Pac-12 North:
Oregon State University
The Mike Riley era is over in Corvallis, Oregon and the Gary Andersen era begins. The former Wisconsin head coach will have his hands full coping with the depleted OSU roster. The Beavers have to replace Sean Mannion, the Pac-12’s all-time leader in career passing yards, while the defense is replacing nine starters from the year before in its switch from the 4-3 defense to the 3-4 front.
University of Cal, Berkeley
Junior quarterback Jared Goff will be entering his third season in Tony Franklin’s offense and looks to be ready to emerge as the Pac-12’s premier passer in 2015. The Golden Bears have plenty of talent on offense with Bryce Treggs and Daniel Lasco manning the skill positions, but their secondary is, at best, a work in progress.
Stanford University
Fifth year senior quarterback Kevin Hogan is back for his final season and ready to make another run at the Pac-12 title with a reloaded roster around him. Christian McCaffrey and Barry Sanders give the Cardinal plenty of depth in the backfield, while Austin Hooper appears to be the next great Stanford tight end. Stanford’s defense has to replace plenty of big names again, but linebackers Blake Martinez and Kevin Anderson are ready to reload the stout Cardinal front.
University of Washington
With quarterback Cyler Miles taking an indefinite leave of absence, Huskies head coach Chris Petersen found himself conducting another quarterback battle this spring. Junior Jeff Lindquist is the leading candidate, but freshman Jake Browning and K.J. Carta-Samuels are vying for playing time as well.
Washington State University
Replacing gunslinger Connor Halliday will not be easy, but redshirt sophomore Luke Falk made a strong case toward being the starting quarterback next fall. With veteran wide receiver Dom Williams headlining head coach Mike Leach’s air-raid offense, the Cougs will be able to pass the ball just fine, but a suspect defense might hold Washington State back this season.
Pac-12 South:
University of Arizona
For the first time in Rich Rodriguez’s tenure at Arizona, the Wildcats will return their starting quarterback from the previous year, redshirt sophomore Anu Solomon. Also returning are running back Nick Wilson and star linebacker Scooby Wright III. If the Wildcats can survive early tests against UCLA at home and Stanford on the road, look for them to be a dark horse in the playoff discussion.
Arizona State University
With eight starters returning on offense and nine on defense, the Sun Devils are ready to reload and make another run at the Pac-12 South title. Quarterback Mike Bercovici has plenty of experience and plenty of weapons to use on offense. The best being running back D.J. Foster, who was All-Conference in 2014.
University of Colorado
Head coach Mike MacIntyre is starting to build a respectable team in Boulder, Colorado, but isn’t quite ready to make noise in the Pac-12 South. Quarterback Sefo Liufau returns, as does his favorite target Nelson Spruce, but first year defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt will have his hands full improving the Pac-12’s second worst scoring defense in 2014.
University of Utah
The Utes have a ton of returning talent, but face a brutal schedule next fall. Utah hosts Jim Harbaugh and the University of Michigan Wolverines week one, then play Oregon, USC, Washington and Arizona on the road in Pac-12 play. Senior Travis Wilson returns at quarterback and is joined by All-Pac-12 running back Devontae Booker in the backfield. Utah will have to replace Nate Orchard’s production on the defensive line, but have plenty of experience on all levels.
UCLA
The Bruins signed one of the nation’s best recruiting classes and will use the nation’s top ranked quarterback recruit Josh Rosen as soon as possible. The true freshman took the reins of UCLA’s quarterback battle this spring and will be surrounded by the most experienced Bruin offense in almost a decade. Running back Paul Perkins and wide receiver Jordan Payton lead the way on offense, while dual-threat linebacker/running back Myles Jack, nose guard Kenny Clark and defensive end Eddie Vanderdoes make up a vicious Bruin front.
USC
The hype is back at USC as Steve Sarkisian and the Trojans are now free of their scholarship restrictions and are loaded with five-star talent. Senior quarterback Cody Kessler and sophomore wide receiver JuJu Smith headline the skill positions on offense, and they’ll have four returning offensive linemen protecting them, including All-Pac-12 center Max Tuerk. On defense, defensive backs Su’a Cravens and Adoree’ Jackson will be terrorizing wide receivers all season long.
Follow Josh Schlichter on Twitter @joshschlichter
Spring football: Storylines around the Pac-12
Josh Schlichter
April 27, 2015
More to Discover