Yesterday, we started off our Pac-12 college football roundtables by discussing which teams would be the most improved. Today, TSS Associate Editors Bart Doan and Terry Johnson join staff writer Kevin Causey and special rotating guests to continue our discussion of the Pac-12.
Joining us for our Pac-12 football discussion is Dale Newton of the Oregon Ducks site The Duck Stops Here and our good friend Kyle Kensing of The CFB Huddle.
Question: What one game are you most looking forward to in the Pac-12 this season?
Dale Newton
On Twitter @DSH_Newton
The Pac-12 is one of the most balanced and competitive conferences in the country, this year without an apparent dominant team.
One of the best early indicators of the strength of the league is an opening weekend game between Arizona State and Texas A&M, on Saturday, September 5 on ESPN.
Todd Graham has awakened the sleeping giant in Tempe. His Sun Devil teams have explosiveness and toughness, and after winning 10 games the last two years they will be among the contenders to win the conference this season.
Mike Bercovici returns to operate the offense after winning two games as an emergency starter last year replacing Taylor Kelly. He has a strong arm and poise. D.J. Foster, fast and dynamic, moves over to slot receiver to make room for a couple of promising young running backs.
The defense returns five strong linebackers and three starters in the secondary. All that’s lacking is a pass rushing threat, and Graham’s aggressive coaching style suggests they’ll find a way to create pressure and make plays.
The neutral site test against the Aggies and quarterback Kyle Allen should reveal a lot about the work the Sun Devils have put in this off season. A week after their neutral site confrontation with the SEC, the Ducks travel to Michigan State to take on Connor Cook and the No. 6 Spartans.
Kyle Kensing
On Twitter @Kensing45
You can really take pick of Pac-12 South games, though the Oregon-Stanford game has renewed significance with the Cardinal likely bouncing back. However, USC-Arizona State in September will give us a pretty good idea of the bona fides of two teams that could be in the Playoff hunt.
Bart Doan:
On Twitter @TheCoachBart
I don’t care if people give me the stink eye every year, but it’s the truth … the Pac-12 is the best conference in the nation coming in this season again. You have multiple legitimate playoff contenders. You have a league that lost some major star power quarterbacks but still seems loaded to the gills with signal caller talent.
So it’s hard to pick out one game when every single week looks like you’re whatever the football equivalent of walking on hot coals is. There’s nothing banal about this conference. I suppose give me Arizona at Stanford in early October. Arizona won at Oregon last year to shake up the league and put itself in position to win the Pac-12 South for the first time. Stanford is supposed to be much better this season, and since Oregon faces fresh questions without Marcus Mariota, this is an important game for both teams. It’s a game which will shape each of the two divisions in the Pac-12.
Kevin Causey:
On Twitter @CFBZ
Jim Mora Jr is 3-0 against USC. 3-0! Yesterday, I picked USC as my “most improved” team of the Pac-12 this year and in order to prove me right…they need to win this game.
After winning 50-0 in 2011, USC is on a three game losing streak and they need to get their LA mojo back. Being that this game is the final of the regular season for both teams, a lot will likely be on the line for one or both of these two teams.
Sarkisian needs a win as he doesn’t want to go down 0-2 to Mora. As in any rivalry game, this game will likely be the difference between a great or good season or a good or bad season for each fanbase. This game doesn’t happen until the end of the season but I really want to see these two teams hook it up.
Terry Johnson:
On Twitter @SectionTPJ
My first thought was to pick Oregon State – Utah. While there’s no way that College GameDay would make the trip to Rice-Eccles Stadium for this epic showdown, it will be one of the better games in the Pac-12 this season. The last two meetings have certainly lived up to that billing, as both were decided by six points or less, with last year’s contest going into double overtime.
While the game itself will be entertaining, there’s also an interesting off-the-field angle in this year’s Beavers – Utes clash. Remember, both Gary Andersen and Kalani Sitake coached under Kyle Whittingham at Utah, making this a “master versus the apprentice(s)” matchup. Those type of contests are always fun to watch, especially at the collegiate level.
However, if I’m only allowed to pick one game, I’d want to go with one that will have a significant impact on the Pac-12 race. I’d also want to make sure that the result of that contest couldn’t possibly be reversed in the conference championship game.
That makes Oregon – Stanford my top choice.
Make no mistake about it: the winner of this game will win the North Division Championship. Sure, both teams will need to break in some new starters. But, recent history suggests that this will not be a problem. After all, since the league split into divisions back in 2010, Oregon and Stanford have finished in the top two every season. Given that Mark Helfrich and David Shaw are two of the best in the business when it comes to reloading rather than rebuilding, I don’t see that changing this year.
Circle November 14 on your calendar… you don’t want to miss this one!
