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New Pac 12 blog

Next week a brand spanking new blog will be started. That’s right we are starting a new blog under the name “Pac 12 Football schedules”. For all the information you want on Pac 12 football go there, and once it is up will post a link on here for you! Follow us along when we make the switch.

Can Oregon Repeat as Pac 12 Champs?

Last season, the Oregon Ducks won the Pac-10 title. Do they have what it takes to repeat, this time as Pac-12 Champs? I think with running back LaMicheal James and quarterback Darron Thomas returning, they have a great chance. That is as strong of a tandem as anyone else in the country. I think Oregon has what it takes to return to the Title Game in 2012.

New Pac-12 TV Deal

Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott says that under the new TV deal with Fox and ESPN, every football and men’s basketball game will be televised, along with most women’s basketball games. There will be a Pac-12 Network as well. It will carry 36 football games, with 44 on ESPN and Fox.

* All football and men’s basketball not on Fox or ESPN groups will be on Pac-12 TV and/or digital networks.

* The football championship game will be played on Friday.

Spring Practice Underway in Pac-12

The Pac-12 is primed for another season and a new season at that. The Pac-12 added Colorado and Utah to join the conference this season, marking a new "Pac-10". It's not football season quite yet, but at least fans got a glimpse of football when Spring Practice started. Each team gets to a hold a "Spring Game" that showcases the team's talent against eachother. Some teams draw as many as 50,000 + fans just for these scrimmages! Just goes to show how cool college football really is!

Northwestern - Stanford Series To Start in 2019

Northwestern will play a four-game football series with Stanford beginning in 2019, the school announced Wednesday. Northwestern will host Stanford in 2019 and 2021 and play on the road in 2020 and 2022. Northwestern and Stanford have played six times, with their last meeting coming in 1994. Both of these schools are considered some of the strongest academically in the country, and have seen considerable rise in their football programs. Last season, Stanford lost only 1 game and was one of the best teams in the country. Northwestern has gotten significantly better as well.

Will Pac-10 Play on Sundays?

Earlier this week, the Pac-10 Commissioner threw out the possibility of the Pac-10 playing on Sundays if the NFL indeed has a lockout. Here is what the Comissioner said:

"We certainly are monitoring the situation. We have no plans in place at this time, but you want to be prepared and consider all options. Still, these labor situations have a way of getting done the closer they get to a critical situation."

What would you think if the Pac-10 decides to play on Sundays?

USC vs. Notre Dame Night Game

USC and Notre Dame have a longstanding rivalry against eachother. According to ESPN:

"Notre Dame and USC will play under the lights in 2011 with a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff for their Oct. 22 game, the schools announced Wednesday. " This is news breaking for a few reasons. It will be the first time the Fighting Irish have played a night game at Notre Dame Stadium in 21 years. Notre Dame and Michigan last played under the lights in 1990, with the top-ranked Irish slipping past the No. 4 Wolverines 28-24. I am looking forward to seeing this game under the lights at South Bend.

Oregon Ducks Being Investigated

The Oregon Ducks are being investigated for a possible recruiting violation. It involves a man from Texas, named Willie Lyles. Apparently Lyles is being investigated for possibly paying some prospects to choose Oregon as opposed to other schools. The Pac-10 is in a “preliminary fact-finding” stage of possible violations related to Oregon’s ties to football recruiting services and payments for services. Not too many details have emerged thus far but it could definitely snowball into something bigger.

ASU-Missouri Will Battle in 'Friday Night Lights'

When Missouri visits Arizona State on September 9th, 2011, it could feature two nationally ranked teams. The game has been moved to Sept. 9 and will be broadcast on ESPN at 10:30 p.m. ET. September 9th is a Friday night, a day earlier than the game's original date.

It will be the first time ever the Sun Devils have played on a Friday night.

The game will give exposure to both programs as they will be the only teams playing that night.

Get your Arizona State tickets with Ticket King!

Jim Tressel Suspended Two Games

Although it is not Pac-10 related, I felt it was important enough to address. Ohio State head coach, Jim Tressel, the poster child for stability at a college program as well as usually doing things the "right way" has been suspended 2 games. Tressel did not turn over the names to the university or to the NCAA after he first received an e-mail from Christopher Cicero on April 2, 2010. On Tuesday, Ohio State officials announced that they will suspend Tressel for the first two games this upcoming season and fine him $250,000.

Pac 10 (12) Players at the NFL Combine

Oregon State defensive tackle Stephen Paea proved his unbelievable strength. He set an NFL combine record with 49 reps at 225 pounds on the bench press. Yikes. He is an absolute animal.

Washington Huskies QB Jake Locker had a solid combine, with a nice 40 time.

Colorado Buffalos OL Nate Solder had a nice day as well, showing expolsiveness.

California's Shane Vereen had a monster day, running the 40 in 4.48, posting a 34-inch vertical jump and putting up 25 repetitions on the 225-pound bench press

Arizona St. Quarterback Steven Threet Will Retire

Arizona St. Sun Devil quarterback Steven Threet, who was the starting quarterback for most of the year for the Sun Devils, has been forced to retire due to concussions. Threet, who will be a senior in 2011, has suffered four concussions, two of which occurred last season. Last season, Threet completed 62 percent of his passes, throwing for 2,534 yards with 18 touchdowns and 16 interceptions for the Sun Devils. He was the Michigan Wolverines starting quarterback in 2008 until transferring to Arizona State. Threet is on schedule to graduate in December, will likely remain close to the program and help as a student assistant and work with the QBs

Mel Kiper Projects Several Pac-10 Players in 1st Round

Mel Kiper, the NFL Draft guru for ESPN with the great flow (hair), has revealed his lastest 2011 NFL Mock Draft. He listed several Pac-10 Players in the 1st Round, including:

No. 13: Jimmy Smith, CB, Colorado (Detroit)
No. 17: Cameron Jordan, DE, California (New England)
No. 18: Tyron Smith, OT, USC (San Diego)
No. 19: Nate Solder, OT, Colorado (New York Giants)
No. 21: Akeem Ayers, DE, UCLA (Kansas City)
No. 30: Rahim Moore, S, UCLA (New York Jets)Share

Are all of these players going to go in the 1st round? Perhaps not. However, it is clear that the Pac-10 develops some nice talent in college football.

The New Pac-12

College Football fans remember last spring when chaos mounted from the conference turmoil with the Big Ten, Big Twelve, Pac-10, and Mountain West. After all was said and done, two teams were set to join the Pac-10 for the 2011-2012 season. A year later, here are all the details for the new "Pac-12."

The Pac-10 doesn't become the Pac-12 officially until July 1 of this year. The two new teams are the Colorado Buffaloes and the Utah Utes. They are the first new teams since adding Arizona and Arizona State in 1978.

There will be two division:

North - California, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, Washington and Washington State

South - Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, UCLA, USC and Utah

Teams will still play nine conference games, but the round-robin format adopted in 2006 is over. With 12 teams, every team can't play every other on an annual basis.

These two divisions also mean a conference championship game, which will be played at the home stadium of the team with the best conference record on December 3rd. The winner of that game will be the Pac-12 Champion.

Norm Chow Joins Utah Utes Staff

Norm Chow has left the UCLA Bruins and will be joining the Utah Utes, the newest member in the "Pac 12." The 64-year-old is returning to his alma mater as Utah's offensive coordinator. He spent the past three years in the same role with the UCLA Bruins. The UCLA Bruins stumbled to a 4-8 season last year with an offense ranked 99th of 120 FBS schools. A change was necessary and Chow elected to leave for greener pastures. Rick Neuheisel remains on the hot seat at UCLA.

National Signing Day Recap

As always, much is made right away about National Signing Day and recruiting classes. It's fun for scouts to project who will be the next "star" player and who will shine. Although, the truth is, you really can't judge a recruiting class until 2 to 3 years later. Labeling a player with "3 stars", "2 stars" doesn't really mean a whole lot in my opinion. That just signifies that they have potential. Not every recruit lives up to that potential. Here are the ESPN recruiting class grades in the Pac-10:

Arizona: C+

Arizona State: C

Colorado: D

California: B

Oregon: B

Oregon State: C+

Stanford: B

UCLA: C-

USC: A

Utah: C+

Jake Locker, Where Will He Go?

Many experts thought that if Jake Locker had declared for the NFL Draft last season, he would have been a Top 5 pick and challenged for the #1 slot with Sam Bradford. However, Locker returned for his senior season with the Washington Huskies. He had a pretty decent senior season but more questions were raised about his play. He is considered somewhere in the 2-5 best quarterback in the draft. It really depends on what the team thinks of him, in my opinion. So, I'm asking all the fans out there, where will Jake Locker go in the NFL draft?

Team South 24, Team North 10

Team South defeated Team North by a score of 24 to 10 in the Senior Bowl. The game was played in Mobile, Alabama. Team South built a 17-0 lead by halftime thanks to Florida State's Christian Ponder's two touchdowns. Washington Huskies quarterback Jake Locker was 6 of 10 for 98 yards. Leonard Hankerson was named the South's offensive MVP, with 5 catches for 100 yards and a touchdown. He played at Miami, Florida. Texas A&M linebacker Von Miller took home Defensive MVP honors.

Are you Ready for Utah?

Next season, the Pac-10 will look different. In fact, it won't even be the Pac-10. It will be the Pac 12. The Utah Utes will be the new team and they have been a program on the rise. After defeating Alabama in a BCS Bowl Game three seasons ago, college football fans finally paid attention to Utah. In joining the "Pac 12", the Utah Utes will give the conference another solid team and more credibility. I look forward to watching Utah compete against USC, Oregon, Arizona, Arizona State, and the rest of the conference.

Best Individual Performances in Pac-10 During 2010 Season

Most Touchdowns

5 QB Matt Barkley, USC at Hawaii, Sept. 2, all passing
5 QB Andrew Luck, Stanford vs Wake Forest, Sept. 18, 4 passing, 1 rushing
5 QB Jake Locker, Washington vs Oregon State, Oct. 16, all passing
5 Barkley vs California, Oct. 16, all passing
5 QB Brock Osweiler, Arizona State vs UCLA, Nov. 26, 4 passing, 1 rushing

Total offensive yards
446 QB Nick Foles, Arizona vs. Oregon State, Oct. 9, 440 passing, 6 rushing

Rushing yards
284 RB Chris Polk, Washington vs. Washington State, Dec. 4

Longest rush
85 yards WR Josh Huff, Oregon vs. Arizona, Nov. 26

Passing yards
448 Foles at Oregon, Nov. 26

Longest pass
85 yards Foles at Oregon, Nov. 26 (To WR Juron Criner)

Receiving yards
224 WR Robert Woods, USC vs. Stanford, Oct. 9

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.

Is Jim Harbaugh Making the Right Choice?

Jim Harbaugh is heading to the San Francisco 49ers. He is leaving the college ranks and the 12-1 Stanford Cardinal, even with Andrew Luck returning. He is joining an NFL team that missed the playoffs despite being picked to win the weak NFC West. They still don't know who their quarterback is. They have a lot of question marks across the board. Do you think Jim Harbaugh made the right choice?

Auburn Tigers 22, Oregon Ducks 19

It was supposed to be a "shootout". It was supposed to be the first one up to 50. Instead, the final score read the Auburn Tigers 22, the Oregon Ducks 19. The lower score doesn't imply a bad football game. It was a great game in my opinion and showed how close these two teams were. They definitely were the two best teams in the country. The Tigers won it on a last second 20 yard field goal with time expiring. The drive got to that point after running back Michael Dyer rumbled for a 37 yard run when it appeared that he was down. However, he rolled over the Oregon player and got up and kept running. It was a bizarre play. Congrats to the Auburn Tigers and an honorary congrats to the Oregon Ducks.

For All the Marbles: Oregon Ducks vs. Auburn Tigers

The showdown finally happens on Monday, January 10th at 8:30 PM Eastern. It is the BCS National Championship Game between the Oregon Ducks and the Auburn Tigers. The Pac-10's best against the SEC's best. The Oregon Ducks are looking for their first National Championship. The Auburn Tigers are looking for their first National Championship since 1957, their only one. Both teams are explosive, averaging nearly 45 points a game. It will be a great game and I am looking forward to it.

Prediction: Oregon Ducks 35, Auburn Tigers 32

What Will Jim Harbaugh Do?

The most sought after coach in America right now is Jim Harbaugh, the coach of the Stanford Cardinal. The University of Michigan just fired Rich Rodriguez and are in pursuit of Harbaugh. Harbaugh is an alum of Michigan and is their clear cut #1 choice. The San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos are both also trying to court him. Most sources indicate that it is between the San Francisco 49ers or staying at Stanford. He has built the program since he arrived in 2007, leading them to a 12-1 record this season and a 40-12 victory in the Orange Bowl over Virginia Tech. Hopefully he stays at Stanford, but we will see.

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.