Bold Predictions for the Pac-12 Football Season

By: Brock Vierra

As the summer heat continues to rise, we are one step closer to watching west coast football once again. The Pac-12 conference known for its passing prowess had brought in a tremendous amount of talented quarterbacks through the transfer portal within the past two years. In fact, nine of the twelve teams in the conference are expected to start a transfer quarterback. However, that doesn’t mean recruiting is dead as talented true freshman quarterbacks Dante Moore and Jaden Rashada are expected to be game-changers once they get settled into their respective offenses.

The true difference in winning the conference is the defense. Now Utah or Oregon should be number one if it was that simple but nothing is simple in the shootout that is college football. Let’s talk about my predictions for the 2023 season.

1. USC Trojans. What’s not to love about USC? A team that is reminiscent of the dynasty Pete Carroll created in the early 2000s, we as fans already knew they had the offense but with the defensive transfers they’ve acquired in 2023, expect USC to be the most well-rounded team in the Pac-12. Returning Heisman winner and expected number-one pick Caleb Williams is a bonafide talent but the Trojans have taken massive steps to reload and supplement him with weapons. Returning wideouts Mario Williams and Brenden Rice will continue to improve and I predict Rice will be the number one target for the Trojans but it is impact transfer Dorian Singer that will make the difference. If we look at Lincoln Riley’s history, his most prolific offenses have three top receiver targets. Austin Jones cemented himself as the Trojans running back for the future when Travis Dye got injured and the addition of MarShawn Lloyd from South Carolina gives USC a nice 1-2 punch. The Trojans also improved their defense with power five transfers at every level. If Alex Grinch is the DC of the future, he finally has the tools to prove it. My impact transfer for the Trojans is a duo of offensive linemen. Guard Emmanuel Pregnon looks to fill the hole Andrew Voorhees left, the 6-6, 297 lbs guard from Wyoming should be a stout run blocker while Senior Jarrett Kingston from Washington State brings both a veteran presence and a pass-blocking resume that should keep Caleb Williams upright.
2. Washington Huskies. Everyone raves about the offenses in LA and Southern California but Kalen DeBoer is one of the most underrated offensive minds in all of college football. A three-time NAIA champion, Deboer and his Fresno State offense led by Jake Haener went toe to toe with Pac-12 teams in 2021. In 2022, his Huskies went nuclear with 11 wins including a bowl win over Texas. Hosting one of the best receiver duos in college football, Jalen McMillian and Rome Odunze are back and Michael Penix Jr is ready to cement himself into the NFL Draft conversation. An offense held under 25 points only once in 2022 hosts contenders Utah and Oregon at home in 2023. In fact, as of the pre-season schedule, they’re only underdogs at USC so should Washington win all the games they’re favored to win, a Pac-12 championship game win should be the only thing between them and the college football playoff.
3. Oregon Ducks. Dan Lanning cements his place in Eugene with a massive jump. Bo Nix found himself a home and Oregon’s offense put up over 40 points in eight straight games in 2022. They will be missing offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham who took the head coaching job at Arizona State but his replacement in Will Stein comes over from UTSA where he, QB Frank Harris, and the Roadrunners had an undefeated conference record while scoring 35 or more points on eight different occasions. Stein also serves as QB coach and his offense helped secure WR Zakhari Franklin a transfer to Ole Miss and assisted RB Kevorian Barnes in his efforts as he won Conference USA Freshman of the Year honors. The defense, Lanning’s specialty has eight returning starters. Even though he will have to replace the production of Noah Sewell and Christian Gonzalez, South Carolina EDGE Jordan Burch made his way to Oregon, and from his tape, he could be the pass rusher that neutralizes the passing prowess of the Pac-12. Expect them to avenge their 2022 loss to Oregon State as well. If Bo Nix stays healthy, we could see the Ducks back in the college football playoff this year.
4. Utah Utes. Having won the conference in back-to-back years, yes it is a little disrespectful to have Utah outside the top two and with a veteran coaching staff along with an experienced QB in Cam Rising, the Utes could find themselves in the title picture at the end of the season. However, they lost a ton of talent in the offseason including stars Dalton Kincaid and Clark Phillips III. Outside of USC, Utah lost all their games against ranked opponents and they lost to Florida in a game they clearly should’ve won. There’s also an argument to be made that Caleb Williams injury derailed the Trojans efforts in the Pac-12 Championship Game but there’s also a reason why Utah played in four of the last five Pac-12 Conference Championship games and a pandemic is the only reason it hasn’t been five straight. Kyle Whittingham is a winner that also has a team that plays better than listed on paper. A favorable schedule early should see the Utes reach the 9-10 win mark again and should things swing their way, Utah is a dark horse for the conference title and the college football playoff.
5. Colorado Buffaloes. Yeah, this is pretty shocking but so was the lack of interest in Deion Sanders. College football needs strategists but programs are built off of recruiting and that’s something Sanders excels in. Now Colorado has a long way to go before they are competing for conference titles but this Buffalos squad brings a swagger, an identity that produces winners. With countless Power 5 transfers, Sanders’ sons Shadeur and Shilo, Travis Hunter and Co. from Jackson State, this roster is impressive. His coaching staff is even more impressive. His DC Charles Kelly won two national titles as an assistant at Florida State and Alabama. His OC Sean Lewis was the former head coach at Kent State. The Buffaloes are coming and they’re ready to compete. I like them too much on the defensive side to not rank them at five. Their offense if fluid, will be efficient, and from what I’ve seen, it will be. Deion Sanders is here and he’s never one to mess around.

   

6. UCLA Bruins. Probably the most talented Bruins team that Chip Kelly has had, he might be on the verge of bringing Titletown back to Westwood. Acquiring stunning freshman QB Dante Moore was huge for Kelly and for the program to reestablish itself as a top recruiter. Carson Steele looks like a perfect replacement for Zach Charbonnet, Cal’s J. Michael Sturdivant has shown an ability to be a star and this looks to be Kelly’s best UCLA defense with new DC D’Anton Lynn. The team should win most to all games played at the Rose Bowl but a difficult road schedule might sink the Bruins’ ambitions in 2023. A non-conference game at San Diego State might be their easiest road matchup. They play at Utah, at Oregon State, at Stanford, at Arizona, and at USC. With my prediction putting the Bruins conference record at 4-5, the sixth ranking might be too high but that’s how I see things shaping out. However, if anyone could rewrite my predictions, it would be Chip Kelly.
7. Oregon State Beavers. I know, I know. The Beavers enter 2023 as the 18th-ranked team in the nation. They won ten games in 2022 with a marquee win over in-state rival Oregon and they added D.J. Uiagalelei. It would be ignorant to ignore the amount of close calls they got away with in 2022. Quite frankly, they should’ve lost to Oregon, Stanford, and Fresno State. This is an 8-9 win squad at best, Uiagalelei is not a needle mover for me and though I have stock in Jonathan Smith, the losses suffered in the draft and in the portal might be too much for Oregon State to overcome. Omar Speights was a huge loss to a defense that sent three DBs to the NFL. They have a trap game as an opener when they travel to San Jose State and with games against Washington, UCLA, and at Oregon, the Beavers should come back down to earth.
8. Arizona Wildcats. With Jayden De Laura’s off-the-field actions seemingly behind him and the addition of Justin Flowe to a downtrodden defense, I have the belief that 2023 will be the year that Arizona finally gets a winning season. The program took multiple massive steps in 2022. They won the Territorial Cup over Arizona State for the first time in six years, defeated FCS powerhouse North Dakota State after losing to Northern Arizona in 2021, and upset #12 UCLA at the Rose Bowl. They played top teams closer than they probably should’ve and they were a few plays away from being bowl eligible. Despite losing Dorian Singer, the Wildcats have two dudes at WR in Jacob Cowing and Tetairoa McMillian, and their schedule spells bowl eligibility. My money is on Tucson.
9. Washington State Cougars. The Cougars are in this weird fog that has plagued every aspect of this program. They’re left without a conference home in 2024, they’ve failed to win consistently in the post-COVID world and despite having Cam Ward and a host of good G5 transfers, the team feels directionless. A failed campaign in 2022, despite their 7 wins, the Cougars had only one victory over an FBS team win a winning record (They beat FCS Idaho 24-17 who went 7-5 in 2022). That win came at Wisconsin who went 7-6. They had four multi-possession losses while falling back into the old habit of coming up short against their PNW conference opponents. The combined score of Washington State against Oregon, Oregon State, and Washington was 84-119. The issue is that the Cougars play at Oregon, at Washington, and against Oregon State this season. A difficult non-confence schedule looks to give Washington State only one “guaranteed” win, they play a very tough conference schedule and for a third consecutive season, the Cougars will have a new offensive play caller. This team is not in a good position right now and the prospect of going bowling looks unlikely. As far as conference contention, better luck next year…oh wait.
10. Arizona State Sun Devils The end of the Herm Edwards tenure was not pretty. A coaching staff fallout with both OC Zak Hill and DC Antonio Pierce in 2021 left the Sun Devils stranded and their replacements weren’t up to par. With both the poor play of Emory Jones and a rumor that Arizona State coaches were feeding opponents information to induce losses meant a full rebuild was put into motion. Now with Kenny Dillingham in charge, a coach who helped Bo Nix light up the scoreboard at Oregon in 2022 and at Auburn in 2019 received a gift via Florida’s inability to do anything right in the way of Jaden Rashada. Rashada is a stud QB and a true freshman so with Drew Pyne expected to start, Dillingham will have the time to mold Rashada into the player that he can be. As I said, it will take time just like it will take time for ASU to get back to the level of play they once competed at. With 28 outgoing transfers, the Sun Devils are just not ready to compete for a conference title…yet.
11. Stanford Cardinal. The era of NIL and the transfer portal has not been kind to Stanford to the point that long-time head coach David Shaw is out and Sacramento State’s Troy Taylor is in. A 30-8 record as a head coach should give Cardinal fans hope and the talents of E.J. Smith and Ben Yurosek will be fun to watch but the losses of Tanner McKee, Michael Wilson, Kye Blu Kelly, and Kendall Williamson will be too much to overcome. Now Stanford will win games and I believe the Cardinal could go bowling but being competitive in the conference will take time. However unlike their Northern California rival, they are trending in the right direction and I expect Stanford to be competitive soon, just not as much in 2023.
12. California Golden Bears. The grim reaper almost fainted when he learned how expensive it is to live in Berkeley, California but that where he resides as Justin Wilcox has the task of being the head man for the California Golden Bears. The defensive-minded coach enters his seventh season in charge and with three straight losing seasons to his name, he needs a near miracle to survive another year. He will face North Texas on the road in the opener before facing Auburn at home and Washington on the road during the first four games of the season. With games against USC, Utah, UCLA, and Oregon, it’s looking highly likely that Cal has a fourth straight losing season. But, not all is lost for Cal. Preseason All-American linebacker Jackson Sirmon, receiver Jeremiah Hunter and running back Jaydn Ott have established themselves as genuine talents. OC Jake Spavital returns and as a Sonny Dykes disciple, we should see Cal air the ball out again. Joining him is TCU transfer QB Sam Jackson V. The former four-star prospect is a duel-threat QB with a strong arm and feet that can make blow by defenders while making tacklers miss. Their offensive line woes may be the end of them though.

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