Pac 12 Schedule: 12/29 - 1/4

12/29
USC at California
Oregon State at Washington
Oregon v Washington State
UCLA at Stanford

12/31
UCLA at California
Arizona State at Arizona
Utah at Colorado
Oregon State v Washington State
USC at Stanford
Oregon at Washington

Pac 12 Big 10 Interconference Games

The Pac 12 and the Big 10 announced that the two leagues would join forces for annual interconference games. The details are pending, but we do know the interconference games will not happen until 2017.

What are your thoughts on the interconference games?

Pac 12 Bowls

Excited for the Pac 12 Bowl games? You should be - they are right around the corner!

There are some concerns about the Pac 12 teams in their respective bowls. First off, the Pac 12 is an underdog in six of the 7 bowl games (Oregon is favored over Wisconsin). If the Pac 12 were to leave with a winning record, 4-3, there would need to be at least three upsets. A winning record would really bring some some respect to the Pac 12.

Secondly, though Oregon is favored over Wisconsin, there is some cause for worry. Five od Chip Kelly's six losses have come to teams with extra time to prepare: Boise State, LSU, Ohio State, Auburn and Stanford.

There are also exciting games featuring some of the best players in the college game. Andrew Luck has the chance to leave Stanford with a bang. He has been celebrated (and #trending) all year for his return to the Cardinals. Now that he is headed to the NFL, the Fiesta Bowl is his last chance... it would be a shame if the Cardinals lost and his college career ended with a loss.

RG3 (Robert Griffin III) is this year's Heisman Trophy winner. Can he back up that honor with a Baylor win over Washington?

The bowl games are exciting and I can't wait to see what happens!

ASU Hires Todd Graham

Arizona State has been looking for a coach to replace Dennis Erickson. That search has apparently come to a close as ASU settled on Todd Graham of Pitt. Graham had been with the Panthers for only one year and is the fourth new coach named in the Pac 12 in recent weeks. He should be the last.

Graham is a Texas native who developed his coaching career working his way through Texas high schools. Graham was an assistant at Tulsa from 2003-05, head coach at Rice in 2006, and then headed the Tulsa program for four years.

Interestingly, Pitt marks the second head coaching job Graham has left in the last five years after just one season.

My Pac 12 Bowl Rankings

1. Rose Bowl Game: Oregon (11-2) vs Wisconsin (11-2)
- the Ducks have lost two BCS bowl games in a row, so they will need to win to make a firm claim at being one of the nation's elite.

2. Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma State (11-1) vs Stanford (11-1)
- Yes, I know both of these teams have better records than my No. 1 ranked game, but I just love watching Wisconsin!

3. Valero Alamo: Baylor (9-3) vs Washington (7-5)
- Baylor will most likely be featuring the Heisman Trophy winner: QB Robert Griffin III. Need I say more?

4. Bidgepoint Education Holiday: Cal (7-5) vs Texas (7-5)
- There's a rivalry angle here.

5. Hyundai Sun: Georgia Tech (8-4) vs Utah (7-5)

6. MAACO Las Vegas: Boise State (11-1) vs Arizona State (6-6)

7. Kraft Fight Hunger: Illinois (6-6) vs ULCA (6-7)

Pac 12 Coaching Changes

It has been a whirlwind week in the Pac 12, making the Conference's first championship game seem a bit anticlimactic. Here is a summary of what happened:

Rick Neuheisel of the UCLA Bruins was fired following last weekeend's 50-0 loss to No. 9 SoCal.

Dennis Erickson was fired from Arizona State around the same time.

Paul Wulff was dismissed from Washington State while the Cougars hired Mike Leach, former Texas Tech coach.


Rick Neuheisel is headed for his last game with the Bruins (6-6, 5-4), and a challenging one at that as he faces the Oregon Ducks (10-2, 8-1).

Oregon Ducks Drop to USC

I was very surprised by the outcome of the USC Oregon game - I had my money on Oregon for sure.

A few things we learned from the game:

- Lane Kiffin of California is hands down getting work done at USC. He obvioulsy knows how to recruit, organize and play-call.

- Cinderella stories do exist.

- Marqise Lee is a spectacular replacement.

Let's take a look ahead. Despite losing its hopes of a national championship shot, Oregon is still the favorite to win the Pac-12 title and get to the Rose Bowl. The Ducks will win the Pac-12 North over Oregon State, earning the right to host the championship game on December 12.

Do you agree? Comment and let me know!

Bowl Scenarios

Though there is a slim chance of this, if the Ducks run the table, and Oklahoma beast Oklahoma State and Alabama loses to Auburn, Oregon could rematch with LSU.

The Fiesta Bowl would welcome an 11-1 Stanford team, especially with Andrew Luck manning the ship. A Luck-Oklahoma matchup would be highly anticipated.

If Oregon manages to sneak into the title game, then look for the 11-1 Cardinals to play in the Rose Bowl.

What are your bowl predictions? I would love to hear about the thoughts of fans outside of the PAC 12!

PoorhouseAC 12

USA Today has published its annual list of college football coaching salaries and it looks like the PAC 12 coaches will be asking for cash this year.

Chip Kelly, Oregon, $2,800,000
Jeff Tedford, California, $2,300,000
Steve Sarkisian, Washington, $2,250,000
Kyle Whittingham, utah, $1,700,000
Dennis Erickson, Arizona State, $1,503,000
Mike Stoops, Arizona, $1,465,000
Mike Riley, Oregon State, $1,313, 471
Rick Neuheisel, UCLA, $1,285,000
Jon Embree, Colorado, $725,000
Paul Wulff, Washington State, $600,050

So... obviously Stoops has been fired, and USC Lane Kiffin is likely to be at the top of this list, but because he coaches at a private school, his salary information is not revealed. The same thing goes for Stanford.

Yes, yes... I know in tough times any of the aforementioned salaries are looking pretty peachy. However, PAC 12 coaches are paid poorly. If that bothers you, I don't apologize because it is true.

Six SEC coaches make more than any PAC 12 coach. The lowest-paid SEC coach, Kentucky's Joker Phillips, would rank fourth here. Ten SEC coaches are paid more than Tedford, who is No. 2 on the PAC 12 list.

Keep in mind this isn't even taking into account the cost of living in each city... there the PAC is really screwed.

Pac 12 Basketball

Not to get ahead of ourselves, like Christmas does Thanksgiving, but it is now time to take a look at Pac 12 basketball.

I think the Pac 12 could be destined for a disappointing season after losing so much talent to the NBA, where they are now sitting on their hands. No team looks poised to earn the national spotlight for a third consecutive season. The conference favorites even hold severe flaws.

Speaking of the conference favorites... I like Cal and UCLA. Jorge Gutierrez and Allen Crabbe are looking to be leaders and game winners this year. However, the Golden Bears may have trouble matching up with UCLA's front line of Joshua Smith, Reeves Nelson and David Wear. Cal needs to contain those boys if they wish to be the top dog.

Could Bruins Top the Pac 12 South?

A french fry one week and a hero the next. Don't look now, but UCLA could be topping the Pac 12 South.

Just two weeks ago, Bruin Nation was clamoring for Rick Neuheisel to be fired. Now, the Bruins are one win away from being tied atop the Pac 12 South. For real...

A team that lost 49-20 to Texas, 45-19 to the undefeated Stanford Cardinals and 48-12 to Arizona is currently one game off pace in the league's weaker (ahem MUCH weaker) division.

The Bruins will play South leader Arizona State on Saturday in the Rose Bose.

What would happen if the Bruins topped the division? Would UCLA fans revolt out of their disgust for Neuheisel? Would they celebrate?

So many questions, but keep in mind the Bruins have their work cut out. Even if they pick up a win from ASU, the remaining schedule undoubtedly favors the Sun Devils.

It is fun to think about though, huh?

Stanford Oregon Game Looms Closer

The Stanford Cardinals must have a pot of gold and a leprechaun stowed away somewhere with all the Luck they've been having. Sitting at 8-0 and heading into a game against the Oregon State Beavers, the Cardinals are sitting pretty.

Not so fast?

What about the upcoming game against their second in command, the Oregon Ducks (7-1). The Ducks, before meeting the Cardinals, must take a trip to the tough Washington Huskies.

What will the Oregon Stanford game look like? Will Oregon take a win from the Luck-y Cardinals?

I think so. What do you think?

Stanford and Oregon Lead Pac-12 in BCS

The Pac-12 only has three teams in this week's BCS rankings, but they do have two teams in the Top 10 of those rankings. No. 6 Stanford continues to slowly climb towards the top as Andrew Luck and co. continue to stomp opponents. Oregon is the highest ranked 1 loss team coming in right behind Stanford at No. 7.

Oregon's only loss was to top ranked LSU, so Oregon can still climb higher if they continue down the path of success. Oregon will play Stanford in three weeks.

My Picks for the Week

UCLA at Arizona
-- pick: Arizona

Washington at Stanford
-- pick: Stanford

Utah at Cal
-- pick: Cal

USC at Notre Dame
-- pick: USC

Oregon State at Washington State
-- pick: Oregon State

Oregon at Colorado
-- pick: Oregon

What are your picks and why? Let me know!

Pac-12 Bowl Possibilities

It is getting to that time of year where we should look into the Pac-12 Bowl possibilities.

This year, the Pac-12 looks to be in better form for its seven berths with two more teams in the league now, but it still may have difficulty filling all seven. This is especially true because USC is ineligible again and Stanford and Oregon both appear to be on track for BCS bowls.

Assuming just one of the two makes a BCS bowl that leaves the other for the Alamo Bowl. AZ State, if it doesn't win the Pac-12 championship game, would most likely be the team for the Holiday Bowl. Washington would go to the Sun.

That leaves three berths for the other seven teams, none of which have winning records right now. Oregon State (1-5), Arizona (1-5), and Colorado (1-6) seem like unlikely candidates. This ultimately results in UCLA, Cal, Washington State and Utah with chances to make the other four bowls.

Some SO Cal / Cal History

SO Cal and Cal will meet for the 99th time Thursday; the Golden Bears are listed as the official home team, but the game will be played in San Francisco while California Memoral Stadium is being renovated and earthquake-'proofed'.

The Trojans of USC lead the series 60-30-5 and have won 7 straight games including a 48-14 win last year in Los Angeles.

I'm picking the Bears to upset this year. What are your thoughts? I want to hear them!

Don't forget to follow me on twitter (@Pac12nut) for more Pac 12 tidbits!

My Pac 12 Picks

Here are my Pac 12 quick picks!

USC @ Bears
--Bears, 33-28

Colorado @ Washington
--Washington 34-10

Stanford @ Washington State
--Washington State 27-38

Arizona State @ Oregon
--Oregon 40-27

Brighman Young @ Oregon State
--Oregon State 28-27

Utah @ Pittsburgh
--Pitt 24-13

My top game to watch this week: USC @ California

Pac 12 Represented in Preseason Rankings

The Pac 12 has three basketball teams representing the conference in the preseason rankings. Arizona, California and UCLA have been named to Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook's preseason Top 25!

The Wildcats place at No. 10 while Cal and UCLA sit at No. 21 and 23, respectively.

The first game of the regular season tips off Sunday, Nov. 6 when UCLA faces Cal State San Bernardino.

Week 5 Pac 12 Preview

Best Upcoming Matchup: UCLA run offense vs Stanford run defense. For all of UCLA's early season issues, the Bruins do still hold a strong rushing attack. They are averaging 214 yards per game (ranks No. 2 in the Pac 12); TBs Jonathan Franklin and Derrick Coleman average more than 5.5 yards per carry. On the other side of the line, Stanford leads the entire nation in run defense. So far, no Stanford opponent has managed more than 51 rushing yards.

Keep Checking: Washington State WR Marquess Wilson. Wilson leads the country by averaging 143 receiving yards per game and he is only a sophomore. He's also averaging 28.6 yards on 15 catches. Wilson has at least 91 receiving yards and one touchdown in all three games.

Skyrocketing Numbers: Oregon RB LaMichael James has exceeded 200 rushing yards in each of the past two weeks and gained a school-record 288 in a 56-31 victory over Arizona. James now leads the nation with 613 rushing yards and is averaging 9.4 yards per carry.

Pac 12 to Remain 12

The Pac 12 Conference has decided to remain at its current size of 12 schools.

The league, with a short news release Tuesday night, put to rest swirling speculation it would soon become a 16-team super conference.

For now, the Pac 12 will remain a 12-team semi-super conference.

Picture courtesy of saturdaynightslant.com

Pac 12 Power-Ranked Low

The Pac 12 ranks fourth in conference power rankings. Some people assumed the conference would be ranked higher, even though it is widely known that power rankings aren't an exact science.

However, looking back on the first couple weeks of play, the Pac 12 lost more than one high profile nonconference games that hurt its rankings. Oregon lost to LSU while Arizona lost to Oklahoma State. Further, Oregon State was blown out by the Badgers as Colorado lost in a hefty style to Hawaii.

With the potential upcoming additions to the Pac 12, it might be possible that the power rankings change in the future. Until then, we have to rely on the regulars to step it up!

Pac 12 or Pac 16

It now appears that the possibility of the Pac 12 expansion is not a question of is it going to happen, but when it is going to happen.

The Big 12 is drowning and every team is using another's head to stay afloat. The safest bet? Putting on the lifejacket that is the Pac 12.

Many speculate that Texas will go without a conference and will survive on its own money and arrogance.

Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech will most likely head over to the Pac 12. Not sure who will join them (creating the Pac 16).

What do you guys think?

Oklahoma and Texas Could Join Pac 12

The Big 12 is definitely in shambles right now. Last year, they lost Nebraska to the Big Ten and Colorado to the Pac 12. The conference is now in serious trouble because Texas A&M has told the conference that they plan on leaving. This has left plenty of schools in the Big 12 wondering about their futures.

It has been reported that Oklahoma and Texas are both discussing joining the Pac 12. The Pac 12 has the most lucrative TV deal in all of college sports and would immediately become the best football conference if these two schools decided to join it. It'd instantly rival the SEC for best football conference.

This would be very interesting if these two teams joined the Pac 12. It would be huge for the conference and great for recruiting for everyone. They might even steal all the thunder from the SEC.

Pac 12 Week 1 Scores

Oregon LSU: 27-40

USC Minnesota: 19-17

Colorado Hawaii: 17-34

UCLA Houston: 34-38

Stanford San Jose State: 57-3

Washington State Idaho State: 64-21

Oregon State Sacramento State: 28-29 (OT)

Arizona State UC Davis: 48-14

Utah Montana State: 27-10

California Fresno State: 36-21

Washington E Washington: 30-27

Arizona Northern Arizona: 41-10

LSU Beats Oregon on National Tv

Okay, so Oregon was stomped on National Tv by Louisiana State last night. I've had some time to digest this lost because I'm a huge Oregon fan. Here are my thoughts.

This is not a huge blow to Oregon's season. Oregon was replacing practically their entire wide receiver corps, offensive line, defensive line, and linebackers. Not to mention they were playing without star cornerback Cliff Harris. Oregon has tons of players to fill big holes and I expect that this team will be humming by week 4 and looking great. It wasn't reasonable to expect this team to get back to the title game, no teams go back to the title game year after year. Not even Alabama did it last year and they were loaded.

This does not hurt the Pac 12's reputation. Sure they lost in the spotlight, but look at it realistically. They were playing a loaded LSU with tons of veterans , while the Ducks were replacing starters nearly everywhere. The Ducks proved that they could beat an SEC team last year. If Oregon had played this game in week 5, it would have been a completely different story.

Oregon will be really good by week 5 and I fully expect them to run the table and make noise in the Rose Bowl.

List of Pac 12 Football Impact Freshmen

Here is a list of Pac 12 freshmen that are expected to see significant playing time this upcoming football season.

Arizona
CB Cortez Johnson
RB Ka'Deem Carey
LB Hank Hobson
LB Rob Hankins
DB Tramayne Bodurant


Arizona State
S Ezekiel Bishop
LB Isreal Marshall


California
LB Chris McCain
LB Cecil Whiteside
CB Stefan McClure
DT Viliami Moala
S Avery Walls

Colorado
WR Tyler McCulloch
CB Greg Henderson
OG Paulay Asiata
SS Kyle Washington
K Will Oliver
P Darragh O'Neill


Oregon
TE Colt Lyerla
RB De'Anthony Thomas


Oregon State
RB Malcolm Agnew
WR Brandin Cooks
RB Terron Ward
S Tyrequek Zimmerman
K Trevor Romaine

Stanford
WR Ty Montgomery
LB James Vaughters
CB Wayne Lyons

UCLA
OL Jacob Brendel
WR Devin Lucien

USC
WR Marqise Lee
OG Aundrey Walker
LB Lamar Dawson
RB Amir Carlisle

Utah
DE Nate Fakahafua
RB Harvey Langi
DB Eric Rowe

Washington
TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins
WR Kasen Williams
LB John Timu
DT Danny Shelton

Washington State
LB Chester Su’a
LB Darryl Monroe

Pac 12 Player Rankings Continued

This is a continuation of the Pac 12 player rankings done by Ted Miller on ESPN.com Here's how he ranks players 9-5

9. Cliff Harris, Oregon
8. Juron Criner, Arizona
7. Nick Foles, Arizona
6. Matt Barkley, USC
5. Vontaze Burfict, Arizona State

Pac 12 Player Rankings

Here are the Pac 12 football player rankings of players 14-10. This is a continuation of the previous posts of the player rankings by Ted Miller of ESPN.

10. Jonathan Martin, Stanford
11. Shayne Skov, Stanford
12. T.J. McDonald, USC
13. Alameda Ta'amu, Washington
14. Matt Kalil, USC

Pac 12 Player Rankings 15-19

Here are the players that Ted Miller rated 15-19 in his ranking of Pac 12 players.

15. Delano Howell, S, Stanford

16. Mychal Kendricks, LB, California

17. Rodney Stewart, RB, Colorado

18. Jermaine Kearse, WR, Washington

19. Chase Thomas, LB, Stanford

Ranking of Pac 12 Football Players

ESPN's Ted Miller has been doing a ranking of the Pac 12's top 25 football players. Here's a list of the players he rated 25th-20th.

20. Jeff Tuel, QB, Washington State

21. Robert Woods, WR, USC

22. Johnathan Franklin, RB, UCLA

23. David Paulson, TE, Oregon

24. David DeCastro, OG, Stanford

25. Marquess Wilson, WR, Washington State

Sports Illustrated Puts Stanford Ahead of Oregon in Polls

For the first time this preseason, a poll has placed Stanford ahead of Oregon in the polls. Here's how SI thinks the season will shake out.

Here's SI's top-25.

1. Alabama
2. Oklahoma
3. LSU
4. Stanford
5. Oregon
6. Florida State
7. South Carolina
8. Boise State
9. Nebraska
10. Arkansas
11. Texas A&M
12. Wisconsin
13. Oklahoma State
14. Michigan State
15. Notre Dame
16. Virginia Tech
17. Arizona State
18. TCU
19. Ohio State
20. USC
21. Mississippi State
22. Missouri
23. West Virginia
24. Auburn
25. Florida

AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll Released

Check out the preseason coaches poll that was released today for Women's volleyball. There is a ton of Pac 12 flavor at the top and it's important to note that Oregon and Arizona also received votes. Here's how the coaches see it this season.

Rank	School (First-Place Votes)	Total Points	2010 Record	2010 Final Poll
1	Penn State (54)	1486	32-5	1
2	Southern California (5)	1424	29-5	3
3	California (1)	1354	30-4	2
4	Texas	1313	27-6	4
5	Nebraska	1221	29-3	7
6	Stanford	1150	27-4	5
7	Washington	1112	24-9	6
8	Illinois	1066	24-9	9
9	Florida	1031	29-2	8
10	Hawai'i	976	29-3	13
11	UCLA	903	22-9	12
12	Minnesota	810	26-9	10
13	Purdue	739	24-11	11
14	Northern Iowa	619	30-3	14
15	Colorado State	533	26-5	16
16	Oklahoma	485	23-11	21
17	Duke	465	27-7	18
18	Iowa State	430	20-9	25
19	Dayton	334	28-4	15
20	San Diego	315	24-6	17
21	Ohio State	256	24-12	19
22	Long Beach State	234	25-8	NR
23	Tulsa	193	31-3	20
T-24	Michigan	170	23-10	NR
T-24	Tennessee	170	25-7	24

Oregon's Daryle Hawkins Set to Play Receiver

Daryle Hawkins spent all of last season playing a little bit of running back, wide receiver, and quarterback. This made him an incredibly valuable practice player because of his versatility, this also stunted his growth a little bit because he wasn't able to focus on one position. Well, the Ducks have finally decided what position he'll play: wide receiver.

Hawkins had been practicing at quarterback during his 2009 season that he redshirted because there wasn't a lot of depth at quarterback. Last season, the Ducks had Nate Costa, Brian Bennett, and Darron Thomas so the need for a quarterback simply wasn't there.

The Ducks have a ton of depth at quarterback again with both Thomas and Bennett returning to the team.

Hawkins seems happy to settle into receiver:

“It’s nice to have a certain group you can learn from,” Hawkins said. “When you’re bouncing around, you’re not really a part of any single group. It’s kind of like you’re just jumping in.

The Ducks lost a lot of firepower at receiver last season with the graduations of DJ Davis and Jeff Maehl, their two leading receivers. They'll need a big season from Hawkins in order to make up for the lost production

Utah's Jordan Wynn Looks Good in Scrimmage

Utah's Jordan Wynn looked really good in a scrimmage on Tuesday. Wynn was 9 of 17 in the scrimmage. He through for 152 yards, including a 26 yard touchdown pass. Coach Kyle Whittingham was impressed:

“It was one of our more efficient scrimmages in fall camp in recent years,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. “The offense did some nice things. It was great to have Jordan back. The first two drives were 16 and 13 plays, so that is a big positive — the sustained drives.”

Jordan Wynn had been out with a shoulder injury. The Utes believe he is starting to get near full strength in that shoulder.

Arizona's Jourdon Grandon Injured

The Arizona Wildcats thought that they had found another star for their football team. Jourdon Grandon had played so well this spring and was showing signs of being really good during the team's training camp this fall. Grandon was practicing with the team's first defense and was challenging to become the starting cornerback for the Wildcats this season.

Grandon tore the meniscus in his left knee and his expected to be out at least three weeks. Grandon was not able to go with the team on its annual trip to the Army Installation.

UCLA Bruin Quarterback Battle

The Pac 12 is chalk full of star quaterbacks. It is led by Andrew Luck, Darron Thomas, and Nick Foles, all of whom are highly touted and accomplished quarterbacks. There is also the second tier of quarterbacks that includes Brock Osweiler, Jordan Wynn, Matt Barkley, and Ryan Katz. All of the other jobs were settled before spring practices. There remains one job that remains a mystery, and that's the quarterback job over at UCLA.

Kevin Prince was the starting quarterback for the Bruins last season and he was pretty disappointing. He started only five games and was very underwhelming as a passer. He is back for the 2011 season and is the odds on favorite to win this job.

Richard Brehaut took over as the starter last season once Prince went down. He actually did a really nice job last season and although he wasn't great, he was better than Prince was last season. However, Prince proved in 2009 that he is a capable quarterback.

Brett Hundley is an incoming freshman who was one of the top quarterback recruits in the country. He showed a lot of promise in the spring, but he got injured during the spring and is much more likely to redshirt this upcoming season than he is to start. If he is the best quarterback in practice, he will likely start because coach Rick Neuheisel is desperate for a winning season.

Andrew Luck and Pac 12 Elite

It is news to no one that the Pac 12 is a conference brimming with elite quarterbacks. Andrew Luck is just one of them. There is no doubt Luck will be the front man for the conference after becoming a Heisman Trophy finalist last year. Most experts even believed that Luck would have been the No. 1 pick in this year's NFL draft had he decided to turn pro.

Instead, Luck (Stanford) will be joining the elite QB's of the Pac 12 again. Nick Foles (Arizona), Tyler Hansen (Colorado), Matt Barkley (USC), Darron Thomas (Oregon) and Brock Osweiler (Arizona State) will share the conference with Luck.

Competition like that is what the Pac 12 is known for. With the Pac 12 network coming in to reality, it will be a nice chance to catch all of the elite in action!

Pac 12 to Launch Pac 12 Network Next Year

All Pac 12 football games will be playing on national TV starting next year. This could really help with recruiting because out of state kids want their parents to be able to see all of their games. Oregon Ducks' head coach, Chip Kelly, was more than excited about the news:

"Instead of saying, 'As long as we're playing well, we're on TV,' it's a guarantee now that every game is available."

There will be a national channel of the Pac 12 network accompanied by six regional channels. The six regional channels will be Oregon, Washington, Northern California, Southern California, Arizona, and Mountain.

The conference already has a 12 year contract with ESPN and Fox to air the high profile games nationally.

Oregon Duck's Chip Kelly Center of Attention at Pac 12 Media Day

At the inaugural media day for the Pac 12, Chip Kelly wasn't asked a lot of questions about how his football team would fare next season. He was asked mostly about his relationship with Willie Lyles, the head of a recruting service who the Oregon Ducks paid 25,000 dollars. Interestingly enough, the often short tempered Kelly had no problem answering questions and was pretty cheerful in his responses. Although he wasn't able to talk about anything specific because of a statement released by the school, he didn't shy away from the topic. Here is an example of what he said:

"As head coach of this football program, we're held accountable for everything we do," Kelly said. "So we look forward to when we can [comment]. I'd love to talk about it. There are a lot of answers I'd love to make sure we can get out there."

He went on to say that "there a lot of misconceptions".

I can't wait to hear Kelly's side of the story. Clearly he is extremely optimistic about this and he is sending a message that there is a lot more to this story than most in the media believe. If that's true, it would be huge for Oregon.

1st Pac 12 Football Media Poll Released

The media released their first poll on the Pac 12 today. Here is how the media thinks the Pac 12 will shake out this year. It looks like the media asssumes Oregon will beat Stanford at Stanford, which is extremely interesting to me. We'll see if that's true.

North (first-place votes)

1. Oregon (29)... 239

2. Stanford (13)... 220

3. Washington... 142

4. Oregon State... 120

5. California... 110

6. Washington State... 51

South (first-place votes)

1. USC (24) ... 230

2. Arizona State (13)... 207

3. Utah (4)... 170

4. Arizona (1)... 140

5. UCLA ... 89

6. Colorado... 46

Potential Basketball Pac 12 Breakout Star: Terrence Ross

If you're looking for a potential breakout star in the Pac 12, look no further than Washington's Terrence Ross. The Washington Huskies are losing a ton of scoring next season and someone is going to have to take more shots. Ross is a 6-6 wing man Sophomore who averaged 8 points per game last season. The Huskies are losing a ton of experience and scoring from last season. They lose point guard Isiah Thomas, the teams leading scorer who was drafted by the Sacramento Kings, Venoy Overton, Matthew Bryan Amaning, and Justin Holliday. Isiah Thomas had high praise for Ross in a recent interview:

"Terrence Ross is the most talented player I've played with during my time at the UW."

Remember that Isiah Thomas has played with Quincy Pondexter, Spencer Hawes, and Jon Brockman, all who have played in the NBA. That means this guys got the potential to be something special. Someone has to score for Washington next season, and I can see Ross doing a fair share of it next year.

Arizona's Nick Foles, USC''s Matt Barkley and Others Nominated for Good Works Team

The Pac 12 is nicely represented in the nominations for the 2011 All State Good Works team. The Good Works team "recognizes the selfless contributions to volunteerism and community service made by college football student-athletes across the nation."

Here are the Pac 12 players that were nominated:

Arizona: Nick Foles
Colorado: Brian Lockridge
USC: Matt Barkley
Utah: Tony Bergrstrom
Oregon State: Johnny Hekker
Arizona State: Aaron Pflugrad

USC Running Marc Tyler Suspended for Comments

The USC football program has suspended running back Marc Tyler for the season opener and possibly for more games. Tyler was the Trojan's leading rusher in 2010. He was suspended because of a video taken of him while he was leaving a club and made a joke about Kim Kardashian and about how USC paid him to play football. The school believed that the punishment was fair because of a few earlier alcohol related incidents that Tyler has had in the past.

Do I think this is fair? Sure, I think it's fair only because it is one game and it's against lowly Minnesota. Anything more than that and I am firmly opposed of this decision. I have watched the video and if you haven't, there is a link here. The thing that bothers me about the video, is that the guy is clearly joking and is a little drunk. He's a college kid, let him be a college kid. If this was a bigger game, then I would clearly be a little more upset about this, but it's Minnesota, at home, and it really shouldn't effect USC's season. So if this suspension makes the honchos at USC feel warm and fuzzy inside, then just let them do that.

Oregon Gets Commitment from QB Recruit

The Oregon Ducks received some good news today. After being in the headlines for all the wrong reasons, they received a commitment from quarterback Jeff Lockie today who is from Danville, Califorinia.

Lockie had also received an offer from San Diego State. Lockie threw for 2,500 yards last season for 26 touchdowns and also ran in six touchdowns.

Lockie is the second Oregon commitment who is a quarterback. Jason Rodrigues of Rockville, California has also committed to play for Oregon and he is a member of the ESPN top 150 recruits in the nation.

Oregon has 8 commitments total for the upcoming recruiting class so far.

Arizona State's James Brooks Leaves Team

Arizona State's defensive end James Brooks is leaving the team for personal reasons and it was announced by the school today. Brooks was going to be a senior and had started at defensive end for the team the last two seasons. He recorded 25 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss last season. He also blocked two field goals in the game against Arizona. Brooks is a 6 foot 5 280 lb beast. Coach Dennis Erickson had this to say:

"James has done a lot of great things for our football program. We will continue to help him in any way we can."

This is a huge blow to the Sun Devils who were many people's preseason favorite to win the Pac 12 south. They had already lost four starters form the 2010 team including All Pac 10 cornerback Omar Bolden and starting quarterback Steven Threet. The defensive end position was supposed to be the Sun Devil's strongest but it does not look like that will be the case anymore.

Pac 12 Football Star Watch: Jonathan Martin, Stanford

Alright so if you had to pick a star player from Stanford, it probably wouldn't be Jonathan Martin, it would probably be a certain quarterback whose name rhymes with Muck, and he's going to be the number one pick in next year's NFL Draft. Andrew Luck can't do this all by himself, and a lot of his success has to be attributed to his offensive line who gave him plenty of time to throw last season. Who was the best of the bunch? Clearly it was Jonathan Martin, who protected Luck's blindside all last season.

Martin was an All Pac 10 honorable mention as a freshman and was all Pac 10 as a sophomore. He has received a ton of recognition already as he has been named to numerous preseason All American teams. What makes him even more important is that the Cardinal only return two starters to their offensive line next season. They return Martin and another All American candidate in David Decastro. The reason Martin is the most important is obvious: he protects Stanford's most prized possession, Andrew Luck.

Lombardi Trophy Watch List Released: Burfict on List Among Others

The Lombardi Trophy watch list was released yesterday and there were twelve Pac 12 players on the list. The Lombardi trophy is for the best lineman or linebacker in the country. Here's a list of the twelve Pac 12 players on the watch list:

Vontaze Burfict, LB, Arizona State
David DeCastro, OG, Stanford
Matt Kalil, OT, USC
Mychal Kendricks, LB, California
Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford
Ryan Miller, OG, Colorado
Nick Perry, DE, USC
Mitchell Schwartz, OT, Cal
Shayne Skov, LB, Stanford
Alameda Ta'amu, DT, Washington
Chaz Walker, LB, Utah
Sean Westgate, LB, UCLA
Carson York, OG, Oregon

Vontaze Burfict has a realistic shot of winning this thing with a monster, injury free season at Arizona State.

Pac 12 Football Star Watch: Keenan Allen

Keenan Allen is a wide receiver for California. As a true freshman last season, he showed a ton of flashes of greatness. He was second on the team with 46 catches, 490 yards, and five touchdowns. He started to get really beat up as the season went on and as his health got worse, his production suffered greatly.

Looking at Allen's numbers, it's difficult to see why I pegged him as a player to watch for next season. You have to understand how gifted Allen is. He's 6 foot 3 freak athlete. He was really good as a kick returner last year, but his role should expand next season.

If Cal wants to have an elite offense and a really good season, they need Keenan Allen to emerge as one of the top playmakers in the country. Thankfully for Cal, he has all the talent to do just that, it will be interesting to see if he can follow through on his physical gifts.

Mark Your Calendar: November 12th, Oregon-Stanford

The biggest game in the Pac 12 next season? This ones easy. It's when Oregon plays Stanford on November 12th. This game will likely decide who wins the vaunted Pac 12 North Division, which in my opinion, is significantly harder than the South.

Last year when Stanford visited Oregon, they led 21-3 early before Oregon prevailed 52-31 in front of a raucous crowd in Autzen stadium. Oregon went on to play in the National Championship Game while Stanford killed Virginia Tech in the Orange bowl. Their loss at Autzen was their only loss of the year. Had they won at Oregon, they would have played for a National Title.

Andrew Luck returns for the Cardinal while LaMichael James and Darron Thomas return for the Ducks. This game in Palo Alto will decide who plays for the Pac 12 championship, and possibly, who plays for the BCS National Championship.

Pac 12 Football Star Watch: Vontaze Burfict

One thing is for sure when talking about this years Arizona State Sun Devils, this team goes as Vontaze Burfict goes. Burfict is by far the best player on the Sun Devils. Burfict, was recruited by USC, but opted to play at Arizona State because he wanted to be a star. Well, I've got some news for you Vontaze, you were definitely going to be a star even if you had gone to USC. Burfict is so intense and fast that he has been compared to Ray Lewis in terms of his physical skills as well.

Arizona State is a potential top 25 team next season. There is a lot of speculation that Dennis Erickson is on thin ice there so maybe his players can crank it up and try to have a really good season for him.

If you love a team in the Pac 12 and are playing Arizona State, keep your eyes on Burfict. He'll be the guy who is flying around the ball making a ton of plays. No team is safe from an upset against the Burfict led Sun Devils because of the effect he has on a game.

Pac 12 Football Star Watch: Justin Washington

The Arizona Wildcats return only one player from their 2010 defensive line. His name is Justin Washington. He is arguably the most important player on the roster. He recorded 11.5 tackles for loss last season and was a true leader on the field. He might not be the best player on the team, Nick foles is, but the Wildcats' season likely hinges on his success.

Remember, Mike Scott was unbelievable in limited action last year.

There is little depth behind Washington. Thankfully for the Wildcats', he is extremely healthy when he is on the field.

If the Wildcats' hope to win the Pac 12 South, Washington is going to have to play is butt off every single saturday.

Oregon Football Program in Shambles?

Oregon's football program could be in quite a bit of trouble. There were reports in around April that the school had paid a recruiting service 25,000 dollars. Most schools pay around 1,000 dollars or so, so the big check to the recruiting service by Houston-based Willie Lyles.

The recruiting service is legal if they are offering videos, game tapes, and phone calls, but the NCAA was curious about the huge sum Oregon paid.

Oregon could be in some big trouble. The players that are known to have been in contact with Lyles are LaMichael James, Darron Thomas, and Lache Seastrunk, three of Oregon's best players and most highly coveted players.

Oregon has yet to say anything about this.