Pac 12 Football: How Will the Newcomers Affect the Conference's Recruiting?

The Pac-10 will welcome two new schools to its prolific conference in 2011 with the additions of Utah and Colorado. Utah is a consistent program that has seen a rise from Urban Meyer and Alex Smith at the helm to now being led by head coach Kyle Whittingham.

Colorado is going through a transition from underachieving during Dan Hawkins' tenure to now being led by former Buffalo great Jon Embree.

Surely recruiting around the conference will be effected by the additions of two potentially strong programs, but how?

Let's take a look.

The Pac...12?

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LINCOLN, NE - NOVEMBER 26: Cody Hawkins #7 hands the ball to teammate Rodney Stewart #5 of the Colorado Buffaloes during their game against the Colorado Buffaloes at Memorial Stadium on November 26, 2010 in Lincoln, Nebraska. Nebraska defeated Colorado 45

Yep. Get used to saying it. My father used to tell me stories about the Pac-8 and how big of a deal it was when the two Arizona schools came into the conference.

Now, it's the Pac-12 with Colorado and Utah. The Utes have been thrust into the spotlight in the last decade and Kyle Whittingham is regarded as one of the best coaches in America. The Utes recruit players who want to be there, work hard, and are tough and physical.

They have been ranked in the top 25 on a consistent basis through the last several seasons and have seen themselves in the top five a few times.

Colorado enters the conference with new blood at the helm. Jon Embree, a renowned NFL tight end coach, takes over with former Buff great Eric Bienemy as his offensive coordinator. Bienemy is also a great recruiter and will open in-roads to Boulder all over the country. 

Will Utah and Colorado Be Able To Steal Recruits From the Superpowers?

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SOUTH BEND, IN - NOVEMBER 13: Dave Kruger #44 of the Utah Utes moves to pursue a runner against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium on November 13, 2010 in South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame defeated Utah 28-3. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty

Right now, as it stands, the consistent big dogs in what was once the Pac-10 are USC and Oregon. Other teams have had their runs, but the Ducks and Trojans are usually the alpha dogs.

Utah is more ready to compete with Oregon and USC on the field of play than Colorado is right now, and could get a recruit or two that the two superpowers usually sign.

In the Pac-12, the big talent hot bed in recruiting is obviously California. Even under previous regimes the Buffs recruited California fairly well and now with Bienemy having vast contacts in the Metro-Los Angeles area, look for Colorado to be a school of interest from California recruits.

With the association of being a BCS conference (Utah) and now being in a conference where California markets will pay more attention to them (Colorado), look for both schools to start signing a few recruits they would not have had a chance with in years past.

What About Other Pac-12 Schools Having More Access In Utah & Colorado?

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SEATTLE - OCTOBER 5: Quarterback Kyle Boller #7 of the California Golden Bears and head coach Jeff Tedford celebrate as time runs out during the Pacific 10 Conference football game against the Washington Huskies on October 5, 2002 at Husky Stadium in Sea

USC has shown that it can recruit anywhere in America and has sniped away notable Colorado high school stars like LenDale White and Jeff Byers.

Then again, the Trojans have shown that Utah is a fertile ground that leads to Troy by nabbing Stanley Havili and John Martinez.

For the rest of the conference, this will open up the roads to Utah and Colorado even more since the players from those states will be watching their namesake college squads face off against other schools around the conference.

This will give those other teams a chance to shine on TV and on the Internet in front of those recruits. This will spark more interest and have other Pac-12 schools coming into Utah and Colorado to try and keep their new rivals from getting some good home talent.

Utah and Colorado Will Have Better Access Into California

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BOULDER, CO - NOVEMBER 20: The Colorado Buffaloes offenses huddles up against the Kansas State Wildcats at Folsom Field on November 20, 2010 in Boulder, Colorado. Colorado defeated Kansas State 44-36. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

As I said before, if you are a Pac-12 school or even any school on the west coast, you must establish yourself in California on the recruiting trail. Utah and Colorado have done this fairly well in the past, but must do so even more now.

Being part of the Pac-12 gives both schools for lack of a better term, more credibility in California. High school coaches usually help send players to nearby schools to keep talent local when compared to out of conference schools. Now with the Utes and Buffaloes as Pac-12 members, this gives them more appeal and validity in California.

Now that they are in the Pac-12, California recruits will look at both schools longer and harder.

If you are a recruit who wants to go to USC, but the Trojans never offer you a scholarship, why not not head up to Colorado or Utah where you can stick it to the Trojans once a year?

Market Value: LA, PHX, LV, SEA, PRT, SF

This move will help Colorado and Utah because it makes them more visible in the major Western U.S. markets. Remember when Oregon put a huge Heisman billboard of Joey Harrington in Downtown Los Angeles? They did that for a reason.

Now Utah and Colorado will be consistently seen in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Portland and Seattle. These markets are major in the west and have metro areas that are hotbeds for talent on the recruiting trail.

Aside from football players, the schools can now reach and appeal to more prospective students from the west, all from moving into the Pac-12 and being seen around the Western United States more in depth.

What Are The Original Pac-10 Schools Expecting?

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SALT LAKE CITY, UT - NOVEMBER 6: Kapua Sai #56 of the Utah Utes enters the field before a game against the TCU Horned Frogs during the first half of an NCAA Football game November 6, 2010 at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah. TCU Beat Utah 47-7.

The consensus seems to be that Utah has a chance to come in and compete right away partly because they have stability in their program, a good head coach and not much turnover.

Colorado is behind as they are under a first year head coach and have not been a good team the past few seasons. Utah is also making the switch from a spread offense to a pro-style attack as they have hired Norm Chow to run their offense.

But as time moves forward, this should be great for the Pac-12. They will have a conference championship game, will make more money, and now their conference reaches from the Pacific ocean through the Rocky Mountains.

Conclusion

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NORMAN, OK - NOVEMBER 2: Quarterback Robert Hodge #7 of the Colorado Buffaloes gets instruction by Wide Receivers coach Jon Embree during the game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Memorial Stadium on November 2, 2002 in Norman, Oklahoma. The Sooners won

With the additions of Colorado and Utah, the Pac-12 becomes stronger nationally. A frequent criticism of the Pac-10 was that they had no conference championship game. Now they will. The conference will be split into to two six team divisions in the North and the South.

Utah comes in as a legitimate contender and stable program, which will strengthen conference play for everyone. The Utes have the coaching and stability to challenge Oregon, Stanford and USC year in and year out for the top spot.

Other Pac-12 schools will be strengthened as the conference will be a lot  more competitive from top to bottom.