North
1. Oregon
The hype for redshirt sophomore Marcus Mariota’s possible Heisman Trophy in Eugene has been ten times that over redshirt sophomore Brett Hundley and senior linebacker Anthony Barr in Westwood. In Oregon’s high-octane offense, Mariota put up stunning numbers – 2,677 yards with 32 touchdowns and only six interceptions – all as a redshirt freshman. The man responsible for the resurgence of the Oregon football program, Chip Kelly, has since flown the coop to coach the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles. However, don’t anticipate too much of a drop off with his offensive coordinator now at the helm of the program.
2. Stanford
Last season proved that the post-Andrew Luck era is no fluke. Despite coach David Shaw losing the first pick of the 2012 NFL Draft heading into last season , Shaw and the rest of the Cardinal kept stride and won the Rose Bowl after beating UCLA two times in a row. With the quarterback controversy settled in the middle of last season, look for Stanford to continue a smashmouth offense with its jumbo packages that outweigh and outmuscle almost every other Pac-12 side.
3. Oregon State
Picked to finish last in the Pac-12 North last season, Oregon State shocked opponents, including UCLA, which saw its first loss of the season at home at the hands of the Beavers. Look for junior wide receiver Brandin Cooks to torch defenses – he put up 175 yards against the Bruins. However, coach Mike Riley has recently announced he will use a two-quarterback system, which history has shown to be unsuccessful.
4. California
Cal has many question marks – namely, how its new coach Sonny Dykes will revamp a team that struggled through a 3-9 season and limped to a 0-5 finish last year. Dykes comes to Berkeley by way of Louisiana Tech, which he led to 22-15 record over his three-year tenure as head coach. Last season at Louisiana Tech, he directed a team that led the nation in both scoring and offense, at 51.50 points per game and 577.92 yards per game.
5. Washington
The only seat as hot as Lane Kiffin’s this season may be Steve Sarkisian’s. Sarkisian, previously a coordinator for USC, is once again playing second fiddle to Pete Carroll, as the Seattle Seahawks are the hottest ticket in town. After a lackluster 7-6 season last year, Sarkisian’s career record as the Huskies head coach sits at 26-25.
6. Washington State
Mike Leach’s run and shoot vertical offense often found itself jammed last year and backfired to a 3-9 opening season for the new coach. Additionally, a highly publicized falling out between Leach and the Cougars’ star receiver Marquess Wilson didn’t exactly help their campaign.
South
1. UCLA
The Bruins will look to defend their title as Pac-12 South Champions once again and make it a three-peat. With a full season of college football coaching under Jim Mora’s belt and one of the best recruiting classes in the nation, look for UCLA to continue to make strides away from the mediocrity that plagued it in recent years. What stands in the Bruins’ way of a third consecutive division title is their tough schedule with back-to-back away games at the Cardinal and Ducks.
2. USC
It’s become a familiar story in Los Angeles now: A team has certain expectations, falls well short of those expectations, the head coach fires his assistants and then claims his throne on the hottest seat in the Pac-12. This happened to Rick Neuheisel and the Bruins just two seasons ago and it’s happening to the Trojans right now. Initially ranked No. 1 in the entire country during the preseason, USC struggled its way to an embarrassing 7-6 season last year while making some history along the way – the first No. 1 preseason-ranked program to finish the season unranked. USC still has a breadth of talent, but it’s yet to be decided who will be taking snaps.
3. Arizona State
Not to be left out, Arizona State has a redshirt sophomore dual-threat quarterback of its own that could be making headlines. Taylor Kelly threw for more than 3,000 yards and tossed 29 touchdowns with just nine interceptions in coach Todd Graham’s first year at the program. The Sun Devils finished the season with an 8-5 record but also retained the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year.
4. Arizona
Arizona’s offense was almost entirely generated by the now-graduated Matt Scott at quarterback. How his replacement fairs in Rich Rodriguez’s system will widely determine the team’s success. Rodriguez often found himself in shootouts last season as inconsistency plagued the team – it topped Oklahoma State, took Stanford to overtime but was blown out by UCLA and Oregon.
5. Utah
For the first time in nine years, the Utes missed out on a bowl game last season. Still trying to find the team’s footing in the Pac-12, coach Kyle Whittingham looks to right the ship despite losing the best player, Star Lotulelei, to the NFL.
6. Colorado
After controversially firing coach Jon Embree, whose Buffaloes became the Pac-12 punching bag, Colorado hired Mike MacIntyre, who turned typical cupcake San Jose State into more of a pufferfish. The Buffaloes have won just four games in the past two seasons.