PAC 12 & SEC previews
Next up is a look at the two conferences that sent teams to the BCS Championship game last season.
The PAC 12 was actually the PAC 10 at that stage but this season Colorado and Utah join the fray out west in the conference’s first change in 33 years.
The North Division of the conference will be the domain of Oregon once again. The Ducks are early favourites to return to the BCS title game in some circles and should nudge out Stanford for the division title game berth.
Stanford has Heisman Trophy hopeful Andrew Luck returning to run the show but lost head coach Jim Harbaugh to the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers. The Cardinal should go through the regular season relatively unscathed until their home date with Oregon on November 12. On the last weekend of November the team hosts Notre Dame to close out the season.
Washington will look to garner enough quality wins for another bowl bid this season.
In the South Division, USC is ineligible for the conference title so that leaves Arizona State and Utah as division favourites. UCLA could surprise this season and grab a spot in the conference title game.
Prediction wise, I will go with Oregon beating UCLA in the first PAC 12 title game.
The conference could easily send ten of its twelve teams to bowls this season with the SEC West being one of the nation’s strongest amalgamations of teams.
In the East Division, Georgia will get a test in Week One when the Bulldogs travel to Atlanta to face Boise State. They Bulldogs will then back up against last season’s division winner South Carolina at home. Later in the year there is the traditional game versus Florida, a visit from Auburn and the season ending match against rival Georgia Tech. The ‘Dawgs will be bowl bound but may fall short of a conference championship berth.
South Carolina is the slight favourite to return to the conference title tilt on the back of a solid quarterback and running game. Getting by Georgia and Florida will be the key for this season’s edition of the Gamecocks.
Florida brings in a new coach and hopes for a more solid performance this year. The month of October will make or break the season for the Gators as they host Alabama, visit LSU and Auburn before meeting Georgia in the “Cocktail Party”. They will close out the regular season with a visit from highly regarded Florida State.
In the West Division, Alabama is the preseason pick for the BCS Championship game in several circles. That may well be true but the Crimson Tide will be tested early on the road at Penn State and later in the season by LSU, Mississippi State and Auburn.
LSU will hope to put off field troubles behind them in their quest for a BCS title berth. The Bayou Bengals will be put to the test straight away when they face off against Oregon in Dallas to start the season. Later in September they travel to Mississippi State and West Virginia for tough games that could help their national ranking. The key for LSU will be defense and getting just enough out of their offense for wins.
Arkansas, Mississippi State and Auburn are the other division teams that start the season ranked in the Top 25. All should be involved in the bowl season.
For the SEC Championship game, I will go with an Alabama vs. Florida matchup with ‘Bama getting the nod.
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