College football preseason power rankings: Can Oregon or USC get Pac-12 back into Playoff?
This story is part of Paste BN Sports' 25 days to college football countdown.
The first three weeks of September will determine whether the Pac-12 can garner the national recognition needed to be placed in the same conversation with the ACC, Big Ten and SEC.
Washington goes to Michigan. Stanford takes on Kansas State. Oregon State meets Purdue. California's at TCU. Colorado plays Texas A&M in Denver. UCLA hosts LSU.
Most important of all, Oregon's trip to Ohio State on Sept. 11 has the potential to drastically increase the level of respect paid to a conference that hasn't been a true factor in the chase for the national championship since 2016.
An Oregon win in Columbus would put the Pac-12 back on the map and make the eventual conference champion a strong contender for the College Football Playoff. There's pressure on the Ducks, who top the league's preseason power rankings.
1. Oregon (2020 record: 4-3)
The Ducks may end up being the best team in the Pac-12 but still fall short of the playoff, which might sound familiar for a conference that hasn't sent a team into the four-team field since 2016. If so, that would likely be the result of a schedule that sends Oregon to Ohio State in non-conference play and on the road against Stanford and Washington, the team's two biggest threats in the North division. Multiple top-ranked recruiting classes have beefed up the roster to an impressive level but the fate of the year may hinge on the play of quarterback Anthony Brown, a former Boston College transfer.
2. Southern California (5-1)
Almost every piece is in place for 10 or more wins during the regular season and a spot in the playoff conversation. One key factor is increased coaching continuity, with offensive coordinator Graham Harrell in his third season and defensive coordinator Todd Orlando heading into his second. There's also one of the nation's top quarterbacks in Kedon Slovis, though the Trojans must be noticeably more productive on the ground to find the offensive balance needed to be a true national threat.
25 DAYS TO COLLEGE FOOTBALL COUNTDOWN
Preseason Top 25: From No. 1 Alabama to No. 25 Mississippi
All-America teams: Clemson leads all schools with six players named
Power rankings: ACC | Big 12 | Big Ten
3. Washington (3-1)
The biggest question mark may come on the sideline, where second-year coach Jimmy Lake has to show the right touch in pushing this team to the top of the conference. There is no doubt the Huskies are good enough to do just that and maybe even more, especially given the amount of depth seen in almost every position group.
4. Utah (3-2)
Utah's offensive and defensive lines could control the line of scrimmage against every opponent on its schedule. These imposing groups bolster confidence in the Utes' ability to again come out of relative anonymity — they're just outside the preseason Paste BN Sports AFCA Coaches Poll — and rise to the top of the South division. The offensive line in particular is the best in the conference and one of the best in the entire country.
5. Arizona State (2-2)
How will Arizona State's off-field drama impact a team pegged for eight-plus wins during the regular season? With three coaches on administrative leave amid an NCAA investigation into alleged recruiting violations, the Sun Devils will open the season against more background noise than almost any other program in the Football Bowl Subdivision. In a vacuum, ASU has the quarterback and overall roster to win the conference.
6. Stanford (4-2)
Stanford averaged 29.3 points per game against a six-game schedule last season, a positive sign given the average play of the offense in 2019. Despite the smaller sample size, that uptick bodes well for a team that takes on 12 Power Five opponents during the regular season — the nine Pac-12 games plus Kansas State, Vanderbilt and Notre Dame. And the offense needs to maintain that production while breaking in a new quarterback; if not, the Stanford defense needs to carry a heavy load after an uncharacteristically down 2020 season.
7. UCLA (3-4)
This is the year that UCLA finally breaks into the postseason under coach Chip Kelly, thanks to a roster with enough depth and experience to match wits with the best teams in the Pac-12. But with LSU on the schedule in non-conference play and both Oregon and Stanford drawn from the North division, the Bruins might take that step forward in overall performance yet still only get to six or seven wins before bowl play.
8. California (1-3)
The offense is an annual concern but the defense looks to be in great shape at linebacker and in the secondary, as coach Justin Wilcox continues to build that side of the ball into one of the best in the conference. The lack of answers on offense essentially eliminates the Golden Bears as a real factor in the divisional race but a very friendly schedule of home games does suggest a good chance at six wins.
9. Oregon State (2-5)
Nine of Oregon State's 12 losses across the past two seasons have come by 14 or fewer points. Experience may help address this issue. The Beavers bring back 19 starters and add a veteran quarterback in Colorado transfer Sam Noyer, though one of the few losses is worrisome: running back Jermar Jefferson ran for 2,938 yards in his three seasons, finishing second in the Pac-12 in rushing in 2020.
10. Colorado (4-2)
Colorado remains one of the bigger enigmas in the Power Five after a surprisingly successful 2020 season under coach Karl Dorrell. Was that a lightning-in-a-bottle season or a sign of things to come? One thing that changes is the quality of the schedule, which pits the Buffaloes against Texas A&M and Minnesota in September and includes road games against Arizona State, Oregon, UCLA and Utah.
11. Washington State (1-3)
The Cougars will benefit from a complete offseason under second-year coach Nick Rolovich, which should speed up the learning curve for his offensive scheme. The Cougars have one of the most interesting transfers in the Power Five in former Tennessee quarterback Jarrett Guarantano, who has always had the talent to play at a high level and may blossom under a new staff and in a new system.
12. Arizona (0-5)
New coach Jedd Fisch has restored some energy to the program and started the process of rebuilding a roster lagging behind the rest of the conference. In time, the Wildcats' recruiting push could bring them back into the mix for bowl bids coming out of the South division. In the meantime, four wins in 2021 would be a terrific accomplishment.