First Week Impressions

After the first weekend of football in the Pac 12, one thing is clear:  it's Oregon and USC, then everybody else.  I'm not even wasting my time pretending to make a case for everybody else, but here's where I rank 'em:

1. Oregon
2. USC
3. Utah
4. UCLA
5. Arizona State
6. Stanford
7. Washington 
8. Arizona
9. Cal
10. Oregon State
11. Washington State
12. Colorado

I know Cal lost and Oregon state has yet to play, but c'mon, Cal is better (at least on paper).  Beavers will be 0-1 after this week.  And if I'm Washington, I'd be very concerned if my team had played a rebuilding MWC program with a demonstrated to be crap QB (Katz), and performed as poorly as you did at home. Oregon is gonna smoke you again this year, like they have for the last 8.

Pac 12 Coach Rankings: Where Does Chip Come In?

Picked this article up today out of SportingNews, which ranks the top coaches in the Pac 12, and coming in at #1 is Chip Kelly.  Can't say I disagree...the numbers speak for itself. 


As for the rest of the list I don't really care:

2. Mike Leach (WSU)
3. Lane Kiffin (SC)
4. Kyle Whittingham (Utah)
5. Sark (UDumb)
6. David Shaw (Stanford)
7. Rich Rod (Arizona)
8. Mike Riley (OAC)
9. Jeff Tedford (Cal)
10. Jim Mora (UCLA)
11. Todd Graham (ASU)
12. Jon Embree (Colorado)


The new comers (Leach, Rich Rod, Mora, Graham) come in at 2, 7, 10, and 11 respectively.  Which brings up my only question about the rest of the rankings...why is Leach at #2, when he hasn't even coached a game in the conference yet?  In fact the other new comers should be left off the list.  At least if you're making a list of the best coaches based on what they've already done in the conference, not what they MAY do.


Just my opinion.

 

My Biased Predictions For Next Season

It's never too early to make predictions for next season is it?  College football fever has hit me, so why not?  Spring games are in full effect everywhere across the country, and ESPNU as well as CBS CS are airing replays of games from last year.


My predictions might be a little biased; I think the Ducks could run the table.  They certainly have the talent to do it, but chances are they probably won't. 


Here's a look at each game, followed by my thoughts: (Home games in yellow)

• SAT. SEP. 01 Arkansas State:  First ever meeting against this team from the Sun Belt conference, who bring with them two former Auburn Tigers in Michael Dyer, and head coach (previously the O.C. at AUB) Gus Malzahn.  For Oregon this means a chance at payback against those two.  Ok so maybe the fans are thinking about that more, but Ducks roll.  Plenty of players getting playing time and experience. (W)

• SAT. SEP 08 Fresno State: Don't know much about Fresno State and what they have coming back, but I do they're going through a transition after firing Pat Hill.  New coach means new system players having to get used to.  Ducks win easily anyway.  (W)
• SAT. SEP. 15 Tennessee Tech:  Another first ever meeting for Oregon against a team I know nothing about, but know they don't stand a chance.  Another great opportunity for players to get experience.  (W)
• SAT. SEP. 22 Arizona:  Arizona has a new coach in Rich Rodriguez, who'll probably bring in his potent spread offense, but it's still the same Arizona team that Oregon has been kicking around for a while now.  Nothing new here, Ducks win.  (W)
• SAT SEP. 29 Washington State:  Another team with a new coach.  Mike Leach could be scary up in the Palouse, but not this year.  Ducks will win their sixth straight in the series.
• SAT. OCT. 6 Washington:  the poodles could be a solid team next year, but no where near the level of Oregon yet.  They have some questions to answer though...like who's gonna replace Polk at RB?  And what about the defense?  If they don't see an improvement off of last year's team, don't expect them to be any different.  They're gonna get clobbered by the upper echelon teams, such as Oregon, who will win their 9th straight in the series. (W)
• THURSDAY OCT. 18 ASU:  The Ducks annual Thursday game against another team breaking in a new coach.  The Ducks have won 7 in a row in the series, soon to be 8.  (W)
• SAT. OCT. 27 COLORADO:  Did you see how bad Colorado was last year?  Now they come into Autzen for the first time since losing 32-30 in 1986.  This one won't be that close.  (W)
• SAT. NOV. 01 USC:  Here we go, Oregon's first challenge.  The game that could determine who has home field for the Pac 12 championship.  Ducks won on their last trip to LA, 53-32, but this one will probably be closer.  I hate predicting a loss for the Ducks but if it's gonna happen, it's probably gonna be here.  For now, I'll give it one of these (?)
• SAT. NOV. 10 CAL:  Oregon has won three straight against Cal, but the last visit to Berkely was a tough one.  Oregon was fortunate to squeak out a 15-13 win.  Cal is one of those teams that wins the recruiting wars, but never lives up to their preseason hype.  Could they give Oregon a game?  Sure.  Given the fact it's in Berkely also helps.  But Oregon still wins. (W)
• SAT. NOV. 17 STANFORD:  The Ducks return home to face the cardinal, who have gotten blasted by the Ducks the last two times.  Losing Luck is a HUGE loss to overcome.  Ducks chop the tree's down again.  (W)
• SAT. NOV. 24 CIVIL WAR:  That brings us to our showdown with Oregon State, which has become more of an annual beatdown.  The gap between the Ducks and the Beavers hasn't been this wide in a long time.  The difference in talent and depth is amazing, which is why Oregon will roll, winning their fifth straight over the barkrats.

So looking at that I see 11 winnable games, with the only real threat being SC.  Whatever happens, the Ducks are almost certain to have another 10+ win season, and be playing in a January bowl game. 

Huskies Hire Tosh Lupoi

   There's a lot of noise going on up in Seattle right now, and I'm not talking about the construction going on at Husky Stadium.  Turns out Husky stadium isn't the only thing getting a make over in Montlake, so is the team's defense.  

   After an embarrassing performance by the defense in the Alamo Bowl, in which Baylor lit them up for 67 points, and 770 yards, Washington fired their defensive coordinator Nick Holt.  They brought in two former Ducks to coach defense in Justin Wilcox, whom many consider a rising star, and Peter Sirmon.  The Huskies also brought in Keith Heyward as defensive backs coach, from Oregon State.  The latest hire has caused quite the ruckus, not only in the northwest, but in the Pac 12 as well, as Tosh Lupoi joins the Husky staff to coach defense.

   He leaves behind a similar position he held at Cal, his alma mater.  

   This is a pretty significant move, and if you head over to the Cal boards, you'll see why.  Tosh Lupoi is an excellent recruiter.  One of the nations best, in 2010 he was named recruiter of the year.  His  defensive lines were regularly some of the best in the conference, as Duck fans can attest to.  Cal was one of a couple teams that had the talent up front to disrupt Oregon's offense.


   What this means is that Washington is on the rise.  Which isn't such a bad thing if you're a Duck fan.  A strong Oregon-Washington rivalry is a good thing.  This is also another indication that the conference as a whole, is on the rise.  With the recent coaching hires by Arizona, Washington State, UCLA, and maybe even Arizona State, those teams should see improvement.  Combined that with the moves Washington is making, USC becoming hot again just as their bowl ban is over, and Oregon continuing the run they're on, the conference should start seeing more respect nationally.

   It's about damn time!