In what might be the craziest of college football seasons, how good are all of the teams? Here are the CFN Pac-12 Preseason Rankings of every team.
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This is NOT a ranking of where the teams are going to end up. This is only based on how good we think the Pac-12 teams are going into whatever the 2020 season is going to be.
– CFN Preview 2020: All 130 Team Previews
12. Arizona Wildcats
Be Excited About … the offense should be more dangerous. As long as Grant Gunnell can be steady at quarterback, the receiving corps will be in place to make the league’s third-best passing game from last year even more effective.
Be Concerned About … the defense still needs a whole lot of work. The transfer of LB Tony Fields stings from a D that finished dead last in the Pa-12 and 120th in the nation in total yards allowed and gave up 36 points per game. The line has to start finding its way into the backfield.
The Season Will Be Successful If … the Cats go bowling. It’s the third year under Kevin Sumlin without a bowl appearance, a winning season, or a win over Arizona State. Coming into the year on a seven-game losing streak, a hot start is a must.
11. Colorado Buffaloes
Be Excited About … the start of the Karl Dorrell era. No, really … he’s going to be better than he’s being given credit for. Okay, so he’s not the Eric Biemiemy hire that so many Buff fans were hoping would happen, but he’ll be a steady hand who should hang around the program for a while. He takes over a defensive front that should turn into something solid at getting into the backfield, but …
Be Concerned About … it’s going to take a big change to start generating more pressure. Former head coach Mel Tucker was a defensive coach, and the Buffs still finished last in the Pac-12 in tackles for loss and gave up too many big pass plays. The ends are there, and now the plays behind the line have to come.
The Season Will Be Successful If … the Buffs finish .500 or better – depending on how the conference slate looks. 5-7, 5-7, 5-7 – that has been Colorado over the last three seasons. Winning half the games or better would be a huge start for the new staff.
– Ranking All Head Coaches: By Conference
10. UCLA Bruins
Be Excited About … the offensive pieces that are supposed to be in place in the third year under Chip Kelly. QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson is a veteran now who should know what he’s doing, and Washington transfer Colson Yankoff is an option, too. It’s time for this whole thing to work, but …
Be Concerned About … a defense that desperately needs the secondary to be better. The experience is there, Stephan Blaylock is a terrific safety, and there should be a little bit of a pass rush. After finishing with the second-worst pass defense in college football, there’s almost nowhere to go but up.
The Season Will Be Successful If … UCLA goes to a bowl game. This was supposed to be the year when everything was rocking and rolling, but the Bruins are only 7-17 under Kelly. The Pac-12 South is still mediocre, but the window might be closing to take advantage of it.
NEXT: More Pac-12 Preseason Rankings
9. Oregon State Beavers
Be Excited About … a linebacking corps that might just be the best in the Pac-12. The offense picked it up at the end of last season, but any hope to take another step under head man Jonathan Smith comes from an improved defense. Starting with All-America talent Hamlicar Rashed, the linebackers should make things better.
Be Concerned About … the lines. They’re both okay, but not great. It’s a stretch to think the Beavers will have a big problem in the trenches, but they don’t have any stars on the defensive front and the offensive line has to rebuild a bit to be as good as the 2019 version.
The Season Will Be Successful If … Smith gets his team to a bowl game. It has been six years without a bowl game, with 2013 the last time the program got to enjoy the vacation and the extra contest. The Beavers went from two wins to five in Smith’s second year. One extra win makes it a big season.
8. Washington State Cougars
Washington State CFN 2020 Preview
Be Excited About … the special teams. Yeah, the passing game doesn’t stop under new head coach Nick Rolovich – the receiving corps is going to be fantastic – and the combination of Oscar Draguicevich and PK Blake Mazza is among the nation’s best. Five games were decided by a touchdown or less – having top-shelf kickers will matter.
Be Concerned About … the defensive front. Will Rodgers is a good tackle, but the line that didn’t generate a whole lot of sacks and was hammered for a Pac-12-worst 186 rushing yards per game is still an issue. Wazzu will have to bomb its way to wins.
The Season Will Be Successful If … Rolovich shows that the passing game can be every bit as good as it was under Mike Leach. The Cougars have the style that works, and it all has to keep on going. Leach might not have won anything big, but he did take the program to bowl games in the last four years.
7. Cal Golden Bears
Be Excited About … an offense that should finally start to carry its weight. The Bears failed to hit the 300-point mark in either of the last two seasons, finishing last in the Pac-12 in scoring. They went 8-0 when scoring more than 17 points, and 0-5 when scoring that many or fewer. With QB Chase Garbers back and healthy, getting to 17 won’t be a problem.
Be Concerned About … the passing game that was just okay even when Garbers was healthy. He completed 60% of his passes on the year, but the Bears still finished last in the conference throwing the ball. 11 of the team’s 19 touchdown passes came in three games, but it’s hard to do much when the O line is allowing the most sacks in the conference.
The Season Will Be Successful If … the Bears make a push for the North – and at least come up with a huge win over one of the big boys. No one will get helped more by an all-Pac-12 schedule – they were supposed to miss Arizona and Colorado from the South – and they get Oregon and Washington at home.
– CFN Preview 2020: All 130 Team Previews
6. Arizona State Sun Devils
Arizona State CFN 2020 Preview
Be Excited About … a defensive front seven that should be the best so far in the short run of the Herm Edwards era. DE Jermayne Lole, LB Marlin Robertson, and the rest of the parts up front, combined with QB Jayden Daniels on the other side, should be enough to come up with a stronger season.
Be Concerned About … the running game that could use an infusion of production. Daniels and the passing game will be good enough to keep things moving, but the O needs more out of the leaky line that struggled in pass protection and paved the way for just 123 yards per game.
The Season Will Be Successful If … there’s a push for the Pac-12 South title. The USC game is on the road, but Utah comes to Tempe. This is hardly a complete team, but it’s a very, very gettable division. Shooting for the first appearance in the Pac-12 title game since 2013 isn’t asking for too much.
NEXT: Pac-12 Preseason Rankings Top Five
5. Stanford Cardinal
Be Excited About … the offensive line is going to be special if everyone can stay healthy. That last part is the key after keeping things together with duct tape and prayers throughout last season, but there’s going to be a fast turnaround if all the NFL talent up front can last the year.
Be Concerned About … the pass defense that has to be a whole lot better. The miserable ground game of last season should bounce back fast if the line is as good as it’s supposed to be, but the secondary needs to be a whole lot stronger after allowing 280 yards per game. Paulson Adebo is a first round NFL Draft pick at one corner, and the parts have to fill in around him.
The Season Will Be Successful If … it’s back to the Pac-12 championship level production. Stanford won nine games or more for four straight years before last year’s injury-plagued disaster, and only a big 2020 will show that 2019 was an aberration.
– CFN 2020 Preseason Rankings: 1-130
4. Utah Utes
Be Excited About … another year of great line play. The offensive line is every bit as good as Stanford’s, if not better, and the defensive front is up there with Oregon’s for the best in the Pac-12. The infrastructure will make everything else better.
Be Concerned About … the offensive backfield that has to replace two terrific talents. QB Tyler Huntley and RB Zack Moss were wonderful for the Utes over the last few seasons, and now the O needs South Carolina transfer Jake Bentley and a rotation at running back to pick up the slack. It’ll all be fine, but Huntley and Moss were just that good.
The Season Will Be Successful If … there’s a third straight trip to the Pac-12 Championship. The USC game is in Salt Lake City, and the rest of the South is more than gettable. Beat the Trojans, and even with Oregon likely on the schedule in an all-Pac-12 format – the Utes and Ducks weren’t scheduled to play – the division should be theirs.
3. Washington Huskies
Be Excited About … a defense that isn’t going to skip a beat. There might be some question marks about the offensive side in the first season under head coach Jimmy Lake, but the defensive front and secondary are as strong as any in the conference.
Be Concerned About … the offensive backfield loses its guys. Jacob Eason is an Indianapolis Colt and leading rusher Salvon Ahmed is done. Jacob Sirmon is a great-looking young quarterback, and Richard Newton is a proven back, but it’s still a transition.
The Season Will Be Successful If … Washington wins the West. Oregon has more talent – and the game is in Eugene – but whatever. Chris Petersen left the cupboard full for Lake. Expect a new energy – not like it was lacking under Coach Pete – and a whole lot of fire from this year’s team.
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2. USC Trojans
Be Excited About … lots and lots and lots of experience. Almost everyone who made a tackle last season is back, and even with the loss of star WR Michael Pittman, the passing game should be even stronger now that everyone knows what they’re doing under offensive coordinator Graham Harrell. All of that, and no Alabama to start the season.
Be Concerned About … the ground game needs to find its way. The passing game will be what butters the bread in this offense, but USC was a whole lot better when the rushing attack was able to rock. It was hardly Student Body Right averaging just 120 yards per game.
The Season Will Be Successful If … the Trojans win the Pac-12 title. It’s USC. There’s too much talent, too much experience, and too many good parts to this year’s team to expect anything less than at least a trip to the title game. Again, though, it’s USC, so it needs to win it.
1. Oregon Ducks
Be Excited About … the NFL talent across the board almost – but not there yet – at the level of the big powerhouses. Penei Sewell is the best offensive lineman in the country, Kayvon Thibodeaux might be the best pass rusher in the college football, and Thomas Graham is a next-level corner still in college. That’s just the high-rent district of the Duck talent – there’s a whole lot more.
Be Concerned About … Tyler Shough. No, Justin Herbert wasn’t quite as amazing for the full season as he probably should’ve been, but he was still a franchise NFL quarterback under center for the Ducks. Shough is more than good enough to put together a great season, but the pressure is on to take the program from Pac-12 title good to …
The Season Will Be Successful If … Oregon makes the College Football Playoff. There’s no Ohio State to deal with now, and – don’t laugh – there’s no danger of a quirky misfire against North Dakota State. Washington, USC and Stanford all have to come to Eugene, so win the Pac-12 Championship again, don’t lose more than one game, and get into the CFP for the second time.
