Pac-12 Football Power Rankings: Week 1 edition

I want my former Ducks teammate Josh Wilcox to succeed as head coach. Last year, Cal had the second worst scoring defense in the entire country. Wilcox is a defensive wizard and will turn the defense around, but this is a multi-year project. I’d like to give his Bears a higher ranking, but I don’t rank based on speculation.

It is hard to find a scenario that the Beavers don’t finish last, or next to last in the Pac-12. Last year, they finished with a record of 4-8. Five of the losses were by double digits. I keep hearing from Oregon State fans that they have the best backfield in the Pac-12. Potential means nothing until it starts producing.

Rich Rodriguez seems like a good coach who legitimately cares about his players, but it seems like he could be on thin ice in Tucson. It’s not all his fault though, because him team has had some bad luck. Last year, the Wildcats season was devastated by injuries to all their quarterbacks. It is hard to win football games when your third and fourth string quarterback see significant playing time.

Who will be the quarterback for this team? Will it be Alabama transfer Blake Barnett or Manny Wilkins? Just two years ago it seemed like Arizona State was on its way to being consistently dominant in the Pac-12 South. For some reason Todd Graham’s team has not been able to be consistent. The Sun Devils team lost six straight games to finish the season. No bueno.