Hello Followers. Hope you all are doing great.
Well, its been a long time since I have graced the pages of this hallowed and now fallowed blog. And while I have been away, things have been quite busy on my end. The biggest news on my end is that me and the brood now live in Patrick Porter’s hometown of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. And so beyond my work related responsibilities, my afternoons are now spent driving around listening to 99.1 fm (The Tide) where I get to hear folks talk about how great the SEC West is, how much Auburn sucks (which if course they do), and how the sun rises and sets on Alabama football (which of course it does).
And through all of that, I feel like I have gained a bit more perspective about WSU’s standing in the broader world of college football. Because frankly folks, when you walk inside of a stadium like Bryant Denny and then compare that to Pullman, you gain a different perspective about how damn hard it is to win at WSU. And while I will continue to hope for another miracle run or two like we saw in the Mike Price era, I feel like I am more poised to enjoy and appreciate whatever accomplishments come our way this season and beyond.
And thankfully, I think there will be some fun times in the months and weeks to come.
Now, to the ballot.
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Followers, if you remember last year’s version of this post, I appreciate the fact that you’ve read this far. I mean, not only did I pick Oregon State to win the North (they finished dead last), I also picked the Utah Utes to go winless in league play (they were a game or so out from winning the South). In other words, I think you can say that I’ve had better years.
So, let’s hope that the Karma is a bit more with me this year than last:
South Predictions:
1. UCLA
2. ASU
3. USC
4. Utah
5. Arizona
6. Colorado
“Analysis.”
Just about everyone and their mother is picking USC to win the South, the conference, and contend for the National Playoff. But, I happen to think that they are a year away. And frankly, it feels like a Sark coached team has to learn how to win consistently on the road before they can be picked to win a conference title. So, pencil SC in as a College Football playoff participant next year, while this year lands them disappointingly in either in El Paso or San Diego for the Holidays.
Meanwhile, the South for me this year will come down to two teams: ASU and UCLA. I am going with UCLA because they have nearly 20 starters back and because I think that they will benefit from flying under the radar a bit over the off-season. I think ASU will be nipping at their heels simply because Graham has shown that he is one helluva football coach. In fact, outside of maybe David Shaw, I think that a case can be made that Todd Graham is the best goshdarn football coach in the Pac-12.
Moving on down the ladder, I think Arizona slides back a bit because I think they overachieved last year and I’m just not sure that they are mature enough as a program to put together back-to-back 9 or 10 win seasons.
And then the darkhorse is Utah. Last year, the Utes quietly beat both LA schools AND Stanford. With Booker returning for what could be a sleeper Heisman campaign, the Utes are a team to look out for this season. In fact, I was tempted to pick them second in the South.
Lastly, while I think the Buffs are a real contender to sour our season in Game 11, there’s a part of me that thinks that Mike Mac’s tenure at Colorado is simply not going to work out–even though I happen to think that he is one heckuva good football coach. So, even though I think they’ll be improved, a 1-8 league mark seems probable.
Pac-12 North
1. Oregon
2. Stanford
3. WSU
4. CAL
5. UW
6. Oregon State
“Analysis.” For the 10th straight year, the North figures to be a two team race with Oregon and Stanford at the top. And while its tempting to think that Oregon might slide from the top its first year without Mariota, I’m putting them right back into the College Football playoff where they will be bludgeoned once again by the Ohio State Buckeyes–but this time in the National Semi-Final.
Beyond that, Stanford figures to be a contender once again since I think that Kevin Hogan is going to wind up being 1st Team All-Conference at quarterback. Last year, Hogan’s season was weighed down while his father lost his battle with cancer. This year, I think that Hogan is going to return to doing what he and the Trees do best; and that is win football games. So, it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if the Trees found their way into the Pac-12 title game. But man that schedule… (UCLA, USC, Oregon, and Notre Dame?????)
Now, as far as our Cougs. Well, I think that its reasonable to slate us anywhere between 3rd and 5th. I have us third because we have a bye week prior to our game against CAL (at CAL) and because of that, I think we’re well positioned to steal that game. And if we do, then I think we’ll win a head-to-head tie breaker with them at season’s end (I think the 3rd place team in the North will have a 4-5 conference record).
Meanwhile, I think CAL is the most poised of any of the North also-rans (CAL, Oregon State, UW, and WSU) to find their way into the Division’s top 2. And toward that end, if they had been able to make a bowl game last year, I might have been tempted to slot them 2nd or 3rd. The key for them is to come out of an early two game stretch @UW and at home against WSU with two wins. Do that and I think CAL will find their way to 8 wins and an upper division finish. But if they lose to us at home, then the following stretch of games @Utah, @UCLA, USC, and @Oregon makes a 1-4 conference start a near certainty. In other words, pencil our date with them on October 3rd as THE must-win conference game for both teams.
Beyond WSU and CAL, I think that both the UW and Oregon State are going to be terrible–with UW clearly having the highest upside. And while I think that its plausible that the UW could win 7 or 8 games this year, I think that their season’s fortunes depend on their non-conference games against Boise State and Utah State. If they lose both of those games, then they will be forced to win 5 conference games simply to become bowl eligible. And with Colorado off the conference schedule and with no clear answers at Quarterback, I just don’t see how they’re going to score enough points to match up with teams like WSU and CAL–let alone Oregon, Stanford, and the mighty Pac-12 South.
Lastly, while I think that the Beavs will win a conference game or two under Gary Anderson (who is a GREAT coach), this year figures to be a tough one for the folks in Corvallis. Lets just hope that we can find a way to beat them this year in Pullman (I find myself wincing about our prospects against Oregon State and Colorado this year–just like the Nevada game scared the crap out of me last year).
So, there is my preseason look at the conference. I’ll be back for some more detailed thoughts about the Cougs and the coming football season once Fall Camp starts. Until then, enjoy the first few weeks in August– cuz fall is quickly coming!
All for now. Go Cougs!
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