Well, hello Arizona. Welcome to the party. 

The Arizona Wildcats got some outstanding news on June 17 when the Tucson City Prosecutor's Office dropped all charges against star running back Ka'Deem Carey.

The junior running back was facing misdemeanor assault and disorderly conduct charges after an incident with his former girlfriend in December. The office released a statement which said that "a key witness for the prosecution is unavailable and even if the witness were available, there is no substantial likelihood that a judge would convict Mr. Carey," according to the Associated Press. 

Carey led the nation with 1,929 rushing yards last season and set a school record 23 touchdowns, but his status for this season, which had been a question mark due to his legal problems, is now an exclamation mark. 

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Homecoming is special for fans. The alumni and students mingle during tailgates and regale in stories of campus life. It is a time for boosters to open up their checkbooks and show their undying support for their alma mater. They have come home, if only for five or six hours. 

It is also a time when a win is expected. Schedule a patsy and all is okie dokie. Schedule a BCS contender and everything is inky stinky. This year three Pac-12 teams threw out common sense and scheduled on a whimsy. 

Oregon State, USC and Utah all have Stanford scheduled for their homecoming games. Guys, you are doing it all wrong. No fan base wants to watch the Tree (pictured above) dancing around the field while Stanford's nutty band members insult their team and/or school on Homecoming—even if they do play great music. 

Some Pac-12 teams are doing it right. 

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UCLA has offered an athletic scholarship to quarterback Lindell Stone (Dawson Middle School, Southlake, Texas), according to an ESPN report. 

The 6' 2", 190-pound, 15-year-old just finished eighth grade. "We're really not focused on recruiting right now," Stone told ESPN.

"We're more focused on getting on the field at high school and helping a team win a championship, but this is big. It's finally showing how hard I've worked."

UCLA is not the first school to offer a scholarship to a kid before he set foot in high school. In 2010, USC offered quarterback David Sills (Red Lion Academy, Bear, Del.) at the ripe of age 13. Sills has committed to USC. 

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Three new Pac-12 head coaches will be debuting this year. Cal's Sonny Dykes, Colorado's Mike MacIntyre and Oregon's Mark Helfrich are all coaching for the first time at BCS schools.

Helfrich may have the toughest debut. 

The Oregon Ducks have appeared in four consecutive BCS Bowls. With the return of quarterback Marcus Mariota and running back De'Anthony Thomas taking on a more featured role, anything less than a Rose Bowl berth will be disappointing.

Former head coach Chip Kelly amassed a 46-7 record in his four years in Eugene. If Helfrich loses two or more games with a cupboard left stocked with talent, the criticism will begin.  

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Arizona State quarterback Taylor Kelly is a made man.

The 22-year-old redshirt junior can no longer hide in obscurity after passing for 3,040 yards, 29 touchdowns and nine interceptions last season. 

He now has 13 starts and a few school records, including a 67.1 passing completion percentage.

Yet despite such a fantastic debut, Kelly seems unfazed.  

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The Pac-12 will reduce the number of contact football practices per week, conference commissioner Larry Scott announced Tuesday on a teleconference with the media.

The NCAA currently allows a maximum of five contact practices per week. As part of the Pac-12 Student-Athlete Health Initiative, Scott said the conference will put "limits on hits and contact in practice that are less than what the NCAA permits.''

But he said the particulars of that policy won't be announced until Pac-12 media day on July 26th.

The Pac-12 will not be the only league to have such a policy. The Ivy league has enforced a similar policy since 2011. The Oregon Ducks also have a similar policy. 

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What, exactly, is Pac-12 football?

The Big Ten is grind-it-out power football with a Midwest tone. The Big 12 is prolific offenses with a Southwest feel. The SEC is balanced offenses, stingy defenses and passionate Southern fans.

They have distinctive personalities. 

Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott has done a tremendous job rebranding the conference with its new logo, realignment and media rights deal. The league's digital content and broadcast talent are top-notch. But it is lacking credibility in college football.

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Stanford was the only Pac-12 football team to be ranked among the top 20 in total defense in NCAA Div. I last season. However, that does not mean the Pac-12 lacked great defenses.

What it does mean is that in conference games, those defenses had to contend with several prolific offenses.

So where do defenses in the Pac-12 stand heading into 2013? 

One from the Pac-12 South will be surprisingly better while another from the Pac-12 North will struggle.

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