Very Early Look for 2011 Pac-10 Season

Here are my Power Rankings in the Pac-10 today for the 2011-2012 season.

1. Oregon: The Ducks likely will be ranked in the preseason top five and return a lot of their Runner-Up team.

2. Stanford: Andrew Luck still returns.

3. Arizona State: Solid talent returning.

4. USC: Matt Barkley will have some nice skill surrounding him on offense.

5. Arizona: quarterback Nick Foles and wide receiver Juron Criner will have monster seasons.

6. Washington: Post Jake Locker era begins.

7. Utah: First season in Pac-10.

8. California:

9. Oregon State: Lost Rodgers and Paea

10. UCLA: Too many questions on offense.

11. Colorado: Learning curve with new head coach.

12. Washington State: Need to see something before I put them ahead of any other team.

Andrew Luck Staying at Stanford

Andrew Luck, the quarterback of Stanford, has announced he will return to Stanford for his senior season. This made headlines because Andrew Luck was the consensus #1 pick for the NFL Draft and the Carolina Panthers already stated they had intentions of drafting the Stanford product. Instead, he will return to the program. He stated that he consulted Peyton Manning and Sam Bradford about what to do. He passed up a lot of gauranteed money but you can't blame the young man. He must really like Stanford and values his student-athlete role. He stated that he would like to complete his degree in architectural design. Welcome back, Mr. Luck.

Andrew Luck Finishes 2nd, LaMichael James Finishes 3rd in Heisman Trophy Voting

Andrew Luck of Stanford and LaMichael James of Oregon finished 2nd and 3rd in the Heisman Trophy balloting. It was expected Cam Newton of Auburn would runaway with the award. He did just that, but it was cool to see two Pac-10 players finish 2nd and 3rd. Both players had tremendous seasons and are headed to BCS games. Both should have NFL potential and have the talent to make an impact for a team. Congrats to both players and good luck in your BCS games!

Pac-10 Player of the Week

Andrew Luck, quarterback Stanford

23/32 for 293 yards and 2 touchdowns. Efficient and effective quarterback dismantled #15 Arizona. Stanford continues to impress, and if it wasn't for a bad half against Oregon, they would be in discussion for the BCS National Championship. Andrew Luck continues to roll.

Pac-10 Week 8 Recap

#2 Oregon 60, UCLA 13 - The Ducks made a statement, winning by 47!

California 50, Arizona State 17 - Kevin Riley threw for 240 yards and 2 touchdowns.

#12 Stanford 38, Washington State 28 - Andrew Luck threw 3 touchdowns.

#18 Arizona 44, Washington 14 - Matt Scott threw for 233 yards and 2 touchdowns for the Cats

Pac-10 Offensive Leaders

The Pac-10 has been full of some big plays by some talented players this season. Here are the Pac-10 offensive leaders:

Quarterback Rating: Andrew Luck, Stanford - 166.9

Rushing Yards: LaMichael James, Oregon - 848

Receiving Yards: Juron Criner, Arizona - 531

Passing Yards: Steven Threet, Arizona State - 1719

Touchdowns: Shane Vereen, Cal and LaMichael James, Oregon - 10

Jake Locker and Andrew Luck Heisman Hopefuls

Washington Huskies quarterback Jake Locker likely would have been a Top 10 NFL pick had he opted to go pro this year. However, he returned for his senior season and has his sights set on the Heisman Trophy. Fellow Pac-10 quarterback Andrew Luck of Stanford has been rising up on the NFL draft boards for next season and has those same goals for a Heisman Trophy. If either player were to win the coveted Heisman, there respected teams would have to be in contention for the BCS National Championship or at least a BSC Bowl bid. It will be interesting to see if either quarterback can capture the Heisman Trophy.

Can the Stanford Cardinal football team pull through this season?

Last season Pac-10 fans know that the Stanford Cardinal football team had several almosts but ended its season with a disappointing 5-7 record overall with a 4-5 record for conference games. However, three of those 7 losses came down to a touchdown or less. Something that the 17 returning starters from the 2008 Stanford Cardinal roster are sure to remember. Cardinal football fans are hopeful that with the returning players there will be a continued momentum that carries on from last season and translates into wins. Along with several returning players the Stanford Cardinal roster is going to be boosted by an incoming class that is incredibly athletic and extremely talented. Stanford University head coach Jim Harbaugh is hopeful that this new “competition” will push the returning players into playing their best in order to retain their starting position.

One of these new-comers to the Cardinal program is Andrew Luck, the redshirted freshman who will take over as starting quarterback. In the spring game Andrew Luck passed for 352 yards and 5 touchdowns, something that caught the attention of not just the Stanford Cardinal fans sitting in the stands but also the coaching staff on the sidelines.

With the new freshman class and a returning line that has NCAA Division-I experience under their belt, the Stanford Cardinal football program has a good shot this season of seeing a winning record and a postseason experience. In this Pac-10 fans opinion, what the Stanford Cardinal need to focus on now is their pass defense. If the Cardinal secondary can learn to pull down passes and pick up interceptions, I think they have a shot at going all the way this season! Catch Stanford Cardinal games this season to see coach Jum Harbaugh and the Stanford Cardinal take on the Pacific Ten Conference!