Ted's Takes: Did the Pac-12 Live Up to Expectations in 2014?

December's arrival allows for “self-scouting,” which is an attempt to grade our own Pac-12 predictions.

First, the Big 12 has threatened my premise that veteran quarterbacks and top-tier coaches would lead the Pac-12 to challenge SEC supremacy. The teams in the Pac-12 South have cannibalized each other enough to take the entire division out of the national picture. Result: The Big 12 has strong teams in the Top 10 and a better national presence.

Here is Exhibit A for the Pac-12:

Conference	Record	Win %
Pac-12	8-3	.727
ACC	10-7	.588
SEC	5-6	.455
Big 12	4-6	.400
Big Ten	6-11	.353

The Pac-12 losses were Stanford at Notre Dame, Washington State to Rutgers, and USC at Boston College. Notable wins by Utah at Michigan, Cal at Northwestern, and the Arizona State/USC home wins over Notre Dame lost luster as the Wolverines, Wildcats and Irish all stumbled to the finish line.

My premise hinged on the foundation of Pac-12 veteran quarterbacks. While Oregon's Marcus Mariota solidified his Heisman candidacy and USC's Cody Kessler emerged as the conference’s most underrated player, Oregon State's Sean Mannion and Stanford's Kevin Hogan had uneven years, in part surrounded by lesser supporting casts.

Brett Hundley's Ups and Downs

Harry How/Getty Images

No player puzzled me more at season’s end than UCLA's signal-caller Brett Hundley. A career highlight, the dominance of USC for a third straight year, was neutered by a tepid performance against Stanford and the failure to clinch the Pac-12 South Division. 

What impacted Hundley in prior matchups with Stanford, and during this year's opener at Virginia, was repeated in the game where UCLA expected to confirm its ownership of not just its Los Angeles rivalry but the Pac-12 South. Stanford pressured Hundley, as the Cardinal defensive front outplayed the same Bruins defensive line that had decisively powered through the Trojans.

Hundley’s passive response, reflected by his team, left the Bruins hollow. 

“I thought we closed the gap,” Mora said, via Kyle Kensing of Bleacher Report. “But we still have work to do. We will continue to work hard on getting bigger and faster and stronger and more physical [and] recruiting the type of student-athletes we think can help us win those types of games.” 

That gap never seemed bigger than on Saturday. Stanford, previously unable to replicate the power run game that had been its identity, pounded out 202 rushing yards while possessing the ball for over 37 minutes.

Then, when Hundley needed to generate drives to keep his defense off the field, Stanford’s defense won the day. Hundley was sacked four times, threw 15 incompletions and was outgained through the air by 88 yards.

Harry How/Getty Images

So, it is fair to wonder about the comments Hundley made four days prior to the game on The Jim Rome Show (via The Beast 980):

“I think the chances are really high,” Hundley said. “The conversation keeps coming up. I’ve got my degree. I’ve done everything I wanted to do here. I’ve left something that’s really, truly great and I feel good. That was probably my last one against USC.”    

Hundley needed a strong wingman, someone to smother those thoughts for two weeks. Someone to tell him to focus on Stanford, take another shot at Oregon and then talk about the pros. His game performance places those comments in an unflattering light.

Stanford discovered its offense in the season's final moments. Now, a 7-5 finish could have the Cardinal bound for the Foster Farms Bowl in Santa Clara, California. Of bigger concern is Hogan's play. With a year left, the redshirt junior may have solidified his decision to return and delayed the ascension of redshirt freshman Keller Chryst.

Answers to the Other Preseason Questions

Is Oregon Tough Enough?

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Yes, with one remaining hurdle—winning the physical battle against Arizona Friday. The Ducks set their season's tone in Week 2, slapping 46 points on Michigan State. Spartans running back Jeremy Langford was held to a 3.6 yards-per-carry average (24 rushes for 86 yards).

But Arizona remains the last frontier for Oregon. After Ka’Deem Carey crushed the Ducks last year with 206 yards rushing and four touchdowns, Arizona threw a tandem of Terris Jones-Grigsby (115) and Nick Wilson (92) at Oregon for a similar result—207 rushing yards.

Will Stanford Change Its Identity?

Without a primary running back and incorporating highly regarded but new offensive linemen, Stanford turned to a more balanced offense in 2014:

Year	Run %	Pass %	3rd-Down Run %	3rd-Down Pass %
2012	54.8	45.2	34.5	65.5
2013	62.4	37.6	47.8	52.2
2014	50.5	49.5	29	71

The result was a unit that sputtered through much of the season before providing an unexpected surge in the final two games. The Cardinal scored the second-fewest touchdowns (38) and allowed the fewest (23, 10 fewer than second-place Oregon) in the Pac-12.

After losing its best offensive player in wideout Ty Montgomery, will Stanford attempt to revert to power football for 2015?

Don’t Sleep on Washington State?

This was my worst call of 2014.

The 3-9 Cougars were a major disappointment, remaining woefully unable to run, defend the pass and, sadly, protect its quarterback. Connor Halliday deserved a better ending. The Cougar faithful must wonder if they are tracking upward after year three of having head coach Mike Leach at the helm.

The Playoff

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A conversation with Tyrone Willingham, former Stanford and Washington head coach, provided some facts to know for this weekend’s championship games. Willingham would not divulge specific conversations within the College Football Playoff's selection committee, but he did confirm that the mission is to pick the best four teams. No conference quotas. Conference championships help, but a second-place team would not be eliminated.

And selection is to be based on the team that would play in January. Thus, injuries matter. Ohio State would be judged as the team that would be without quarterback J.T. Barrett.

This information's relevance to the Pac-12? It seems clear that Oregon is win-and-in on Friday. A two-loss Arizona team with a weak nonconference schedule would, from this view, be a long shot.

All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.