Happy Monday. Here's a reminder to get your future Pac-12 power rankings in, because we're going to try to run them on Wednesday. Below is an example of what to do and what not to do. Send your rankings here.
Doug in Palo Alto kept it short and sweet. Which is appreciated because then we can publish more of them. AKDevil51 in Tempe went way too long. We just need your rankings and a couple of sentences supporting your logic.
We've gotten a lot of good responses so far, but be aware that Ted and I reserve the right to trim some of the fat.
Remember, we'll pick the best of the best and those who get their lists published will get an imaginary Pac-12 Blog Junior Deputy Badge.
Here's Doug in Palo Alto's:
1. Stanford 2. UCLA 3. Oregon 4. USC 5. Washington 6. Arizona State 7. Cal 8. Arizona 9. Oregon State 10. Utah 11. Colorado 12. Washington State. I chose Stanford due to the 2012 Offensive Line class. I chose UCLA due to Jim Mora being a good recruiter.
Quick, and to the point.
However, since AKDevil51 clearly put a lot of thought and effort into it, we're running it in its entirety this one time because we are a nice bloggers (but please don't make this the norm).
1. Stanford- #1 reason is David Shaw, he has so far seamlessly transitioned the program into his own creature from that which he inherited from the venerable Harbaugh. They have a solid class of strong young O Linemen coming in which should help continue the success of the run game and lots of depth on the defensive side for years to come.
2. UCLA- Jim Mora is on a roll, and will continue to be so. He's already brought lots of talent to UCLA and will continue to develop that talent well into the future, they may have a down year in 2013 but they will definitely be competitive, especially in the south for years to come. But there is more parity in the South, so wins will continue to be hard to come by.
3. Oregon- I put them at 3 on my future rankings because I do believe there will be a hiccup between Kelly and Helfrich. Add to this the possibility of a couple of years of sanctions and they could be struggling similar to USC presently. But Kelly made UO a national brand, and a national competitor for recruits, unless there are several bad years that won't change overnight.
4. Oregon State- Fact is OSU had two bad years, otherwise Riley has more winning seasons than losing seasons, he is great at building up players and turning them into stars. I see OSU being a perennial North competitor maybe even beating the Ducks sometime in the next three years but ultimately losing the race because they are forced to play Stanford and Oregon every year.
5. ASU- Todd Graham is preaching to a mercurial fan base and getting results. Yes, ASU is a sleeping giant, but not because of talent, but because there is no excuse why they have not been able to recruit better in the past or to maximize their potential, add new facilities and a great coaching staff and this team could be headed for success. They could also be heading for mediocrity though, they need to win more marquee games on the road.
6. USC- I put USC here because they are so talented, but have yet to capitalize on the resources available. Sanctions and post season bans hurt the team but there is no excuse for a 7-5 season when you have these players. They have the talent but they seem to lack the coaching, in 3 years I would not be surprised if Kiffin is out and USC is rebuilding. 5-6 years though and they will likely be back on top of the PAC.
7. Arizona- Rich Rod has a lot of good things going in Tucson. His offense is strong, his O Line is stronger, and you can more easily replace great skill players so long as you have an incredible O Line. But Arizona is limited by 50% of their football playing. The defense has to be bigger, better, faster, and meaner. Only 21 of the last 3 recruiting classes are recruited specifically as defensive players (disallowing ATH). Offense wins games, defense wins championships.
8. Utah- Things are currently heating up for Coach Whittingham at present, but he has had a tough transition into the PAC. If he stays, three years from now he will have had an opportunity to finally solidify the depth of talent issues which have plagued Utah since joining the PAC. Whittingham is a great X's and O's coach who preaches his program well.
9. Washington- Sarkisian has been recruiting well in Seattle, and consistently has the boys and the game plan to be competitive. Add new facilities and the occasional wins over other North competitors and they have the recipes for a breakout. But they are hampered by the fact under Sarkisian they have not won more than 7 games, ever. Until they get past the 7 win hump I cannot justify putting them higher, even three years down the road.
10. Cal- This is possibly the most underrated school in the PAC. The recruit talent is there, the new facilities are a draw, but competing against both California schools, Oregon, Stanford, and even OSU and UW does not bode well for the next three years of Cal football. But I do think Dykes will lead this team to success.
11. WSU- Pullman is not Texas, and the ready access to great Texas recruits in Lubbock will not be there in Washington. Leach is a good coach, he has a lot of wins to his name, but rebuilding Pullman is not really the task I would have put him in. I personally find it unlikely that the air-raid system will flourish at WSU, and see them continuing to be the pincushion of the North.
12. Colorado- Coach MacIntyre has a LOT of work ahead of him in Boulder. He is lucky to inherit a lot of youthful players with experience but the overall gap in talent will take more than three years to account for. Colorado was a beating board for the Big 12 before they became the underdog of the PAC 12.