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SALT LAKE CITY — Twelve years into existence, which sadly will be the final time, Pac-12 football is geared up for its best collective season ever.
The conference could get up to five teams ranked in the Associated Press preseason poll, which is scheduled for release in August. Four teams — in no order, Utah, USC, Oregon, Washington — are virtually guaranteed to start ranked, along with possibly Oregon State.
There's also a buzz surrounding the three new coaches beginning their tenures in the conference. You may have heard about Colorado and the attention-dominating Deion Sanders in an attempt resuscitate a perpetually downtrodden program.
Former Utah offensive coordinator Troy Taylor has taken over at Stanford and is racking up high school commitments for next season. Arizona State graduate Kenny Dillingham, who got a serious look from Utah State three years ago, comes home as the youngest Division I head coach.
By far, the upcoming season should be the most interesting since the conference expanded before the 2011 season. It's also why the collection of talent has created an abundance of hype heading into Pac-12 media day slated for this week in Las Vegas.
No wonder the conference is expected to put a heavy emphasis on the competition rather than the never-ending saga of television contracts. And there's the dark cloud hovering over the conference with the impending departure of the two Los Angeles schools going to the Big Ten next summer.
The reason for all the optimism centers on the sport's most important individual position. The top four teams going into the season all return a quarterback capable of making first-team all-conference.
The hype starts with USC's Caleb Williams, who has an excellent chance to repeat as the Heisman Trophy winner. He also enters the season as the presumptive first pick of the NFL draft next spring.
USC's defense during Lincoln Riley's first year was an abomination, culminating in a stunning 46-45 loss to Tulane in the Cotton Bowl. Expect at least six starters to come through the transfer portal, including linebacker and Provo native Mason Cobb.
In his first season after transferring from Indiana, Michael Penix Jr. flourished in Washington's offense and set himself up for an NFL career. His decision to return was somewhat of a surprise but provides a huge boost for Washington's ability to win the conference.
Initially saying he had played his last season in college, Cam Rising reversed course and decided to play one more year for Utah — we think, anyway. Rising suffered a serious knee injury in last season's Rose Bowl, which could impact his availability in September. A healthy Rising definitely puts the Utes in strong position to win a third consecutive conference championship. Without him, they likely would drop at least one notch below the contenders.
Oregon's Bo Nix is the other returner expected to put up big numbers. But he will have to do it without Dillingham, who was Oregon's offensive coordinator before going to Tempe.
Oregon State won 10 games last season for the first time since 2006 and was over .500 in consecutive season for the first time since 2008-09. DJ Uiagalelei, who lost his starting position at Clemson last season, is a ballyhooed transfer who the Beavers anticipate bolstering the previously run-heavy offense.
All the excitement does not come without a downside, which could manifest itself relative to the four-team playoff. The talent at the top might take turns beating each other, leaving the conference without a representative in the playoff for the seventh consecutive season.
Despite persistently claiming a lack of respect, the Utes have been picked to win the conference in two of the last three full seasons. This year's poll figures to be the most intriguing, with any of the top four contenders getting enough votes.
The guess here is the media goes with USC, even with all its questions on defense, followed by Washington, Utah and Oregon. Look for the Utes to again feed off the nobody-believes-in-us card as they have done so well in the past.
