12 Developments That Will Shake Up Pac-12 Football in 2012

With four new head coaches, numerous star players headed to the NFL and some of the top-ranked recruiting classes in the nation, Pac-12 headlines have dominated the world of collegiate football this offseason.

Last year it was the Oregon Ducks who were crowned the inaugural Pac-12 champions and in 2012 you can expect the other 11 teams to be gunning for them. While some are painting the Ducks as the favorite to win their second consecutive Pac-12 title, don't be surprised if another team snatches it away.  

Here are my 12 developments that will shake up the Pac-12 Conference this 2012 season.    

This Young Oregon State Team Will Mature and Grow Together

Perhaps the biggest problem facing the Oregon State Beavers last season was their youth, especially on offense.  Freshman Sean Mannion started at quarterback and was paired in the backfield with freshman running back Malcolm Agnew.   

Despite their inexperience, the Beavers defeated Washington in Week 12 and managed to hang around with Oregon—at least for a short while.  

Oregon State will have 16 returning starters next year, including its entire defensive line and the majority of its secondary.

Look for all-around improvement from this Beaver squad and don't be surprised if it pulls off a couple of upsets throughout the season.  

Utah's New Offensive Coordinator May Be Just What It Needed

Last season, the Utes defense ranked third in total defense in the Pac-12 and carried the team to an 8-5 record.  Their offense, however, underperformed as they finished last in total offense among Pac-12 teams.

Granted, starting quarterback Jordan Wynn only played in four games, but in those four games the Utes never scored more than 14 points.     

So when the news that offensive coordinator Norm Chow was taking the head coaching gig at Hawaii, it may have been a blessing in disguise for Utah.  

Shortly after Chow's departure, the Utes named Brian Johnson as their new offensive coordinator. Johnson had been the quarterback coach for Utah for just one season, but head coach Kyle Whittingham has the utmost confidence in his 25-year-old offensive coordinator (via ESPN)

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"Brian is a leader and a special coaching talent...and he is the right person to lead our offense," Whittingham said.

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If Johnson can turn the Utah offense around, this team could be scary.  The Utes are returning 16 starters, nine of which are offensive. Keep an eye on the team in Salt Lake City in 2012.      

A Fresh Face Patrolling the ASU Sidelines

Last year the Sun Devils entered the season with high hopes—they were the favorite to represent the Pac-12 South in the inaugural Pac-12 Championship Game. Instead, they lost five of their final six regular-season games and finished third in the division.  

This prompted Arizona State to fire Dennis Erickson and replace him with Todd Graham, who had just led Pitt to a mediocre 6-6 record.  

Despite Erickson being fired in the middle of recruiting season, Graham retained most of the recruits and even won some battles late—most notably, D.J. Foster, who was arguably the best athlete coming out of Arizona. Pairing Foster with returning running back Cameron Marshall gives the Sun Devils a viable two-headed-monster in their backfield.  

Graham definitely has his work cut out for him, as there will only be eight returning starters in 2012, by far the lowest amount in the Pac-12. However, the energy and excitement that comes with bringing in a new coach may just make up for some of the Sun Devils' shortcomings.   

Zach Kline Could Start Right Away for Cal

Much like Utah, the Golden Bears have the defense to thank for much of their success last season, as Cal led the Pac-12 in yards allowed.  

In 2012, their defense may drop off as just five defensive starters are returning. However, things just might be looking up for the Bears offense. As a part of their great recruiting class of 2012, the Bears signed quarterback Zach Kline.  

Kline may already be the best quarterback on Cal's depth chart. At 6'2'', 205 pounds, he has a rocket arm, can move in the pocket and has that little bit of cockiness you love to see in a quarterback.  

At the very least, Kline should see significant playing time this year, especially if Zach Maynard performs as inconsistently as he did last season.  

Rich Rod Takes over for the Wildcats

It's been quite the cross-country tour for Rich Rodriguez over the last five years. After having so much success at West Virginia, Rodriguez left Morgantown for his alma mater, Michigan.  There, he won just 15 games in three seasons, essentially forcing his own firing. Now, Rich Rod has made his way out west to Tucson, Ariz., where he'll try to implement his spread offense that worked so well at West Virginia.  

Other than the Big 12, I can't think of a better conference for Rodriguez to bring his offense to.  The Pac-12 offenses are veering away from the traditional pro-style offense that used to rule the conference and are leaning towards more wide-open styles of play.  

Of course, Rodriguez would have loved to have install his spread offense with Nick Foles under center, but he'll have to settle for Matt Scott and an experienced offensive line instead.

Don't expect the Wildcats to have a great season, but they might surprise a few teams that underestimate the spread master.     

Shaq Thompson Will Help Solidify a Horrific Husky Secondary

After that historic offensive shootout with Baylor in the Alamo Bowl last season, the Huskies knew they needed to improve defensively. And they took a big step in the right direction when they landed safety Shaq Thompson.

Thompson had been ranked as high as the No. 3 overall prospect by Scout.com and was one of the most coveted defensive players throughout the recruiting process. Thompson is one of the best athletes in the country and possesses the speed to keep up with nearly any receiver.

At 6'2'' and 210 pounds, he has the size to play the run, so don't be surprised if he splits playing time at corner and safety. Either way, expect Thompson to start right away and make a significant impact on the Husky D.  

Washington is a team that has been steadily improving under head coach Steve Sarkisian so look for it to improve upon its 7-6 record from last season.   

Jim Mora Is the New Man in Charge at UCLA

Despite "winning" the Pac-12 South last year, Rick Neuheisel is out as head coach. So in comes Jim Mora, coaching at the collegiate level again for the first time since 1984.

Mora inherits a team in UCLA that was near the bottom of the conference in both total offense and yards allowed last year. However, he does bring with him a very impressive recruiting class highlighted by Ellis McCarthy, a 6'5'', 300-pound lineman with outstanding quickness and athleticism.  

Mora can certainly get the job done on the recruiting trail, and now he must prove he can coach at the collegiate level.    

Mike Leach Brings His Air Raid Offense to Wazzu

Last time we heard of Mike Leach was 2009 as he made his controversial exit from Texas Tech for apparently mistreating one of his players.

Nevertheless, he got the job done at Texas Tech as the program boasted one of the top offensive teams under Leach.  

Now, he brings that famous air raid offense of his to Pullman, Wash., where he hopes to turn around a program that hasn't seen a winning season since 2003.  

I absolutely love this hire. The pirate is perfect for this job—he's used to being the underdog and he relishes the opportunities to knock off the big boys. That's what he did at Texas Tech and that's what he'll do at Washington State...perhaps even this season.   

The Farm Is out of Luck

It's nearly impossible to lose the No. 1 NFL draft pick and not have a down year. While many people believe head coach David Shaw can coach Stanford to prominence without Andrew Luck, I am not one of those people.  

Luck simply meant too much to the offense and accounted for too much of its production. Of course, nobody is arguing the Cardinal aren't going to miss him, but the notion they have a chance to win the Pac-12 is ludicrous to me.  

At the very least, the defense may be improved next season, but that will not come close to making up for the loss of Luck.  Not to mention the Cardinal are also going to be without their three leading receivers from 2011: Griff Whalen, Coby Fleener, and Chris Owusu.  

Murphy, Peat and the 2012 Stanford Recruiting Class

Despite everything I said in the previous slide, coach David Shaw did put together an amazing 2012 recruiting class, highlighted by 5-star offensive linemen Kyle Murphy and Andrus Peat along with 5-star defensive lineman Aziz Shittu.

Other big names include OL Joshua Garnett, RB Barry Sanders and LB Noor Davis. With that kind of talent, there's no doubt the Cardinal are set up well for the future. And while a number of those players could end up contributing this season, I don't see them making the sort of impact that would propel Stanford to the top of the Pac-12.  

Then again, this team may surprise everyone, including me, and not lose a beat. The Cardinal were second in the Pac-12 in rushing offense last season and are expected to emphasize the run even more this year now that Luck is gone. It's almost as if Shaw constructed this recruiting class, one that includes seven offensive linemen, with a season filled with smash-mouth football in mind.    

Missing Ducks

Like the Stanford Cardinal, the Oregon Ducks are losing their quarterback in Darron Thomas. They're also losing their leading rusher in LaMichael James. And while the Ducks are well-equipped to deal with the loss of James, how they handle the loss of Thomas will be interesting.  

Kenjon Barner will seamlessly step in for James and be the team's featured back in 2012, along with receiver/running back De'Anthony Thomas.  

As of now, there's a position battle at quarterback between Bryan Bennett and Marcus Mariota. And while both of Bennett and Mariota are extremely talented as well as good fits for Chip Kelly's spread offense, I can't envision them putting up the kind of numbers Thomas did.

The Ducks are also losing their best player from their defensive backfield in Eddie Pleasant, who was one of the best safeties in the Pac-12 last year. It will be difficult for the younger Oregon players to duplicate his level of play.   

Matt Barkely, Robert Woods and the Returning USC Starters

After a 10-2 campaign in 2011, the USC Trojans are poised to make a run at a Pac-12 Championship as well as a national championship in 2012. The Men of Troy are expected to be No. 1 in the preseason poll due to an impressive list of returning stars.  

USC will field 17 returning starters, nine on the offensive side of the ball. Heisman favorite Matt Barkley will have an array of extremely athletic weapons at his disposal, including Robert Woods, Marqise Lee, George Farmer, Randall Telfer and even perhaps true freshman Nelson Agholor, the 5-star receiver out of Florida.  

Seemingly, the only chink in the Trojans' offensive armor is the absence of All-American left tackle Matt Kalil, who was drafted No. 4 overall in this year's NFL draft. However, Aundrey Walker is expected to step in and cover Barkley's blind side with similar success.  

With all of these returning starters, the Trojans should win the Pac-12 South handily, should be favored against whomever they face in the Pac-12 Championship Game, and would most likely be favored in the national championship game.  

Aw yes, Trojan fans, 2012 is looking like it's going to be a good year.