Pac 12 picks

The Pac 12 has transformed itself in the last 7-10 years.  It used to be a top heavy conference headed by the big dawgs from Southern Cal.  From 2002 to 2008 the Trojans won at least a share of the conference title and appeared in BCS bowls in EACH of those seasons.  The Trojans of that era were incredible, to be sure, but the conference on the whole was fairly shallow.  These days the Pac 12 is vastly different.  There are several good to great teams in this league.  The conference is far deeper and more competitive than Ive ever seen it.  Most of the teams in the league appear to be getting better.  Better yet, almost all of them are interesting for one reason or another.  Most of this can be attributed to the new coaching blood brought in in recent years.  Mike Leach, Rich Rodriguez, Todd Graham and Chris Peterson have helped overhaul this conference into the most interesting league in the country.  I look forward, with tremendous anticipation, to what the Pac 12 has to offer this season.  Here are my Pac 12 picks for 2014.

The Pac 12 South is an easy pick.  Its a freaking slam dunk, perhaps the easiest pick in all of College Football.  The UCLA Bruins will win the Pac 12 South.  Period.  There are good teams in this division, but none of them matches the quality that the Bruins possess.  QB Brett Hundley shocked many last fall when he announced his return for his Junior season.  I think he would have been a top 10 pick in the draft.  Regardless he returns to a unit, and a team, that is loaded.  The Bruins return 9 offensive starters including 4 O-lineman, and 4 of its top 5 receivers.  Hundley was fantastic in 2013 completing 66%of his passes with a 24/9 Td to int ratio.  He also led the team in rushing with 748 yards and 11 TDs.  Put simply, Hundley is a freaking stud.  The Bruins are similarly talented on the other side of the ball.  Eric Kendricks and All-World Freshman Myles Jack both return at LB for UCLA.  Overall, 5 of their top 7 tacklers, including 7 starters, are back in 2014.  This unit could be downright nasty.  Last year the Bruins ran into a buzz saw in the form of back to back road games at Oregon and Stanford.  This year they do not have such misfortune.  The schedule is tough, but not unmanageable.  There are road games to Texas (in Arlington) and Arizona State, but they get Oregon, Stanford, and USC in the Rose Bowl.  The Bruins have the pieces, and the coaching, to navigate this schedule and come out on top in the Pac 12 South.  There is no doubt about that.  Could they potentially be in play for a bigger prize?  Perhaps, but for now I will call for them to win this division, hands down.

The Pac 12 North is much, much less clear.  There are two juggernauts among the contenders in this division.  Both Oregon and Stanford can lay claim to the position of best in the conference.  They both have the pedigree, and win totals, to back it up.  The Ducks will be the favorite for a variety of very legitimate reasons.  First Marcus Mariota returns under center.  Mariota put up ridiculous, gaudy, video game type numbers in 2013, including a 31/4 TD to Int ratio and over 700 yards rushing.  These border on absurd.  Secondly, Oregon will roll out its usual bevy of explosive offensive weaponry, including 1,000 yard rusher Byron Marshall.  Additionally the Ducks have a favorable schedule schedule including hosting the Cardinal on November 1st.  All these factors clearly point to Oregon winning this division.  But I’m not.  I am picking Stanford to win the Pac 12 North.  Stanford has built an awesome program over the last several years.  The Cardinal have won back to back Pac 12 championships and the 2014 outlook once again looks strong.  Stanford returns 7 of its top 8 receivers to aid developing QB Kevin Hogan.  Hogan, who has had some struggles in his career, is poised for a big year in 2014.  The Defense will have to replace some parts, including departed Defensive Coordinar Derek Mason, but do return monster LB A.J Tarpley.  The schedule is  an absolute minefield, with trips to Washington, Arizona State, Oregon and UCLA.  Logic and reason all indicate that Oregon will win this division.  I am taking a leap of faith in David Shaw and the Stanford program.  I think they will find a way to grind out wins in tough environments.   The Cardinal, with their rugged line play and hard nose style, are built for such a challenge.  Stanford pulls out the Pac 12 North leaving the Ducks once again crying in their beer.

In the end, Ill take the Bruins to oust the Cardinal in Santa Clara for their first conference title since 1998.

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