Oregon: The Ducks start out with a very weak schedule this season. This is good news for their new quarterback, Marcus Mariota. Mariota, the redshirt freshman, looked very comfortable in week 1 as he led the Ducks to a 50-3 lead before he was sat for the rest of the game. By the looks of his performance, this will still be the high powered offense it has been the past few years under Head Coach Chip Kelly. I don’t see that changing much. Kenjon Barner and De’Anthony Thomas will be able to carry the load offensively.
This year, Washington and Stanford could be tough games, but they will both be held at Autzen Stadium so I’m not seeing an upset there. The only thing that has changed is that USC is now bowl eligible. USC will be coming out firing on all cylinders this season. As for the November 3 match-up between the two, this will be Oregon’s only loss – barring any key injuries to either team. USC played extremely well against the Ducks last season, beating them in a thriller at Autzen. I expect this year’s game to be very similar, so similar that USC will once again be the victor. I am taking an 11-1 record for Oregon.
Returning Starters: Offense – 5, Defense – 7
Oregon State: The Beavers missed out their tune up game against Nicholls State. They now face #13 Wisconsin. The good thing about this unfortunate occasion is that Wisconsin won’t have game film to go off of and Oregon State does. If the Beavers are going to have any chance of competing against the Badgers, then they must stop Montee Ball – who is my pick to win the Heisman Trophy.
The Beavers will have a mediocre season at best. With a few easier games at home I am giving them a 5-7 record.
Returning Starters: Offense – 8, Defense – 8
California: By the looks of week 1, the Golden Bears can’t stop the run. They will get eaten up by the mobile quarterbacks of the college game. They will have a similar season to last year’s in which they lost to the tougher teams and won and against the lower half teams. A middle of the pack team, they go 6-6.
Returning Starters: Offense – 6, Defense – 6
Stanford: The Cardinal were a very tough team a year ago. No Andrew Luck this season, obviously. So that will cost them a few losses. I almost went 8-4 here, but I’m going 7-5. I just don’t see them being the third best team in this conference. I mean, they could barely beat San Jose State in week 1. They didn’t lose a huge number of starters, but they lost the only one holding them together.
Returning Starters: Offense – 6, Defense – 7
Washington: The Huskies have a tough game in week 2 against the LSU Tigers, which they prepared for with a live tiger at their practices! I don’t think that really helps them, though. The tiger was said to be locked up in a cage by the way.
Washington will be a top team in this league, but they are definitely a notch below USC and Oregon who trump the Pac-12. After playing LSU, then playing Oregon and USC in back-to-back games, the rest of their schedule should be a breeze. I am taking 9-3 with a possible 8-4. The game against Utah should be a good one.
Returning Starters: Offense – 6, Defense – 7
Washington State: The Cougars are one of the weaker teams in this conference. I don’t see much going for them this year. No improvement from last year’s 4-8 record.
Returning Starters: Offense – 6, Defense – 7
Arizona: The Wildcats could be a team amongst the 2nd tier of Pac-12 teams along with Washington and Utah. I’m still uncertain at this point. The game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys still might not clear that up for me. OK St. looks real good. It might take Pac-12 games to convince me to where they are as a team. I am playing it safe with a 6-6 record.
Returning Starters: Offense – 6, Defense – 7
Arizona State: The Sun Devils started off hot last season, only to disappoint in the second half. They could surprise some people this year. For now, I’m putting them in a 3rd tier for this conference, which includes teams that could be surprising, could completely suck, or stay in the middle of the pack. This list is Arizona, Arizona State, and UCLA. I will again play it safe with a 6-6 record.
Returning Starters: Offense – 4, Defense – 4
Colorado: The Buffaloes are the worst team in the Pac-12. They have a whole bunch of new starters on offense, which is probably a good thing as they were 82nd in total offensive yards a year ago. Colorado lost to Colorado State in week 1 – a team that was 3-9 last season. The two squared off last season as well and the Buffaloes came out with the win. This was one of three wins last season. I am seeing the same result, minus one with this year’s loss: 2-10.
Returning starters: Offense – 3, Defense – 6
UCLA: Then there are the Bruins. They do have a solid number of returning starters and were second in the south region a season ago. There will be some improvement from the other teams in the south who are not Colorado, so it should be a little tougher for them. The Bruins run game looked good as they rolled over Rice in week 1. Still, the region should consist of some good games that could go either way. I am going with a 5-7 record.
Returning Starters: Offense – 7, Defense – 8
USC: The Trojans are returning the most starters this year, including Heisman hopeful Matt Barkley. They were ranked as the number 1 team before getting passed up by the Alabama Crimson Tide after week 1. Alabama played a much better opponent and won in a stylish fashion. USC has two games that might be tough, for them. Those games are Notre Dame and as I mentioned earlier, Oregon.
You already know my prediction for the Oregon game, so let’s talk a little about the last game of the regular season. In a match-up last season, Barkley was solid, throwing for 224 yards and 3 touchdowns. Notre Dame has some new starters in place at key offensive positions, which could make for a totally different game then the 31-17 loss for the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame was able to run the ball very efficiently in week 1. If they can run the ball against USC and control the clock, this may be a BSC game buster. However, I see Barkley having another solid performance in this one and the Trojans finishing with a 12-0 record – followed by a BSC birth. (The BCS playoff won’t start until 2014)
Returning starters: Offense – 9, Defense – 8
Utah: The Utes look like they might be strong team this season. Yes, in week 1 they played Northern Colorado, but anytime you shut someone out you must give credit to team’s defense. It also helps that they do not have a scheduled game against Oregon. The Utes are only returning one less starter than the Trojans. Last year’s match-up between the two was a decent game. This year USC has something to play for so it could very well turn into a blowout. They will have a good year and go 8-4.
Returning starters: Offense – 9, Defense – 7
*All records are based on scheduled games as of 9/6/2012. No conference title games or bowl games included.
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