Pac-12 Football Surprises and Disappointments

Biggest disappointment: USC ends up losing 3+ games and is out of the CFP conversation well before the CCG. Also, Williams picks up a hamstring injury versus the Utes in USC’s loss in the Coliseum, calls a wrap to his college career, and begins prepping for the 2024 NFL draft.

Biggest Surprise: The OSU Beavers, fired up with a conquering zeal due to being left behind in conference realignment, run roughshod through the entire PAC schedule and are undefeated entering the CCG. In that game, they play the Utes, whom they had already defeated in Corvallis, for a spot in the CFP. Alas, the Utes, with massive fan support in Las Vegas, put an end to the Beavers’ dream season and win a third straight PAC Championship.

All based on pre-season PAC-12 predictions:

Biggest surprise teams who overachieve = Wazzu and UCLA

Biggest surprise teams who underachieve = Oregon State and Washington

Biggest overachieving players = Ja’Quinden Jackson and Chase Kennedy (sticking with two Utes, since I really don’t know that much about many other team’s players).

Biggest underachieving players = DJ Uiungalelei and Michael Pennix (injury bug gonna come back…he had injury issues at Indiana).

Surprise: We win a lot of games with back up quarterbacks.

Disappointment: We don’t win enough of them to compete for the final P12 crown or NY6 bowl game.

I don’t want it to be true, but with good line play how sure are we that Rising at 90% throwing and 50% running is better than either of the backups at 100%? Even if Johnson (just for example) is only 90% of Cam’s 90% throwing, his running threat would likely be 200% of Cam’s this year. Just typing out loud now…

Surprises: Oregon State plays in the Championship game, Arizona finishes with 8 wins, Washington State also finishes with 8 wins

Disappointments: PAC 12 misses on playoffs again, Oregon and Washington both finish with 8 or less wins USC wins 9, all 3 losses in conference.

Team category
Surprise: Colorado (it’s not hard to do better than last, and their talent alone will win some games)
Disappointment: Washington (I just don’t see the difference makers on that team)

Player category
Surprise: Briton Allen (raw talent that will make a quantum leap forward in this defense)
Disappointment: Rising (I just don’t see him being 100% this year)

Utah surprises non-Utah followers and wins PAC-12 Championship!! GFU!

I think Arizona will be better than everyone expects. That is my trap game for Utah this year.

Disappointment – Utah with 9-4 record.
Surprise – Utah with a 11-2 record.

Disappointment – Next year’s starting QBs, WRs emerge, winning the bowl game in Las Vegas, and heading into 2024 on a positive note.
Surprise – Running backs and the defense rule, with Rising and Kuithe returning, remaining healthy, close to their former selves.

Surprise: CU wins 4 games (but only to bad teams)! Cal has a few upsets; Arizona better than .500; Utah beats USC, UW, UO, but drops the roadie @ Ore St. but avenges the loss in the CCG and goes to Fiesta to beat Penn St. (#3 in B1G)
Disappointments: UW, USC each have 3+ losses

Surprise: Barnes is so good, he throws for 3500 yards (some over the mountain), 25TD, 5INT and goes #1 in the draft. An injury knocks him out and he plays a little USFL and goes back to run the pig farm. But he’s called up by Scalley who is now head coach of the Broncos. He wins the Superbowl and is named MVP, and they make a movie about the pig farmer to MVP that you watch on the tiny screen on the back of an airplane seat. JK
Dissappointment: Injuries mount quickly in UF and Baylor games. Cam comes back for conference play but is limited so we start messing around with 3 qbs and none have confidence and it all goes to crap with a 7-5 season. Kuithe is a shell and goes from NFL to USFL.