutelage under Leach. Jim Mora's success came as a bit of a surprise for me, but he looks like a good fit at the collegiate level. David Shaw looks like a star at Stanford. And even as a Michigan fan, I recognize that Rodriguez is a very good offensive coach.
I believe this could be the end of an era for the Pac-12. USC has fallen off the map under Kiffin, at least offensively. They can still recruit, but Kiffin will set this program back if he coaches beyond this year. I think Mark Helfrich still remains a question mark. The jury will be out on him for a couple years once Kelly's residual effect on the program gets weaker and weaker by the year. I would expect this decade to belong to a smorgasbord of teams, similar to the 90's, where just about everybody in the conference has their day in the sun. They all have great coaching staffs except for USC, so I don't think any one team will become dominant.
It might be too early to say for certain, but the Pac-12 looks really, really good. They have filled the void the Big 12 left after last year as being the deepest conference. The Big 12 last year had tremendous QB play and tremendous skill players with no defense. I think this allowed for anybody on any given day to provide a test. Kansas was the only weak team out of 10 last year.
Now for the Pac-12 in 2013, it appears that Colorado or Cal could be the weakest link, and they don't even look terrible. Cal will have an offense that can move the football under Sonny Dykes which should give them a chance. Colorado already has two wins which I believe matches last year's total and they look much more competitive. Wazzu has a defense. Washington has a defense and a stellar running game. Arizona is moving the ball offensively. Oregon State has definitely dropped off, but they look like a balanced team that should be good for the postseason. Oregon and Stanford look great, as expected.
I think the thing everybody is overlooking is the quality of coaching in the Pac-12. The coaching talent that they've gotten on board is insane. Todd Graham had tremendous success at Tulsa and Rice. Mike Leach is an offensive guru who should get Washington State's passing game into the next level in another year or so once he finds a true fit at QB. Coach Sark was a solid choice. Sonny Dykes is a great offensive mind judging from his stint at Louisiana Tech and his tutelage under Leach. Jim Mora's success came as a bit of a surprise for me, but he looks like a good fit at the collegiate level. David Shaw looks like a star at Stanford. And even as a Michigan fan, I recognize that Rodriguez is a very good offensive coach.
I believe this could be the end of an era for the Pac-12. USC has fallen off the map under Kiffin, at least offensively. They can still recruit, but Kiffin will set this program back if he coaches beyond this year. I think Mark Helfrich still remains a question mark. The jury will be out on him for a couple years once Kelly's residual effect on the program gets weaker and weaker by the year. I would expect this decade to belong to a smorgasbord of teams, similar to the 90's, where just about everybody in the conference has their day in the sun. They all have great coaching staffs except for USC, so I don't think any one team will become dominant.
