College Football PAC 12 North Preview

steemsports (80)in #sports • 7 years ago

SteemSports Presenter: Scott Frank,@scottybuckets

College Football is back in 5 days! Saturday can't get here soon enough. Today we continue to break down the best conferences in the country and will focus on the PAC 12 North. There is a ton of talent on the offensive side on the ball. Let's get it started!

1. Washington - The Huskies were one of the best teams in the country last year and made the college football playoffs. They went 12-2 and have almost all of their key players back including 14 starters. Quarterback Jake Browning threw for 43 touchdowns and has all of his weapons back with the exception of NFL draft pick, John Ross. Head Coach Chris Petersen loves to put up big numbers on the scoreboard and this year will be no different. They won't be challenged until UCLA comes to town on October 28th. They have a legit shot at the national championship again this year. I am looking forward to their final regular season game of the year against high powered offense, Washington State.

2. Stanford - A case can definitely be made to have the Cardinals at the top of the division this year. Their schedule sets up nice as they get Washington and Oregon at home. They return 8 starters on each side of the ball but will miss Christian McCaffrey who is now lining up in the backfield behind Cam Newton for the Carolina Panthers. Head Coach David Shaw is one of the best in the country and frequently over achieves. Their game at USC on September 9th that will be a huge test for each team.

3. Oregon - New Head Coach Willie Taggart has plenty of talent back for his first year. The Ducks have 17 returning starters including star running back Royce Freeman. Their defense though is what must improve and improve dramatically. They were one of the worst units in the country last year and gave up more than 30 points in 9 of their 12 games. Washington and Washington State combined for 121 points over back to back weeks. The “Over” hit like crazy last year and will again this year. They have a tough schedule that included a trip to Wyoming on September 16th against one of the best quarterbacks in the country, Josh Allen. There will be a ton of fireworks during the Ducks games this year and I can't wait to watch.

4. Washington State - 443 Completions, 663 Attempts, 70% Completion, 38 Touchdowns, 11 Interceptions = Quarterback Luke Falk. The Cougars will be the highest scoring team in the county this year. Head Coach Mike Leach is an offensive genius and will have his offense and QB rolling. They are an EXTREMELY dangerous team to play and no one should overlook them. Similar to Oregon, their defense is the weak link, but they do have 9 starters back on that side of the ball. They open up their season on September 2nd vs Montana State and will eclipse the 50 point mark, no doubt.

5. Oregon State - Head Coach Gary Andersen enters his 3rd season for the Beavers. That should bode well for their chances at reaching a bowl game as he has accomplished that at his previous jobs. They have solid experience at quarterback and have a good running game and offensive line. Ryan Nail fell just shy of 1,000 yards last year and is ready to pass that number this year. Oregon State’s defense returns 8 players and should also be solid. They have a brutal 3 game stretch of Washington State, Washington, and USC all in a row. Winning 7 games and getting to a bowl will be a great season.

6. California - The Golden Bears have a new Head Coach, Justin Wilcox. They had a tough year in 2016 and only won 5 games. The did though have a great weapon at quarterback with Davis Webb who threw for 37 touchdowns that they will have to replace. They have 14 returning starters back but this will be more like a rebuilding year. They have an extremely tough schedule and I don't see them getting near the .500 mark this year.

Who do you think the best team in the PAC 12 North is? Can Washington State score enough to reach the top of the conference? Will Oregon bounce back to their dominance from 5 years ago? Let me know what you think. Thank you for following @steemsports and you can catch me @scottybuckets Cheers!