Pac-12 Football: Top 5 Candidates to win Defensive Player of the Year

Dec 27, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; USC Trojans safety Su’a Cravens (21) looks on before the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the 2014 Holiday Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Ranking the top five candidates to walk away as the winner of the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year for the 2015 college football season.

The state of Arizona has claimed the last three winners of the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and a fourth appears likely with Arizona linebacker Scooby Wright returning after he also won the Bednarik, Nagurski and Lombardi as the best defender in college football.

Related: Top 5 Candidates to Win Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year

Wright was the first Wildcat to win since Tedy Bruschi in 1995 but he was the eighth player from Arizona to win the award, the most of any other school in the Pac-12.

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His primary competition likely comes from USC where the Trojans haven’t won the award since Rey Maualuga in 2008 and at UCLA where the Bruins haven’t had a winner since Brian Price took the honors in 2009. We could also see the first winner for Utah since they joined the conference with a defensive end capable of putting up 15 sacks this year.

After reading through the list of candidates to win this year’s award, please add your voice to the story and continue the conversation by adding your thoughts and reaction in the comments section and on social media.

Without further ado, here are the top five candidates to win the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year.

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