Jun 16, 2025
Оfftopic Community
Оfftopic Community
Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
Featured content
New posts
New media
New media comments
New resources
New profile posts
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Resources
Latest reviews
Search resources
Members
Current visitors
New profile posts
Search profile posts
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Forums
Information & News
RSS News
Sports News
Pac-12 Forecast: Stanford takes one for the team
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="admin" data-source="post: 2577563" data-attributes="member: 1"><p><em>A dozen hyper-specific predictions for the 2011 season. Wrapping up <a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday?keyword=Pac-12+Week" target="_blank">Pac-12 Week</a>.</em></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="http://l.yimg.com/a/p/sp/editorial_image/32/32d694652f5e76a92fa0040ba0e1890d/pac_forecast_stanford_takes_one_for_the_team.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /></p><p></p><p></p> </p><p> <img src="http://l.yimg.com/a/p/sp/editorial_image/9f/9f1d13c89eaf88e8a4d6ebdf8fba3032/pac_forecast_stanford_takes_one_for_the_team.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /><a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday?keyword=Pac-12+Week" target="_blank">•</a> As expected, quarterback <strong>Andrew Luck</strong> will earn the headlines and be back in New York City in December as a Heisman Trophy finalist, but <strong><a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/teams/sss/" target="_blank">Stanford</a></strong> will lead the nation by placing at least four other players —*offensive linemen <strong>Jonathan Martin</strong> and <strong>David DeCastro</strong>, tight end <strong>Coby Fleener</strong> and linebacker <strong>Shayne Skov</strong> — on postseason All-America teams en route to its first conference title in more than a decade. First-year head coach <strong>David Shaw</strong> will also bring in at least one trophy as the national coach of the year —*more if the Cardinal manage to <a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Stanford-vs-the-talent-gap-Can-Cardinal-bridge?urn=ncaaf-wp4625" target="_blank">land in the BCS Championship Game</a>.</p><p></p><p> <a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday?keyword=Pac-12+Week" target="_blank">•</a> After <a href="http://www.cfbstats.com/2010/leader/national/team/offense/split01/category09/sort01.html" target="_blank">leading the nation</a> with a school-record 47 points per game in 2010, <strong><a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/teams/ooe/" target="_blank">Oregon</a></strong>'s scoring average will drop at least a full touchdown per game. The bevy of options in the Ducks' <a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/index.ssf/2011/08/2011_oregon_ducks_running_back.html" target="_blank">loaded backfield</a> will convince coach <strong>Chip Kelly</strong> to reduce the <a href="http://www.cfbstats.com/2010/leader/national/player/split01/category01/sort05.html" target="_blank">heavy workload</a> on prolific tailback <strong>LaMichael James</strong>, but three new starters on the offensive line will frustrate efforts to match last year's blockbuster pace.</p><p></p><p> <a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday?keyword=Pac-12+Week" target="_blank">•</a> <strong><a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/teams/uub/" target="_blank">USC</a></strong> quarterback <strong>Matt Barkley</strong> will easily lead the conference in passing yards and touchdowns, outpacing Andrew Luck on both fronts in an effort to overcome a still-porous Trojan defense. After the season, Barkley will announce he's passing up a certain first-round paycheck in the NFL to return to USC with a deep corps of blue-chip receivers at his disposal in 2012, whereupon he will be anointed the undisputed Heisman frontrunner and — with a two-year postseason ban finally lifted — the Trojans anointed undisputed favorites to return to the top of the conference.</p><p></p><p> <a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday?keyword=Pac-12+Week" target="_blank">•</a> On the heels of a terrible start over the first half of the season, <strong><a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/teams/aam/" target="_blank">Arizona State</a></strong> will rally to make the Pac-12 Championship Game despite failing to appear in the Associated Press or Coaches' polls at any point in the season. The Sun Devils' first seven games put them up against <a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/teams/mms/" target="_blank">Missouri</a>, <a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/teams/iic/" target="_blank">Illinois</a>, USC, <a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/teams/oof/" target="_blank">Oregon State</a>, <a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/teams/uuc/" target="_blank">Utah</a> and Oregon in consecutive weeks, but they'll likely be favored to win each of their last five on the other side of an Oct. 22 bye week, giving ASU the jump on the South Division title USC is still barred from claiming.</p><p></p><p> <a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday?keyword=Pac-12+Week" target="_blank">•</a> <strong>Oregon State</strong> will produce a 1,000-yard rusher for the 13th time in 14 years. The Beavers open the season with <a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/beavers/index.ssf/2011/08/2011_oregon_state_beavers_runn.html" target="_blank">no good idea</a> who will replace outgoing workhorse Jacquizz Rodgers in the backfield, but between <strong>Ryan McCants</strong>, <strong>Jovan Stevenson</strong> and newcomers <strong>Terron Ward</strong> and <strong>Malcolm Agnew</strong>, someone will emerge to add another link in the chain of steady, between-the-tackles pluggers —*including Rodgers, Steven Jackson and Yvenson Benard —*first forged by career rushing leader Ken Simonton back in 1998.</p><p></p><p> <a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday?keyword=Pac-12+Week" target="_blank">•</a> <strong>Utah</strong> will play in three overtime games and at least four more decided by a touchdown or less. Between a Sept. 10 trip to USC (a likely loss) and a Nov. 19 date at <a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/teams/wwc/" target="_blank">Washington State</a> (a likely win), the Utes play <a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Debriefing-Utah-takes-the-Pac-12-plunge-with-he?urn=ncaaf-wp4646" target="_blank">eight straight games that could go either way</a>, and will find in heart-stopping fashion that most of them do.</p><p></p><p> <img src="http://l.yimg.com/a/p/sp/editorial_image/78/781b511260b12bcc28576be3e174f4a6/pac_forecast_stanford_takes_one_for_the_team.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /><a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday?keyword=Pac-12+Week" target="_blank">•</a> Junior <strong>Kevin Prince</strong> will start every game at quarterback for <strong><a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/teams/uua/" target="_blank">UCLA</a></strong>, becoming just the second Bruin QB in the last six years to make it through an entire season without missing multiple starts to injury. With the continuity and a revamped offense under NFL refugee <strong>Mike Johnson</strong>, production will improve by at least five points and 50 yards per game, good enough to get the Bruins into a bowl game and save head coach <strong>Rick Neuheisel</strong>'s job for another year.</p><p></p><p> <a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday?keyword=Pac-12+Week" target="_blank">•</a> <strong><a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/teams/wwb/" target="_blank">Washington</a></strong> quarterback <strong>Keith Price</strong> will finish with a pass efficiency rating slightly above 130 in his first season as a starter —*higher than celebrated Jake Locker achieved in any of his four seasons atop the depth chart. The Huskies' <a href="http://www.cfbstats.com/2010/leader/905/team/offense/split01/category09/sort01.html" target="_blank">subpar scoring average</a> will improve by at least a field goal per game, but the final record will not, leaving Price in relative obscurity nationally.</p><p></p><p> <a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday?keyword=Pac-12+Week" target="_blank">•</a> After skidding in with <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/arizona/2010-schedule.html" target="_blank">five consecutive losses</a> to close 2010, <strong><a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/teams/aal/" target="_blank">Arizona</a></strong> will open 2011 by losing five of its first six. After an opening-day warmup against <a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/teams/nnr/" target="_blank">Northern Arizona</a>, the Wildcats face three straight opponents (<a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/teams/ood/" target="_blank">Oklahoma State</a>, Stanford and Oregon) <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/usatpoll.htm" target="_blank">ranked in the top 10</a> to start the season, followed immediately by trips to USC and Oregon State — all with a totally revamped offensive line that boasts one career start between the new starting five.</p><p></p><p> <a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday?keyword=Pac-12+Week" target="_blank">•</a> <strong><a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/teams/ccd/" target="_blank">California</a></strong> will once again look like an entirely different team depending on the venue, winning most of the games in its <a href="http://articles.sfgate.com/2011-08-02/sports/29841153_1_giants-fan-emerald-bowl-fresno-state" target="_blank">temporary new home</a> across the San Francisco Bay while losing five of six games on the road. Last year, the Bears veered from ugly, blowout wins over <a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/teams/ccn/" target="_blank">Colorado</a>, UCLA and Arizona State and a <a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Oregon-shows-its-vulnerable-side-but-still-make?urn=ncaaf-285362" target="_blank">toe-to-toe struggle</a> with then-No. 1 Oregon in Berkeley to equally ugly, double-digit losses at the hands of <a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/teams/nnf/" target="_blank">Nevada</a>, USC and Oregon State away from home — an extreme take on <a href="http://football.stassen.com/cgi-bin/records/conference.pl?start=2002&end=2010&team=California" target="_blank">a consistent theme</a> in coach <strong>Jeff Tedford</strong>'s decade-long tenure.</p><p></p><p> <a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday?keyword=Pac-12+Week" target="_blank">•</a> Just a few months into its contract, a <a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Colorado-inadvertently-reveals-Folsom-Field-821?urn=ncaaf-wp297" target="_blank">new corporate sponsor</a> will ask to have its name removed from <strong>Colorado</strong>'s stadium after the Buffaloes slink in at the bottom of the South Division standings. "While we appreciate the team is improving under first-year coach <strong>Jon Embree</strong>," an official statement from the company will read, "our board has decided it no longer wishes to have our name associated with this particular brand."</p><p></p><p> <a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday?keyword=Pac-12+Week" target="_blank">•</a> <strong>Washington State</strong> will drop a majority of its games by at least two touchdowns for the third year in a row, and wind up starting at least two different quarterbacks behind the league's most porous offensive line.</p><p>But the Cougars will also pull a pair of upsets that leave them with multiple conference wins for the first time since 2007, just enough —*along with two non-conference wins and a competitive finale against Washington —*to bring coach <strong>Paul Wulff</strong> back for another season in 2012.</p><p></p><p> <em>- - -</em></p><p><em>Matt Hinton is on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/DrSaturday" target="_blank">Follow him @DrSaturday</a>.</em></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="admin, post: 2577563, member: 1"] [I]A dozen hyper-specific predictions for the 2011 season. Wrapping up [URL="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday?keyword=Pac-12+Week"]Pac-12 Week[/URL].[/I] [CENTER][IMG]http://l.yimg.com/a/p/sp/editorial_image/32/32d694652f5e76a92fa0040ba0e1890d/pac_forecast_stanford_takes_one_for_the_team.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] </p> [IMG]http://l.yimg.com/a/p/sp/editorial_image/9f/9f1d13c89eaf88e8a4d6ebdf8fba3032/pac_forecast_stanford_takes_one_for_the_team.jpg[/IMG][URL="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday?keyword=Pac-12+Week"]•[/URL] As expected, quarterback [B]Andrew Luck[/B] will earn the headlines and be back in New York City in December as a Heisman Trophy finalist, but [B][URL="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/teams/sss/"]Stanford[/URL][/B] will lead the nation by placing at least four other players —*offensive linemen [B]Jonathan Martin[/B] and [B]David DeCastro[/B], tight end [B]Coby Fleener[/B] and linebacker [B]Shayne Skov[/B] — on postseason All-America teams en route to its first conference title in more than a decade. First-year head coach [B]David Shaw[/B] will also bring in at least one trophy as the national coach of the year —*more if the Cardinal manage to [URL="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Stanford-vs-the-talent-gap-Can-Cardinal-bridge?urn=ncaaf-wp4625"]land in the BCS Championship Game[/URL]. [URL="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday?keyword=Pac-12+Week"]•[/URL] After [URL="http://www.cfbstats.com/2010/leader/national/team/offense/split01/category09/sort01.html"]leading the nation[/URL] with a school-record 47 points per game in 2010, [B][URL="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/teams/ooe/"]Oregon[/URL][/B]'s scoring average will drop at least a full touchdown per game. The bevy of options in the Ducks' [URL="http://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/index.ssf/2011/08/2011_oregon_ducks_running_back.html"]loaded backfield[/URL] will convince coach [B]Chip Kelly[/B] to reduce the [URL="http://www.cfbstats.com/2010/leader/national/player/split01/category01/sort05.html"]heavy workload[/URL] on prolific tailback [B]LaMichael James[/B], but three new starters on the offensive line will frustrate efforts to match last year's blockbuster pace. [URL="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday?keyword=Pac-12+Week"]•[/URL] [B][URL="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/teams/uub/"]USC[/URL][/B] quarterback [B]Matt Barkley[/B] will easily lead the conference in passing yards and touchdowns, outpacing Andrew Luck on both fronts in an effort to overcome a still-porous Trojan defense. After the season, Barkley will announce he's passing up a certain first-round paycheck in the NFL to return to USC with a deep corps of blue-chip receivers at his disposal in 2012, whereupon he will be anointed the undisputed Heisman frontrunner and — with a two-year postseason ban finally lifted — the Trojans anointed undisputed favorites to return to the top of the conference. [URL="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday?keyword=Pac-12+Week"]•[/URL] On the heels of a terrible start over the first half of the season, [B][URL="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/teams/aam/"]Arizona State[/URL][/B] will rally to make the Pac-12 Championship Game despite failing to appear in the Associated Press or Coaches' polls at any point in the season. The Sun Devils' first seven games put them up against [URL="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/teams/mms/"]Missouri[/URL], [URL="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/teams/iic/"]Illinois[/URL], USC, [URL="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/teams/oof/"]Oregon State[/URL], [URL="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/teams/uuc/"]Utah[/URL] and Oregon in consecutive weeks, but they'll likely be favored to win each of their last five on the other side of an Oct. 22 bye week, giving ASU the jump on the South Division title USC is still barred from claiming. [URL="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday?keyword=Pac-12+Week"]•[/URL] [B]Oregon State[/B] will produce a 1,000-yard rusher for the 13th time in 14 years. The Beavers open the season with [URL="http://www.oregonlive.com/beavers/index.ssf/2011/08/2011_oregon_state_beavers_runn.html"]no good idea[/URL] who will replace outgoing workhorse Jacquizz Rodgers in the backfield, but between [B]Ryan McCants[/B], [B]Jovan Stevenson[/B] and newcomers [B]Terron Ward[/B] and [B]Malcolm Agnew[/B], someone will emerge to add another link in the chain of steady, between-the-tackles pluggers —*including Rodgers, Steven Jackson and Yvenson Benard —*first forged by career rushing leader Ken Simonton back in 1998. [URL="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday?keyword=Pac-12+Week"]•[/URL] [B]Utah[/B] will play in three overtime games and at least four more decided by a touchdown or less. Between a Sept. 10 trip to USC (a likely loss) and a Nov. 19 date at [URL="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/teams/wwc/"]Washington State[/URL] (a likely win), the Utes play [URL="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Debriefing-Utah-takes-the-Pac-12-plunge-with-he?urn=ncaaf-wp4646"]eight straight games that could go either way[/URL], and will find in heart-stopping fashion that most of them do. [IMG]http://l.yimg.com/a/p/sp/editorial_image/78/781b511260b12bcc28576be3e174f4a6/pac_forecast_stanford_takes_one_for_the_team.jpg[/IMG][URL="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday?keyword=Pac-12+Week"]•[/URL] Junior [B]Kevin Prince[/B] will start every game at quarterback for [B][URL="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/teams/uua/"]UCLA[/URL][/B], becoming just the second Bruin QB in the last six years to make it through an entire season without missing multiple starts to injury. With the continuity and a revamped offense under NFL refugee [B]Mike Johnson[/B], production will improve by at least five points and 50 yards per game, good enough to get the Bruins into a bowl game and save head coach [B]Rick Neuheisel[/B]'s job for another year. [URL="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday?keyword=Pac-12+Week"]•[/URL] [B][URL="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/teams/wwb/"]Washington[/URL][/B] quarterback [B]Keith Price[/B] will finish with a pass efficiency rating slightly above 130 in his first season as a starter —*higher than celebrated Jake Locker achieved in any of his four seasons atop the depth chart. The Huskies' [URL="http://www.cfbstats.com/2010/leader/905/team/offense/split01/category09/sort01.html"]subpar scoring average[/URL] will improve by at least a field goal per game, but the final record will not, leaving Price in relative obscurity nationally. [URL="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday?keyword=Pac-12+Week"]•[/URL] After skidding in with [URL="http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/arizona/2010-schedule.html"]five consecutive losses[/URL] to close 2010, [B][URL="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/teams/aal/"]Arizona[/URL][/B] will open 2011 by losing five of its first six. After an opening-day warmup against [URL="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/teams/nnr/"]Northern Arizona[/URL], the Wildcats face three straight opponents ([URL="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/teams/ood/"]Oklahoma State[/URL], Stanford and Oregon) [URL="http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/usatpoll.htm"]ranked in the top 10[/URL] to start the season, followed immediately by trips to USC and Oregon State — all with a totally revamped offensive line that boasts one career start between the new starting five. [URL="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday?keyword=Pac-12+Week"]•[/URL] [B][URL="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/teams/ccd/"]California[/URL][/B] will once again look like an entirely different team depending on the venue, winning most of the games in its [URL="http://articles.sfgate.com/2011-08-02/sports/29841153_1_giants-fan-emerald-bowl-fresno-state"]temporary new home[/URL] across the San Francisco Bay while losing five of six games on the road. Last year, the Bears veered from ugly, blowout wins over [URL="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/teams/ccn/"]Colorado[/URL], UCLA and Arizona State and a [URL="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Oregon-shows-its-vulnerable-side-but-still-make?urn=ncaaf-285362"]toe-to-toe struggle[/URL] with then-No. 1 Oregon in Berkeley to equally ugly, double-digit losses at the hands of [URL="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/teams/nnf/"]Nevada[/URL], USC and Oregon State away from home — an extreme take on [URL="http://football.stassen.com/cgi-bin/records/conference.pl?start=2002&end=2010&team=California"]a consistent theme[/URL] in coach [B]Jeff Tedford[/B]'s decade-long tenure. [URL="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday?keyword=Pac-12+Week"]•[/URL] Just a few months into its contract, a [URL="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Colorado-inadvertently-reveals-Folsom-Field-821?urn=ncaaf-wp297"]new corporate sponsor[/URL] will ask to have its name removed from [B]Colorado[/B]'s stadium after the Buffaloes slink in at the bottom of the South Division standings. "While we appreciate the team is improving under first-year coach [B]Jon Embree[/B]," an official statement from the company will read, "our board has decided it no longer wishes to have our name associated with this particular brand." [URL="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday?keyword=Pac-12+Week"]•[/URL] [B]Washington State[/B] will drop a majority of its games by at least two touchdowns for the third year in a row, and wind up starting at least two different quarterbacks behind the league's most porous offensive line. But the Cougars will also pull a pair of upsets that leave them with multiple conference wins for the first time since 2007, just enough —*along with two non-conference wins and a competitive finale against Washington —*to bring coach [B]Paul Wulff[/B] back for another season in 2012. [I]- - - Matt Hinton is on Twitter: [URL="http://twitter.com/DrSaturday"]Follow him @DrSaturday[/URL].[/I] [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Name
Verification
Please enable JavaScript to continue.
Loading…
Post reply
Top