Pac-12 Coaches Questionnaire, Part 1

• Recommend0
• Tweet0
• Comments0
• Email
• Print

• Recommend0
• Tweet0
• Comments0
• Email
• Print
• Subscribe

ESPN.com Illustration

With the 2011 college football season almost here, the newly designated Pac-12 embarks on its first season since welcoming Colorado and Utah into the fold.

Oregon and Stanford, each coming off a BCS appearance last season, are expected to compete for the North Division title, while USC is predicted to battle trendy pick Arizona State for supremacy in the South Division.

But while the Pac-12 media poll offers an idea of what to expect between the lines this season, it overlooks questions of great import such as these:

• Which Pac-12 university has the most attractive cheerleaders?

• Which Pac-12 university has the best mascot?

• Who's the best dressed coach in the Pac-12?

So to settle these matters of global significance, Page 2 went directly to the sources by interviewing each of the conference's head coaches during their recent visit to ESPN headquarters. Be sure to check out the extended interviews in the links provided below.

Without further ado, we proudly present Page 2's Pac-12 Coaches Questionnaire:

1. Not counting your school, which Pac-12 university has the most attractive cheerleaders?

Team	Coach	Answer	Comment
	Jon Embree	"I don't know."	"I've been in the NFL the last five years. ... When I was in [the Pac-10 from 2003-05], it was probably Oregon."
	Dennis Erickson	USC	"Boy, that's a good question. ... You know, Southern California, what the heck."
	Chip Kelly	"I have no idea."	"I don't even know where they are. I think they're on the other team's sideline."
	Lane Kiffin	"I don't know."	"Oooh, I just had a player get in trouble for a question like this."
	Rick Neuheisel	USC	"[It would] have to be USC."
	Mike Riley	"I'm sure they're all nice looking."	"If I answer that question, is my wife gonna say, 'Are you looking at the cheerleaders?'"
	Steve Sarkisian	Oregon	None
	David Shaw	"I wouldn't know."	"I'll try to look next year. I'll try to pay attention."
	Mike Stoops	Oregon	None
	Jeff Tedford	Arizona State	"My sons tell me they're all hot chicks at ASU, so that would be my guess."
	Kyle Whittingham	"Can't tell ya"	"Haven't seen 'em yet. ... Get back to me in December on that."
	Paul Wulff	UCLA, Oregon	"Boy, that's a tough one. There are two schools I'd have to put up there."

Results: Don't know, 6; Oregon, 2½; USC, 2; Arizona State, 1; UCLA ½.

2. Which opposing player are you most glad you no longer have to face?

Team	Coach	Answer	Comment
	Jon Embree	Peyton Manning *	"I think I went 0-fer against him. I think we played him three times, maybe four, and all of them were close games."
	Dennis Erickson	Andrew Luck	"We don't play Stanford this year. ... He's competitive. He's smart and accurate. He's a great leader."
	Chip Kelly	Jacquizz Rodgers	"I'm a big fan of his. But it's not that we don't have to face him. We enjoyed the challenge."
	Lane Kiffin	Jake Locker	"He had 420 [total] yards against us. He, obviously, was a huge difference in a game that went down to the wire."
	Rick Neuheisel	Jacquizz Rodgers	"He's just a really, really talented player -- both as a runner and as a pass receiver, and he never fumbled. ... He even threw a touchdown pass against us."
	Mike Riley	Jake Locker	"He changes the game."
	Steve Sarkisian	Jacquizz Rodgers	"The guy was amazing!"
	David Shaw	Stephen Paea	None
	Mike Stoops	Jake Locker	"He's still around -- [Andrew] Luck. LaMichael James. They're still here."
	Jeff Tedford	Jacquizz Rodgers	"He can hurt you in so many ways. He's very difficult to tackle, tough and durable. He made a lot of big plays, so I'm glad to see him gone."
	Kyle Whittingham	Andy Dalton ^	None
	Paul Wulff	Stephen Paea	"I was hoping it was Andrew Luck. ... Probably Stephen Paea, defensive tackle from Oregon State. He was a dominant, disrupting force."

* Embree spent the 2006-08 and 2010 seasons as an assistant coach with the NFL's Chiefs and Redskins; ^ Utah was a member of the Mountain West Conference through the 2010 season.

Results: Jacquizz Rodgers (RB, Oregon State), 4; Jake Locker (QB, Washington), 3; Stephen Paea (DT, Oregon State), 2; Andy Dalton (QB, TCU), 1; Peyton Manning (QB, NFL), 1; Andrew Luck (QB, Stanford), 1. Note: If Luck had entered the 2011 NFL draft, he very possibly would've received nine votes, with the only exceptions being Shaw, Embree and Whittingham.

3. What song or musician do you enjoy that might surprise people?

Team	Coach	Answer	Comment
	Jon Embree	Sam Cooke	"I have all kinds of stuff. Right now, I'm listening to Lil Wayne. That's what I'm playing a lot -- him and Wiz Khalifa.
	Dennis Erickson	Neil Diamond, Elvis Presley	"I'm an oldies guy. I know every oldies station in the country."
	Chip Kelly	Dropkick Murphys, Frank Sinatra	"I like all kinds of music. ... I like Broadway musicals also, so "The Lion King" is on there.
	Lane Kiffin	Bon Jovi, Kenny Chesney	"Bon Jovi. I don't know if that surprises people ... and Kenny Chesney. That'll surprise people because he's from Tennessee."
	Rick Neuheisel	Jimmy Buffett, Brad Paisley, Jack Johnson	"I love Jimmy Buffett. I'm definitely a Parrothead."
	Mike Riley	Bob Schneider	"If you're from Texas you know who he is."
	Steve Sarkisian	Jay-Z	"Also J-Boog, just to get people researching -- that's my favorite guy."
	David Shaw	Many	"The Doors, Jay-Z, Sade and Stevie Wonder all in the same mix."
	Mike Stoops	U2	"Any of their stuff. It's all good to me."
	Jeff Tedford	Bob Seger, Phil Collins, Kenny Chesney	"I don't know that it will surprise them. I like all kinds of music."
	Kyle Whittingham	Many artists	"There's nothing but classic rock. Lynyrd Skynyrd. The Eagles. Rolling Stones. The Beatles."
	Paul Wulff	Jason Aldean	"I'm a big Jason Aldean fan and a country kind of guy. But I also like hard rock -- Guns 'N' Roses, AC/DC and Metallica."

Results: All over the board.

4. What's your favorite restaurant anywhere?

Team	Coach	Answer	Comment
	Jon Embree	Mastro's, multiple locations	"In town, it's Pasta Jay's in Boulder. If I can just go anywhere and eat, it's Mastro's."
	Dennis Erickson	Metropolitan Grill, Seattle	"My sister works there. She'd be upset if I didn't mention them."
	Chip Kelly	Harpoon Willy's, Portsmouth, N.H.	"Great seafood."
	Lane Kiffin	Litton's, Knoxville, Tenn.	"The burgers."
	Rick Neuheisel	Ivy at the Shore, Santa Monica, Calif.	"My favorite [dish] is the black peppered shrimp."
	Mike Riley	Evergreen, Corvallis, Ore.	None
	Steve Sarkisian	In-N-Out Burger	"That's a tough call. I don't want to upset anybody in Seattle."
	David Shaw	St. Elmo's Steakhouse, Indianapolis	"It's the only place I'll go medium. ... A medium steak at St. Elmo's is unmatched to me."
	Mike Stoops	Vivace, Tucson, Ariz.	None
	Jeff Tedford	The Peasant & The Pear, Danville, Calif.	"Pork chops."
	Kyle Whittingham	"My wife's kitchen"	"She makes a killer crab pasta, loaded with garlic."
	Paul Wulff	Wolf Lodge, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho	"Giant, giant steaks. They cook 'em indoors on open fire pits."

Comment: Beauty is in the palate of the beholder.

Thomas Neumann is an editor for Page 2.

Back to Page 2

	• Philbrick: Page 2's Greatest Hits, 2000-2012
	• Caple: Fond memories of a road warrior
	• Snibbe: An illustrated history of Page 2
	Philbrick, Gallo: Farewell podcast

• Recommend0
• Tweet0
• Email
• Subscribe
• Print
• Comments0

Thomas Neumann

ESPN.com

• Follow
• Archive

• Joined ESPN in 2006
• Former editor at The San Diego Union-Tribune
• Graduate of San Diego State University