Could USC beat Oregon twice in Autzen if given the chance?
The first regular season for the Pacific-12 Conference came to an end and I have mixed thoughts. Obviously the conference will earn a lot of money, which is needed to make the world go around.
However, competitively the season was strange. Arguably the best team is not bowl eligible. One division winner will most likely not go to a bowl game.
The Pac-12 could not fill out its seven bowl tie-ins with six bowl-eligible teams. The one plus is there will probably be two BCS teams — so more money.
Check out my final rankings and begin the argument over No. 1. I also do some bowl predictions.
1. Southern California (10-2, 7-2): Tough to put Trojans No. 1 since they are ineligible, but they beat the top team in the Ducks.
2. Oregon (10-2, 8-1): Easy Civil War victory warms them up for the Pac-12 title game and the Rose Bowl. Team playing very well.
3. Stanford (11-1, 8-1): Another stellar season completed and a probably a BCS bowl bid (Fiesta?). The conference title remains elusive.
4. Washington (7-5, 5-4): A victory in the Apple Cup adds some momentum and was a good pitch for the Alamo Bowl.
5. California (7-5, 4-5): Jeff Tedford was on the hot seat to begin the season, but a strong finish a possible Holiday Bowl game is calming.
6. Arizona State (6-6, 4-5): Dennis Erickson might not make it passed the bowl game — maybe the Sun — with late-season slide.
The Ducks should play in the Rose Bowl.
7. Utah (7-5, 4-5): It took some time to warm up to the conference, but once they did the Utes finished strong, and should end up in Vegas.
8. UCLA (6-6, 5-4): Bruins officially win the South Division, but will get killed against Oregon next week and not be bowl eligible with a losing record. Sad.
9. Oregon State (3-9, 3-6): The miserable season could lead to some change in the offseason. Beavers should be in the top third of Pac-12.
10. Washington State (2-7, 4-8): There was improvement, but is it enough for Paul Wulff to come back another year?
11. Colorado (2-7, 3-10): An upset of Utah allows the Buffaloes to finish strong. It’s going to be a while before they are player in the Pac-12.
12. Arizona (2-7, 4-8): The hire of Rich Rodriguez brings another spread offense to the Pac-12. OSU is in trouble.
10 comments
Chris says:
Nov 28, 2011
Cliff, why do you have OSU at #9 and Arizona at #12?
Let’s see….Arizona won it’s last two, including beating Arizona State.
Arizona just hired Rich Rodriguez, an experienced coach who is a winner, who has nationwide recruiting ties.
OSU on the other hand – has the same coach (who is in complete denial), the same offensive coordinator (who is as incompetent as they come), and the same defensive coordinator.
It seems to me that Arizona should be #9 and the Beavers #12. I just cannot see that. Arizona is on the upswing, and on the Beavers end, we’re in complete denial. Complete denial.
Please turn the heat up on Riley and DeCarolis.
Cliff Kirkpatrick says:
Nov 28, 2011
OSU beat Arizona head to head.
Hiring a coach has not thing to do with this season.
Chris says:
Nov 28, 2011
Yes they did, but that was early in the season. But Arizona finished strong and they have the excitement that they secured a good coach from the national scene. His players (yes his players) just beat Ohio State. It was a rebuilding process for him at Michigan after the departure of Lloyd Carr, who started well in his career, but kind of fizzled in his later years.
We’re stuck with Riley because: (1) we can’t afford to get rid of him, and (2) no one of any staying power wants to come to Corvallis right now. What I object to is continuing with Langsdorf, who in six years, has taken a potent offense recruited and developed by someone else to a perennial loser across the board.
Even Riley – on video on your site – said that the offense went backwards this season.
Can’t argue with the objective facts. Give Rich Rodriguez a few years and they will be contending heavily in the Pac-12 south.
Coaches with better records overall than Riley are getting canned right and left in the Pac 12 – Stoops at mid-season, Erickson, Wulff, and I hear Rick Neuhisal is on his way out after Friday’s Pac-12 championship game.
Yet in all this turmoil we get stuck with Langsdorf. There are options and Riley won’t address it.
So yes, Beavs are #12 in the Pac-12; clearly the coaching staff just does not have what it takes.
ted0 says:
Nov 28, 2011
Arizona hiring a new coach is completely irrelevant to how they did during the 2011 season. It didn’t, and couldn’t, affect their performance in any of the games played during the season. Maybe it could be counted as a boost to any type of pre-season ranking for 2012, but the hire certainly doesn’t matter in terms of the current season.
Cobra says:
Nov 28, 2011
Um, USC is 3rd in the Pac-12 with TWO conference losses. Last time I checked 2 is more than 1. Also, by your logic, shouldn’t Stanford and ASU be ahead of USC?
Cliff Kirkpatrick says:
Nov 28, 2011
USC also finished strong. It’s kind of the thing in the polls. You can lose early, but not late.
In reality, Oregon, USC and Stanford knock each other off and should be tied. But I don’t like ties, and USC got the last shot in two weekends ago.
OSU4Life says:
Nov 28, 2011
I saw this at the bottom of a Paul Buker article that is very alarming!
http://www.oregonlive.com/beavers/index.ssf/2011/11/oregon_state_football_what_wen.html
That incredibly shrinking OSU running game:
2007 – 2,274 net yards, 174.9 per game, 4.2 per rush
2008 – 2,055 net yards, 158.1 per game, 4.2 per rush (lost to oregon)
2009 – 1,818 net yards, 139.8 per game, 4.1 per rush (lost to oregon)
2010 – 1,184 net yards, 119.6 per game, 3.7 per rush (lost to oregon)
2011 – 1,043 net yards, 86.9 per game, 3.3 per rush (lost to oregon)
- Paul Buker
This didn’t happen overnight, and during 08,09, & 2010 we had JaQuizz Rodgers!!! This is beyond Inexcusabe! It’s emabarrassing!
floridabeav says:
Nov 28, 2011
OSU4Life: Now you can see why at the midpoint of last season I predicted that the OSU football program was in a death spiral. Fans have a tendency to do two things: focus on the last game and be stubbornly optimistic. The statistics you quote from Buker along with incredibly weak OL recruiting during Jaquizz’s tenure at OSU show that the decline of the OSU program was well underway last season. Still, even given this year’s performance, program apologists who should know better say “Wait until next year!” I say wait for what? Another losing season is almost guaranteed given the state of the OL (where it takes at least two years to develop a quality athlete into a solid performer in a pro-set offense) and the general lack of talent on the DL and at LB. I honestly can not see a winning record for at least three years.
OSU4Life says:
Nov 28, 2011
“Sunshine State Beav” AKA: floridabeav,
Unless Mike Riley performs some major overhauls of his football program both inside and out, OSU football will resemble the 2010 & 2011 years. The program was in decline since OSU lost to the *ucks 65-38! Winless on the road in September for almost a decade is a joke with that stat alone! Add losing 4 years in a row to your rival (by an average score of 47 to 28, giving up over 500 yards in each game!!!), losing to D1-AA Sacramento State (at home no less), losing to the three worst teams in your conference (2010), never winning any Big Games (besides beating USC) I think OSU must first start with an attitude adjustment. They must change the mindset to a winning mindset, instead of a passive mindset. Forget “Powered by Orange”, “Onward”, “I am Orange, Let it Rage”.
The motto for 2012 OSU coaching staff should be “GROW SOME”, check down below boys, “are they still there?” lol. Okay, on a more serious note, a great motto for the supposed renewed OSU football team should be “No Guts, No Glory”! You’ve gotta hand it to oregon, their coaching staff has guts, and their preparation and schemes are top notch! I just don’t see the intensity or the urgency with OSU football.
Chris says:
Nov 28, 2011
Well, that’s the Langsdorf offense here. He came in and took Erickson’s players/recruits (starting in 2005/2006 it was largely Erickson’s players or recruits and some in 2007)and then did good for awhile and then with the Riley era recruits he’s stunk the place up pretty heavily.
But hey – Riley has the full faith and confidence in Langsdorf. Who am I to second guess Riley. But then again, if you look at the subjective facts Langsdorf’s been bad for the program. If you look at the objective facts he’s been downright dreadful for the program.
And just the other night Riley commented how the offense went backwards this season….so figure it all out and the common link in all of this is Langsdorf.
But nothing will change, I either can give my cash to OSU or not. That’s entirely up to me….so will I punt between now and renewal time? I bet that will show them (sarcastically).
Basically, we’re screwed for years to come. Under Langsdorf’s tenure we’re probably looking at a repeat of the 28 dreadful years again.