Pac-12 football preview: Oregon, USC look to be the teams to beat in 2020 - Deseret News

SALT LAKE CITY — It looks more questionable by the day that we’ll have a normal college football season in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the worry over large public gatherings, but we can always hope.

Last week, Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti said it wasn’t likely that large sporting events with large crowds would be allowed in his city until 2021. That would mean no football — at least no football in front of fans — in places like the Rose Bowl and the Los Angeles Coliseum for UCLA and USC.

Utah athletic director Mark Harlan was skeptical of a normal season, saying last week, “it’s just hard for me to see” a full Rice-Eccles Stadium on Sept. 3 when the Utes are scheduled to open against BYU.

With all that said, let’s assume for a moment that things will progress to the point that schools can get a sufficient number of practices in this summer and that the season can start on time.

If the season were to be played, how would the 2020 Pac-12 stack up?

Here is a brief look at how the Pac-12 race is looking four-plus months away, with predicted order of finishes in each division.

South division

USC (8-5, 7-2)

The Trojans return 17 starters as well as their placekicker and punter, and the 93 returning players on the roster are the most they’ve had since 1989.

On offense, quarterback Kedon Slovis returns after earning Pac-12 offensive Freshman of the Year honors (72% completions, 3,502 yards, 30 touchdowns). JT Daniels had started at quarterback the year before, but he decided to enter the transfer portal last week, leaving Matt Fink, who led the Trojans past Utah last fall, as the backup.

They’ll return two receivers. Amon-Ra St. Brown and Tyler Vaughns, who each caught more than 70 passes. Also back are the two leading rushers Vavae Malepeai and Stephen Carr. In all, eight starters return on offense, including three offensive linemen.

Nine starters return on defense, led by all-Pac-12 first-team defensive lineman Jay Tufele, who prepped at Utah’s Bingham High School, freshman all-American Drake Jackson and two-year starter Marlon Tuipulotu.

USC Trojans defensive lineman Jay Tufele gets ready to take the field against the Utah Utes during NCAA football in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018.

Schedule: The Trojans open against Alabama in Arlington, Texas, and their other two nonconference games are against New Mexico and Notre Dame at home. In league play, they play just four home games and have tough road tests at Utah and Oregon and miss perhaps the two worst teams in the North in Washington State and Oregon State.

Utah (11-3, 8-1)

The Utes’ defense has been decimated with nine starters — including eight likely NFL draftees — gone and just two starters returning. The defense has been the strength of the program throughout Kyle Whittingham’s tenure, so if any team can reload, it’s the Utes.

Linebacker Devin Lloyd, who led the team in tackles with 91, is back along with defensive end Mika Tafua, who started 13 games and was an honorable mention all-Pac-12 selection. Highly-touted freshman cornerback Clark Phillips could start right out of the gates.

The Utes will miss quarterback Tyler Huntley and running back Zack Moss, but have a lot to be excited about on offense. Four of the five starting linemen are back along with receivers Bryan Thompson and Britain Covey and tight ends Brant Kuithe and Cole Fotheringham.

Utah Utes tight end Brant Kuithe signals a first down after catching a pass against the USC Trojans during NCAA football in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018.

The quarterback position will be a battle between South Carolina grad transfer Jake Bentley and Texas transfer Cameron Rising, while Devin Brumfield and Jordan Wilmore are the top running backs. The Utes also have experienced receivers in Samson Nacua and Solomon Enis. The Utes will have experience in the kicking game with both punter Ben Lennon (40.9 ypp) and placekicker Jadon Redding (10-13 FGs, 56-56 PATs) both back for their sophomore seasons.

Schedule: In Pac-12 play, Utah has four home games, including USC and Washington, and avoids playing Oregon and Stanford for the second straight year. Nonconference games are BYU and Montana State at home and Wyoming on the road.

Arizona State (8-5, 4-5)

The Sun Devils were competitive in every game last year with every loss coming by 10 points or less, except for the 21-3 defeat at Utah. Coach Herm Edwards, who has compiled a 15-11 record in two seasons at ASU, has brought in new coordinators on both offense and defense.

Jayden Daniels will be back at quarterback, after throwing for 2,943 yards and 17 touchdowns last year and running for three more TDs and 355 yards. However, the Sun Devils will need to find replacements for all-league running back Eno Benjamin and their top two receivers.

Utah Utes linebacker Devin Lloyd (20) trips up Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) and prevents him from going out of bounds near the end of the first half of an NCAA football game at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019.

On defense, the top three tacklers are back — linebacker Darien Butler, defensive back Evan Fields and linebacker Marlin Robertson.

Schedule: The Sun Devils have four home Pac-12 games, including Utah, but don’t play Washington and Stanford. Nonconference games include Northern Arizona and BYU at home and UNLV on the road.

UCLA (4-8, 4-5)

After a poor start, the Bruins came on strong in the second half of Chip Kelly’s second season.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson showed flashes at the quarterback position last year with 2,899 total yards and 25 touchdowns running and passing. However, running back Joshua Kelly is gone as are three offensive lineman off a line that wasn’t great last season. Receiver Kyle Phillips (60 catches) returns.

UCLA Bruins quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson (1) holds up his hands asking a question to his sideline as Utah and UCLA play a college football game in Salt Lake City at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019. Utah won 49-3.

The Bruins defense, which was one of the worst in the league last year, allowing nearly 35 points per game, returns a lot of players, which could be good news or bad news.

Schedule: The Bruins have the easiest slate among the South teams with five home games, and they avoid Oregon and Washington in crossover games. They also have a pretty easy nonconference schedule New Mexico State, Hawaii and San Diego State, the latter two on the road.

Arizona (4-8, 2-7)

This will be a big year for coach Kevin Sumlin, who has suffered two straight losing seasons after five winning seasons in the previous six years for the Wildcats.

Quarterback Khalil Tate, who started off and on for four years, is gone and sophomore Grant Gunnell, who played in eight games last year and passed for 1,239 yards and nine touchdowns, is the likely starter. Leading rusher J.J. Taylor is also gone, but five of the top pass-catchers return along with most of the offensive line. Depth is a problem on defense, but linebackers Colin Schooler and Tony Fields, the top two tacklers from last year, return.

Utah Utes quarterback Tyler Huntley is slow to get up and left the game after being tackled by Arizona Wildcats linebacker Tony Fields II in Tucson, Arizona, on Friday, Sept. 22, 2017. Utah beat Arizona 30-24.

Schedule: Five home league games are on the schedule for the Wildcats, who don’t play Cal or Washington State. Nonconference games are Hawaii and Portland State at home and at Texas Tech.

Colorado (5-7, 3-6)

The Buffs suffered a blow when Mel Tucker, who seemed to be off to a good start as the Buffs coach, abruptly left for Michigan State in February after saying he was committed to Colorado.

New coach Karl Dorrell knows the Pac-12, having coached at UCLA for five years, but will need to break in a new quarterback after Steven Montez graduated along with the top two receivers. The defense returns linebacker Nate Landman and defensive lineman Mustafa Johnson but also lost several starters.

Karl Dorrell jokes with reporters during a news conference to announce that he is the new NCAA college head football coach at Colorado during a news conference Monday, Feb. 24, 2020, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Schedule: The Buffs get five home games in Pac-12 play and miss Cal and Oregon State in crossover games. Nonconference games include road trips to Texas A&M and Colorado State and a home game against Fresno State.

North division

Oregon (12-2, 8-1)

The defending Pac-12 champs are the overall favorite to repeat as champions with most of their defense returning and several key players on offense. The Ducks will have to replace four-year starter Justin Herbert at quarterback with last year’s backup Tyler Slough most likely to take over. However, the top two rushers, CJ Verdell (1228 yards) and Travis Dye (658 yards) are back along with the top two receivers, Johnny Johnson and Jaylon Redd. Outland Trophy winner Penei Sewell, who prepped at Utah’s Desert Hills High School, will anchor the offensive line. The defense will be led by safety Jevon Holland (66 tackles, 4 interceptions) and cornerback Thomas Green (64 tackles, 2 interceptions).

Oregon’s Penei Sewell poses with Outland Trophy for being the nation’s best interior lineman Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Schedule: The Ducks open with North Dakota State, winner of eight of the last nine FCS titles, and also play Ohio State and Hawaii at home. They play four home games in league play and won’t play Utah or UCLA.

California (8-5, 4-5)

Justin Wilcox has turned around the Cal program with an overall winning record in three years (20-18) and two bowl appearances. The Bears have been known for their strong defense but will need to improve their 117th place standing in the nation in total offense.

Quarterback Chase Garbers, who was 7-2 as a starter, returns, along with leading rusher Christopher Brown (914 yards). Four of the top receivers return, including top receiver Nikko Remigio.

Brigham Young Cougars defensive lineman Corbin Kaufusi (90) rushes California Golden Bears quarterback Chase Garbers (7) in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018.

The defense will miss all-American Evan Weaver, who led the nation in tackles and was the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, but Kuony Deng, who had 119 tackles, is back.

Schedule: The Bears get five Pac-12 home games but miss Arizona and Colorado. The nonconference schedule includes TCU and Cal Poly at home and UNLV on the road.

Washington (8-5, 4-5)

Jimmy Lake has taken over in Seattle for Chris Peterson, who shocked everyone with his resignation after last season. One of Lake’s first jobs will be finding a replacement at quarterback for Jacob Eason, who left after playing just one season, following his transfer from Georgia. The Huskies will also be missing their leading rusher and two top receivers along with several offensive linemen.

Washington football defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake speaks about taking over the head coaching position from Chris Petersen during a news conference, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019, in Seattle. Petersen unexpectedly resigned at Washington on Monday, a shocking announcement with the Huskies coming off a 7-5 regular season and bound for a sixth straight bowl game under his leadership. Petersen will coach Washington in a bowl game, his final game in charge. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

The defense has most of its starters back, led by senior defensive backs Elijah Molden and Keith Taylor and linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio.

Schedule: They might have the hardest slate with Oregon, Utah, USC, Cal and Washington on the road and just four home games. They don’t play Arizona State or UCLA. Nonconference games include Michigan, Sacramento State and Utah State, all at home.

Stanford (4-8, 3-6)

After eight straight winning seasons, including three Rose Bowl appearances, the Cardinal had their first losing record under coach David Shaw last year, finishing 4-8, tied for last place in the North Division.

The Cardinal offensive hopes will rely on the arm of Davis Mills, who was the top-rated quarterback in the high school class of 2017 that included Tua Tagovailoa and Jake Fromm. But injuries set him back and he lost his job to K.J. Costello, before getting a chance last year and passing for more than 1,000 yards in his final three games.

Former Brighton High standout Simi Fehoko will be one of Mills’ top targets along with Michael Wilson. Cornerback Paulson Adebo passed up a chance at the NFL and will lead a defense that has some holes to fill.

Stanford wide receiver Simi Fehoko (13) runs on the field during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Washington State in Pullman, Wash., Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)

Schedule: Four home games in Pac-12 play and they don’t play Utah and Arizona State. The non-conference schedule includes a home opener against William & Mary, a season-ending home game against BYU and a midseason game at Notre Dame.

Washington State (6-7, 3-6)

There will be a new look in Pullman with Mike Leach gone — off to Mississippi State — but former Hawaii coach Nick Rolovich likes to put the ball in the air, just not as much as the pass-happy Leach.

With quarterback Anthony Gordon and backup Gage Gubrud gone, the Cougars will be breaking in a new QB and may have to rely more on the running of Max Borghi, who rushed for 817 yards last year and was also the top receiver with 86 catches.

Washington State football head coach Nick Rolovich walks along the court before an NCAA college basketball game between Washington State and Oregon State in Pullman, Wash., Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)

The defense looks solid with six of the top seven tacklers back, led by linebacker Jahad Woods, who had 141 tackles last year, and safety Skyler Thomas, who had four interceptions and was second on the team in tackles.

Schedule: The Cougars get five home games in league play, but don’t meet USC and Arizona. In nonconference games, the Cougars play at home against Houston and Idaho and on the road at Utah State.

Oregon State (5-7, 4-5)

The Beavers came this close to earning a bowl berth last year under second-year coach Jonathan Smith, but might be hard-pressed to match last year’s record after losing their quarterback, leading receiver and some top offensive linemen. At least second-leading rusher Jermar Jefferson returns.

On defense, the majority of the starters are back led by Avery Roberts and Hamilcar Rashed, who had 14 sacks last year.

Oregon State linebacker Avery Roberts reacts after making a play during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Arizona State in Corvallis, Ore., Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)

Schedule: Nonconference schedule includes a trip to Oklahoma State and home games against Colorado State and Portland State. The conference slate includes five home games, but no USC or Colorado.

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