The Trojans won 10 games last year, including a riveting defeat of Penn State in ... midway through the season and the B
SEASON PREVIEW INSIDE ONE OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL’S PREMIER CONFERENCES | COMPILED BY PATRICK STEVENS, SPECIAL TO GATEHOUSE MEDIA
WHAT TO WATCH FOR THIS SEASON’S MOST COMPELLING STORYLINES
Dawg days
CIRCLE IT ON THE CALENDAR Games of note throughout the Pac-12 this season
Texas A&M at UCLA, Sept. 3: It’s a bellwether game for UCLA, which could use a good start as it tries to shake off last year’s forgettable 4-8 campaign.
Stanford at Southern California, Sept. 9: Stanford has made a habit over the years of spoiling Southern Cal seasons in September. The Cardinal, who will be predictably rugged again this year, will present problems for the Trojans.
Nebraska at Oregon, Sept. 9: The Ducks’ first game against an FBS opponent under Willie Taggart comes in the season’s second week when Nebraska —a solid Big Ten outfit — comes to Eugene.
Washington quarterback Jake Browning returns to lead a Huskies attack that was among the most potent in the nation in 2016. [ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTOS]
Washington’s encore The hype was real for Washington last season, which enjoyed a breakout season right on schedule as it claimed its first Pac-12 title in coach CHRIS PETERSEN’s tenure. Now in his fourth year, Petersen’s recruits have filled the Huskies’ upper classes — and some even turned pro after last year. Washington still has much of its core offensive talent, and that should be enough to keep it atop the North Division for at least another year.
Sam Darnold
Josh Rosen
Justin Wilcox
Rich Rodriguez
Trojans on the title trail
Bounceback for Rosen, UCLA?
Ducks’ Taggart, Bears’ Wilcox begin tenures
Heat is on in the desert
It all fell apart on UCLA, which looked poised to build off QB Josh Rosen’s promising freshman year. But Rosen got hurt midway through the season and the Bruins dropped six of their las seven to miss the postseason for the first time since 2010. Rosen’s healthy, and the bulk of the offense is back. But how much of that is a good thing when the line and running backs responsible for the second-worst rushing attack in the country return? Time will tell.
Two new coaches arrive in the Pac-12 this year, and expectations should be different for both. Willie Taggart did fine work at Western Kentucky and then South Florida, and the former Jim Harbaugh assistant heads west for his first Power Five gig as he hopes to revive a Ducks program that saw its defense crumble over the last few years. Meanwhile, Justin Wilcox takes over a Cal program that has reached one bowl in the last five years and went 5-7 with a dreadful defense last season.
Both of the league’s Grand Canyon State programs sputtered last season. Rich Rodriguez-led Arizona slipped to 3-9, with its defense struggling as usual but its offense taking a noticeable step back. But the Wildcats at least salvaged a victory over Arizona State, which had problems of its own. The Sun Devils have endured consecutive losing seasons since turning out 10-win campaigns in 2013 and 2014, and fixing an abysmal pass defense is a requirement if Arizona State is to return to contention.
It feels like most of the last decade has been spent anticipating the next great team at Southern California. This year, there’s probably a little more substance to those hopes. The Trojans won 10 games last year, including a riveting defeat of Penn State in the Rose Bowl, and bring back QB Sam Darnold and TB Ronald Jones. If anyone is going to dethrone Washington in the Pac-12, Southern Cal is surely the best bet.
NUMBER TO KNOW
PLAYERS TO WATCH A LOOK AT TOP RETURNING STARS
• QB Jake Browning, Washington: Threw for 43 TDs against nine interceptions and led the Huskies to the playoff. That’s a heck of a standard to set, but Browning might be capable of topping those numbers as a junior.
• QB Sam Darnold, Southern California: Took over for Max Browne early in conference play and led the Trojans to a nine-game winning streak to close out the season, including a victory at Washington.
• TB Myles Gaskin, Washington: The top returning rusher in the Pac-12, Gaskin rumbled for 1,373 yards and 10 TDs as a sophomore. He’ll play a major role for the Huskies again this year.
40
Years since Oregon hired a coach from outside of its program. Since Rich Brooks joined the Ducks for the 1977 season after a stint as a UCLA assistant, all coaches were promoted from within. Ex-South Florida coach Willie Taggart breaks that trend.
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Southern California at Washington State, Sept. 29: Don’t forget about the Cougars, who have won 17 games over the last two years and bring back senior QB Luke Falk. This caps a five-game homestand to open the season for Wazzu.
Colorado at UCLA, Sept. 30: The winner of this game could emerge as the most likely team to deny Southern Cal a division title, though steady Utah is in that mix as well.
Washington at Stanford, Nov. 10: Washington delivered a 44-6 pounding in Seattle last year, an emphatic heralding of a changing of the guard in the Pac-12 North. The Cardinals will look for payback in a critical late-season game.
UCLA at Southern California, Nov. 18: The Trojans have won the last two showdowns for the Victory Bell by an average of 21.5 points. That’s good for Clay Helton, and not so much for UCLA coach Jim Mora. OTHER NOTABLE GAMES Oregon at Stanford, Oct. 14 Washington State at Washington, Nov. 25 Colorado at Utah, Nov. 25
