January Grades for Oregon and the Pac-12 North

It’s been an eventful January so far for Oregon and its rivals in the Pac-12 North division, over and above the usual drama as we count down to the February 1 date for high school players to sign national letters of intent. 

The Ducks played a memorable Rose Bowl, defeating Wisconsin for their first Rose Bowl victory in 95 years. 

On to the new year. Putting aside recruiting efforts for a moment, let’s turn the page to see the report card for Oregon and the rest of the Pac-12 North schools for their other January activities.

Cal

California lost to Texas 21-10 in the Holiday Bowl on December 29, but started off 2012 with some momentum. 

Cal was the talk of college football on January 7, as three high profile recruits announced at the US Army All-American Bowl their intent to play for the Golden Bears. 

Things have gone straight downhill from there for coach Jeff Tedford. First, on January 16, highly regarded DL coach and key recruiter Tosh Lupoi bolted to join Steve Sarkisian’s staff at UW. 

The shock of Lupoi’s sudden exit had barely worn off when two days later, he was followed to Seattle by WR coach Eric Kiesau. 

Not good. Despite being a constant bowl team during the Tedford era, the Bears still haven’t played in a Rose Bowl since 1958, and 2012’s inauspicious beginning suggests that the drought will continue this year. 

At least the $321 million renovation of Memorial Stadium—the only FBS college football stadium built atop an active earthquake fault—is on schedule for completion in time for the 2012 season. 

Grade: C-

Oregon

The Ducks began 2012 in spectacular fashion, debuting yet another eye-catching uniform as they defeated Wisconsin 45-38 for their first Rose Bowl win in 95 years. 

On January 6, star RB LaMichael James announced he was entering the NFL draft. No big surprise there. 

On January 14, star QB Darron Thomas announced he was entering the NFL draft. Now that was a gigantic surprise to many Oregon and CFB fans. 

There’s no rebuilding in Eugene, just reloading, but surely the loss of two star upperclassmen and team leaders will make for a more interesting spring practice for the Ducks. 

Then, last weekend the entire Duck Nation reached for defibrillators when Chip Kelly was announced as a candidate for the Tampa Bay Bucs coaching vacancy. A giant exhale ensued when Kelly thought better of leaving one of CFB’s best operations for an NFL team in disarray. 

Meanwhile, still no closure on the NCAA investigation of alleged improprieties involving Texas talent scout Willie Lyles. 

Whatever the NCAA does, the 2012 schedule looks comfortable, with seven games at Autzen and only one away game against an opponent with a winning record in 2011. That would be USC, on November 3.

Grade: B

Oregon State

Coach Mike Riley’s Beavers suffered through a 3-9 season in 2011, the worst ever under his leadership, and then watched hated rival Oregon win the Rose Bowl. 

The good news is, 16 starters from that OSU team return in 2012, to a fairly favorable schedule.

The bad news is, these are the guys who went 3-9 in 2011, being shut out or scoring one TD in four games. 

It’s been a quiet January in Corvallis. That’s not necessarily a good thing, what with the constant hype at archrival Oregon and the headlines being made in Seattle and Pullman. 

Coach Riley is the second-longest tenured head coach in the Pac-12 North, but while his contract runs through at least 2019, this year is shaping up as a critical one for the Beavers’ program.

 Grade: C

Stanford

Stanford started the new year with a 41-38 overtime loss to Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl on January 2.

The Cardinal certainly represented the Pac-12 North well, losing to the highly touted Cowboys only after a last-second, eminently makeable 35-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left. 

The next day, All American redshirt junior offensive linemen David DeCastro and Jonathan “Moose” Martin announced they would join classmate and QB Andrew Luck in the 2012 NFL draft. 

The 2012 schedule was released a few days later, giving Stanford the benefit of a three-game homestand to open the season, and a two-month lead up to the big game at Autzen Stadium in mid-November. By then, Andrew Luck’s replacement will presumably have settled into the Cardinal’s offense. 

The best news of the new year came on January 7, when Barry J. Sanders announced his intention to play on The Farm. He’ll join a loaded backfield in Stanford’s power running game. 

Grade: B

Washington

UW played in one of the bowl season’s most memorable games, the 67-56 shootout loss to Baylor in the Alamo Bowl on December 29. 

Defenses were definitely optional that night, as the Dawgs surrendered nearly 800 yards of offense to Heisman Trophy winner RGIII and his Baylor teammates. 

January has been explosive as well for the Dawgs. Stud RB Chris Polk, second only to Napoleon Kaufman in Husky history with over 4,000 career rushing yards, announced on January 2 that he was entering the NFL draft. Polk, a redshirt junior, has already earned his bachelor’s degree from UW. 

But look what he’ll be missing: in mid-January, coach Steve Sarkisian lured not one but two of Jeff Tedford’s key assistants from Cal, new DL coach Tosh Lupoi and new OC and QBs coach, Eric Kiesau. 

It’s not every day a team raids a conference rival—make that, a division rival—for two such high profile coaches. 

Meantime, the $ 250 million renovations are underway at Husky Stadium, already one of the nation’s loudest and most picturesque venues, where fans can sail their boats on Lake Washington and dock next to the stadium.

However, bad karma could result from the reported decision to kick the UW students out of their traditional midfield seats and into the end zone.

Finally the 2012 schedule was released. It is positively brutal, with games at LSU, USC and Oregon in the first six weeks of the season.

Grade: B+

Washington State

Wazzu’s new coach Mike Leach spent January filling out his coaching staff, with hires from Boise State, Houston, UCLA and elsewhere.

Leach is perhaps the highest profile head coaching hire ever in Pullman, and gives the Cougars some needed brand name recognition. Expect Leach to make an immediate impact with a team that showed signs of life in 2011. 

WSU, which played in the Rose Bowl as recently as 2003, has not had a winning season since then. In 2011, the Cougars showed improvement, winning four games, losing two others by just a field goal, and battling Oregon at Autzen well into the second half. 

Grade: B