CFN Post Spring Rankings

[scumdevils86]

72. Arizona
(2011 Record: 4-8, 2012 Roughly Projected Record: 6-6)

Can Rich Rodriguez start to turn things around right away, and does he have the pieces to do what he wants to do? It's going to take a while to start running the ball effectively, but it'll be a whole new look for the Pac-12 South. The defense that was so disastrous last year gets back the entire line and should be decent in the back seven with a little bit of time. The Pac-12 as a whole is getting better and there isn't going to be an immediate turnaround, but yes, Rodriguez can coach, and yes, this offense will eventually work. Will it be rolling in time to beat Oklahoma State early one or have a prayer of staying with Oregon in the Pac-12 opener? No, but with four home games in the last six there's a shot at taking a big step forward and coming up with a bowl bid.

[scumdevils86]

78. Oregon State
(2011 Record: 3-9, 2012 Roughly Projected Record: 3-9)

How quickly will the team be able to rebound after the disastrous 2011? The team might be more experienced with three starters returning to the offensive line and with Sean Mannion a good-looking quarterback to work around. With five starters back on the defensive front seven, being stronger against the run is a must with Wisconsin coming up early and with Arizona's Rich Rodriguez offense closing out September. Fortunately the Beavers miss USC from the South, but they have to face Utah and an improved Arizona State along with road trips to Arizona and UCLA. But where are the wins going to come from? Other than the opener against Nicholls State, OSU might not be favored the rest of the way against anyone other than Washington State.

75. Colorado
(2011 Record: 3-10, 2012 Roughly Projected Record: 5-7)

Just enough decent players return to hope to improve upon last year's awful Pac-12 season, but new starters in the offensive backfield have to emerge and the defense has to come up with steady play in the defensive backfield. The schedule works out well early with Colorado State, Sacramento State at Fresno State and at Washington State light enough to hope for a 3-1 start or even 4-0. If the coaching staff could do enough to get the team up for an upset win over Utah late last year, it should be able to help pull off a few wins over teams like UCLA, Arizona State and/or Washington at home to hope for an improved record.

61. Washington State
(2011 Record: 4-8, 2012 Roughly Projected Record: 5-7)

Will the Cougars start to blossom under Mike Leach? If nothing else the team will be more fun and more explosive even after finishing ninth in the nation in passing. There are a lot of good pieces to play around with, and now it'll be up to Leach to put it all together. With nine starters back on defense there's a chance for the experience to translate into production. Starting things off at BYU will be interesting, but then the wins have to come with Eastern Washington, at UNLV, and Colorado to follow before going to Oregon. Road dates at Stanford and Utah in back-to-back weeks will be rough, and three road games in four weeks won't be easy, but if everything is humming like everyone is hoping for, a bowl game is possible.


59. Arizona State
(2011 Record: 6-7, 2012 Roughly Projected Record: 6-6)

It's going to take a little while for the Todd Graham effect to kick in - if it does kick in. The Sun Devils were loaded last year and didn't do much of anything with all the talent and experience. This year is going to be about rebuilding the foundation to be steadier and more consistent, but there are just enough winnable games to still expect a bowl appearance. With a road game early at Missouri, they have to take care of home against Illinois in non-conference play, and they have to find a way to somehow split with an improved Utah and Oregon. Three of the final four games are on the road including a trip to USC, but overall, the road slate isn't awful.

56. UCLA
(2011 Record: 6-8, 2012 Roughly Projected Record: 6-6)

There’s just enough talent returning to give new coach Jim Mora something to work with, but the Pac-12 South will be far tougher this season and USC is back in the mix again. The Bruins won’t come close to repeating as division champs with Utah and USC both stronger, but both those showdowns will be at home. Missing Oregon from the North will help, and a road slate of Colorado, Cal, Arizona State and Washington State is as easy as can be reasonably asked for. Will the offense be up to the task? The running game will be fine with Johnathan Franklin carrying the attack, while the O line should be strong. After years of beefing up the defensive side, now the payoff should come with several young players ready to shine. The expectations won’t be through the roof right away, but if the Bruins can pull off an upset against Nebraska early on, the national attention will come

48. Washington
(2011 Record: 7-6, 2012 Roughly Projected Record: 6-6)

Isn’t this supposed to be when the Huskies were going to start rolling under coach Steve Sarkisian? They still might, but the offense needs QB Keith Price to be phenomenal – and healthy – with so many other key players gone. On the plus side, the offensive line should be solid and the defense gets seven starters back. Whether or not this is a stepping-stone season depends on how the team holds up after a horrific start to the Pac-12 season against Stanford, at Oregon, and USC. Combine those three games with a road trip to LSU, and 2-4 could be a certainty before going to Arizona and with three of the final four games away from Seattle. As the season goes on this should be a good enough team to provide hope for next year, but it’s going to be a fight to go bowling.


38. California
(2011 Record: 7-6, 2012 Roughly Projected Record: 7-5)

The defense that was so great last year loses several key players and the offense needs QB Zach Maynard to grow into a more consistent playmaker, but the overall talent is there for a decent year. However, with no breaks in the tough schedule, forget about anything special for a team with so many concerns. Starting out against Nevada won’t be easy, and it’ll only be made worse with road games against Ohio State and USC in September. The Trojans will be the favorites to win the South, but Utah won’t be far behind – the Bears have to go on the road to face the Utes, too. The Stanford and Oregon games are at home, and there’s a great stretch of five home games in seven, but it’ll be a stunner if the Bears are in the hunt for the North title.

34. Stanford
(2011 Record: 11-2, 2012 Roughly Projected Record: 7-5)

Will the Cardinal have staying power? The production won’t fall off the map, and the latest recruiting classes should reload the talent level, but this season should be a step back after losing so many key NFL cogs. Yes, Andrew Luck was that good. Getting USC from the Pac-12 South isn’t going to help the cause, while a finishing kick of five road games in the final seven, and six in the final nine, would’ve been hard for last year’s team to get through with anything to show for it. Going to Notre Dame is bad enough, but that’s followed up by the always-emotional Cal game. Throw in trips to Colorado, UCLA, and oh yeah, Oregon, and David Shaw will have a disappointing season. Don’t expect a major drop, though.

[catgrad97]

My biggest question for this team is, who succeeds Scott?

We're going to find out early, I'm afraid.

And I'm sorry, but ASU has gained no separation from Arizona. In fact, it's questionable whether players are developing in that program at all.

[scumdevils86]

so CFN will only have Utah, USC, and Oregon in the top 30 teams

[azcat49]

Funny how CU and WAZZU are projected to have losing records but are thought to be ranked higher. Guess itsa based upon schedules

[azcat49]

I also think that Furd will be a top 25 type of team even without Luck and that UDub with struggle to win 6 games

[scumdevils86]

Originally Posted by catgrad97

My biggest question for this team is, who succeeds Scott?

We're going to find out early, I'm afraid.

And I'm sorry, but ASU has gained no separation from Arizona. In fact, it's questionable whether players are developing in that program at all.

Yup. I sure hope he will be able to last the whole season...if he does I think we are bowling. If he doesn't, well, it is not going to be a pretty thing. 3-4 win territory again.

[dc4azcats]

Originally Posted by scumdevils86

72. Arizona
(2011 Record: 4-8, 2012 Roughly Projected Record: 6-6)

Can Rich Rodriguez start to turn things around right away, and does he have the pieces to do what he wants to do? It's going to take a while to start running the ball effectively, but it'll be a whole new look for the Pac-12 South. The defense that was so disastrous last year gets back the entire line and should be decent in the back seven with a little bit of time. The Pac-12 as a whole is getting better and there isn't going to be an immediate turnaround, but yes, Rodriguez can coach, and yes, this offense will eventually work. Will it be rolling in time to beat Oklahoma State early one or have a prayer of staying with Oregon in the Pac-12 opener? No, but with four home games in the last six there's a shot at taking a big step forward and coming up with a bowl bid.

Who wrote this? "It's going to take a while to start running the ball effectively"? Really? That's where who ever wrote this lost me because he's obvioulsy never seen Kadeem run. Not to mention that RR's offense never has a problem running the ball. Serioulsy - what a worthless comment from somebody who hasn't a clue about Arizona and or the Pac 12.

The writer doesn't even mention Matt Scott which again tells you all you need to know. If you're writing an article about Arizona and it's offense you would start with Matt Scott. No wonder this clown has us at #72.

Not to mention he talks about Assu being "improved"? Where have they improved? They lost all of their best players and have no idea who their QB will be. Not to mention that their QB has yet to take a snap.

Originally Posted by scumdevils86

78. Oregon State
(2011 Record: 3-9, 2012 Roughly Projected Record: 3-9)

How quickly will the team be able to rebound after the disastrous 2011? The team might be more experienced with three starters returning to the offensive line and with Sean Mannion a good-looking quarterback to work around. With five starters back on the defensive front seven, being stronger against the run is a must with Wisconsin coming up early and with Arizona's Rich Rodriguez offense closing out September. Fortunately the Beavers miss USC from the South, but they have to face Utah and an improved Arizona State along with road trips to Arizona and UCLA. But where are the wins going to come from? Other than the opener against Nicholls State, OSU might not be favored the rest of the way against anyone other than Washington State.

Really?

Originally Posted by scumdevils86

75. Colorado
(2011 Record: 3-10, 2012 Roughly Projected Record: 5-7)

Just enough decent players return to hope to improve upon last year's awful Pac-12 season, but new starters in the offensive backfield have to emerge and the defense has to come up with steady play in the defensive backfield. The schedule works out well early with Colorado State, Sacramento State at Fresno State and at Washington State light enough to hope for a 3-1 start or even 4-0. If the coaching staff could do enough to get the team up for an upset win over Utah late last year, it should be able to help pull off a few wins over teams like UCLA, Arizona State and/or Washington at home to hope for an improved record.

This is a recurring theme as it relates to teams having "just enough decent players"....

Originally Posted by scumdevils86

61. Washington State
(2011 Record: 4-8, 2012 Roughly Projected Record: 5-7)

Will the Cougars start to blossom under Mike Leach? If nothing else the team will be more fun and more explosive even after finishing ninth in the nation in passing. There are a lot of good pieces to play around with, and now it'll be up to Leach to put it all together. With nine starters back on defense there's a chance for the experience to translate into production. Starting things off at BYU will be interesting, but then the wins have to come with Eastern Washington, at UNLV, and Colorado to follow before going to Oregon. Road dates at Stanford and Utah in back-to-back weeks will be rough, and three road games in four weeks won't be easy, but if everything is humming like everyone is hoping for, a bowl game is possible.

Am I missing something? He has the Cougs ranked #61 yet he projects their record to be 5-7? In most rankings that would put them behind a team that he projects going 6-6 in Arizona?

Originally Posted by scumdevils86

59. Arizona State
(2011 Record: 6-7, 2012 Roughly Projected Record: 6-6)

It's going to take a little while for the Todd Graham effect to kick in - if it does kick in. The Sun Devils were loaded last year and didn't do much of anything with all the talent and experience. This year is going to be about rebuilding the foundation to be steadier and more consistent, but there are just enough winnable games to still expect a bowl appearance. With a road game early at Missouri, they have to take care of home against Illinois in non-conference play, and they have to find a way to somehow split with an improved Utah and Oregon. Three of the final four games are on the road including a trip to USC, but overall, the road slate isn't awful.

What? Assu sucks on the road and hasn't beat Oregon in forever not to mention that they have to replace a lot of talent at the skill positions including OZ.

"The road slate isn't awful"? Assu is 5-16 on the road the last 4 years and LY they lost at Wazzu and at ucla. Starting a new QB with a new O and lots of new skill players can be a handful and this clown thinks they have an easy road schedule?

Then he has them ranked 59th? Wow!!

Originally Posted by scumdevils86

56. UCLA
(2011 Record: 6-8, 2012 Roughly Projected Record: 6-6)

There’s just enough talent returning to give new coach Jim Mora something to work with, but the Pac-12 South will be far tougher this season and USC is back in the mix again. The Bruins won’t come close to repeating as division champs with Utah and USC both stronger, but both those showdowns will be at home. Missing Oregon from the North will help, and a road slate of Colorado, Cal, Arizona State and Washington State is as easy as can be reasonably asked for. Will the offense be up to the task? The running game will be fine with Johnathan Franklin carrying the attack, while the O line should be strong. After years of beefing up the defensive side, now the payoff should come with several young players ready to shine. The expectations won’t be through the roof right away, but if the Bruins can pull off an upset against Nebraska early on, the national attention will come.

No mention of who the Bruins will have at QB because nobody freaking knows? He mentions the "easy as can be reasonably asked for" road schedule but I'm not sure if he knows that ucla hasn't won at Cal in some time.

[scumdevils86]

Yeah I like posting CFN articles because they generally don't do any research or any real journalistic work before they write them. Then it is easy fodder for us to rip apart. It is nothing new, I have noticed it with almost every preview in the near decade I have been reading them.

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by dc4azcats

No mention of who the Bruins will have at QB because nobody freaking knows? He mentions the "easy as can be reasonably asked for" road schedule but I'm not sure if he knows that ucla hasn't won at Cal in some time.

I think with Mazzone, you can probably plug and play any of the QB's and we'll do relatively fine. Putting up points won't be a problem this year, but we need some LB depth pretty badly

[ASUHATER!]

i think ucla will be ok this year (6-6 type team again) but we do know we can count on another arizona win over ucla at least

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by ASUHATER!

i think ucla will be ok this year (6-6 type team again) but we do know we can count on another arizona win over ucla at least

I disagree with notions of "We did it in the past, we'll continue to do it again". It's not really a logical take.

[ASUHATER!]

so do i usually, but its fun to poke you in the eye sometimes and its hard not to feel good after winning 5 in a row and 6 of 7 against the bruins.

[dc4azcats]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

I think with Mazzone, you can probably plug and play any of the QB's and we'll do relatively fine. Putting up points won't be a problem this year, but we need some LB depth pretty badly

Bug, its the 4th offense in the last 4 years isn't it? Seriously, how can anybody think they know what ucla will do TY?

I get that Mazzone gets a lot of love because of the QB's he mentors, but what did he do at assu LY that makes him so great? Assu went 6-7 with what I guess you could argue was better talent at the skill positions then what ucla will roll out there TY?

Originally Posted by MrBug708

I disagree with notions of "We did it in the past, we'll continue to do it again". It's not really a logical take.

Agree for the most part but I do think playing somebody on the road and a certain system can give a team(s) problems. I think Oregon as an example and certain "systems" can give teams trouble regardless of where you play them.

The plus as I see it TY in playing UCLA is that Matt Scott started a game v ucla at the Rose Bowl and won. That will certainly help his confidence going into this game - still lots of tangibles involved for both teams but that's a big plus imho.

[scumdevils86]

I wonder if they'll rank utah in the top 25? They'll probably have USC top 3 and Oregon in the top 20. Pac 12 football's national rep is almost as mediocre as the bball one.