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Pac-12 Notes
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March 24th
… Foe Pause …
Athlon rates Top 25 Pac-12 players … including two Buffs
From Athlon Sports … USC and Washington are the early favorites to claim the top spots in the Pac-12 next fall, so it should be no surprise both teams feature a good chunk of the conference’s individual talent. The Trojans take four spots in Athlon’s spring Pac-12 player rankings, while the Huskies have eight. Quarterbacks Sam Darnold (USC) and Jake Browning (Washington) are the top two players on this list, with two other signal-callers – Josh Rosen and Luke Falk – rounding out the top four.
Pac-12 Top 25 players by team … Washington (8); USC (4); Washington State (3); Oregon (3); Colorado (2); Utah (2); UCLA (2); Stanford (1) … Oregon State (0); Cal (0); Arizona State (0); Arizona (0)
25. Shay Fields, WR, Colorado
Fields is the Pac-12’s top returning receiver in terms of yardage (883) from 2016. He grabbed 56 passes (15.8 ypc) and nine scores for the Buffaloes last season.
15. Phillip Lindsay, RB, Colorado
Last season, Lindsay became the first Colorado running back to reach 1,000 rushing yards in a season since Rodney Stewart posted 1,316 yards in 2010. In 14 games in 2016, Lindsay posted 1,252 yards and 16 scores and added 53 receptions for 493 yards.
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Former CU commit Davis Webb: “I’m a first round guy”
From ESPN … Former California quarterback Davis Webb on Friday said he’s been told by multiple NFL teams that he could be taken early in April’s NFL draft.
“I’ve talked to a lot of NFL people,” Webb said after the Golden Bears’ pro day workouts. “And double-digit teams have told me I’m a first-round guy.”
The 6-5, 230-pound Webb, who was a graduate transfer to Cal from Texas Tech, was initially projected to be taken in the middle rounds. Recent buzz, however, has suggested that Webb’s stock is climbing.
“Every meeting [with an NFL team] I’ve had, they’ve said I’m one of the best quarterbacks on the board,” Webb said.
ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper currently projects North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky and Clemson’s Deshaun Watson to be the only two quarterbacks taken in the first round at No. 12 and No. 13, respectively.
… Continue reading story here …
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March 23rd
… Foe Pause …
Jon Wilner explains NCAA basketball tournament payouts – Pac-12 at 12 “units” … and counting
From the San Jose Mercury News … Just two rounds into March Madness, the Pac-12 has already earned more precious NCAA units than it did in the entire 2016 event.
Last year, it sent seven teams to the tournament — a conference record — but only one escaped the first weekend.
This year, it sent just four teams, but three are alive in the Sweet 16.
It pays … tens of millions … to win.
(Actually, it pays to place a load of teams in the field and to win a load of games. That’s how you get into the rarefied air of 18+ units.)
The collection of units might be the best measurement of postseason success — repeat: postseason success — because it takes into account a conference’s depth and performance.
By that standard, the Pac-12 is approaching its best showing of the decade:
2010: 5 units
2011: 9
2012: 3
2013: 10
2014: 14
2015: 12
2016: 11
2017: 12 (thus far)
… Continue reading story here …
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March 21st
… Foe Pause …
Half of the Pac-12 South coaching fraternity in the coaching “hot seat”
According to Coaches Hot Seat, three Pac-12 South coaches will enter the 2017 season on the “Hot Seat”.
Todd Graham at Arizona State is No. 3 on the list … Jim Mora of UCLA is at No. 5 … with Rich Rodriguez of Arizona at No. 15.
The rest of the Pac-12:
— No. 52 – Justin Wilcox – new head coach at Cal
— No. 54 – Gary Andersen – Oregon State
— No. 72 – Mike Leach – Washington State
— No. 80 – Willie Taggart – new head coach at Oregon
— No. 94 – Kyle Whittingham – Utah
— No. 105 – Mike MacIntyre – Colorado
— No. 107 – Clay Helton – USC
— No. 109 – Chris Petersen – Washington
— No. 110 – David Shaw – Stanford
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Stuart
Continue reading...
Pac-12 Notes
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March 24th
… Foe Pause …
Athlon rates Top 25 Pac-12 players … including two Buffs
From Athlon Sports … USC and Washington are the early favorites to claim the top spots in the Pac-12 next fall, so it should be no surprise both teams feature a good chunk of the conference’s individual talent. The Trojans take four spots in Athlon’s spring Pac-12 player rankings, while the Huskies have eight. Quarterbacks Sam Darnold (USC) and Jake Browning (Washington) are the top two players on this list, with two other signal-callers – Josh Rosen and Luke Falk – rounding out the top four.
Pac-12 Top 25 players by team … Washington (8); USC (4); Washington State (3); Oregon (3); Colorado (2); Utah (2); UCLA (2); Stanford (1) … Oregon State (0); Cal (0); Arizona State (0); Arizona (0)
25. Shay Fields, WR, Colorado
Fields is the Pac-12’s top returning receiver in terms of yardage (883) from 2016. He grabbed 56 passes (15.8 ypc) and nine scores for the Buffaloes last season.
15. Phillip Lindsay, RB, Colorado
Last season, Lindsay became the first Colorado running back to reach 1,000 rushing yards in a season since Rodney Stewart posted 1,316 yards in 2010. In 14 games in 2016, Lindsay posted 1,252 yards and 16 scores and added 53 receptions for 493 yards.
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Former CU commit Davis Webb: “I’m a first round guy”
From ESPN … Former California quarterback Davis Webb on Friday said he’s been told by multiple NFL teams that he could be taken early in April’s NFL draft.
“I’ve talked to a lot of NFL people,” Webb said after the Golden Bears’ pro day workouts. “And double-digit teams have told me I’m a first-round guy.”
The 6-5, 230-pound Webb, who was a graduate transfer to Cal from Texas Tech, was initially projected to be taken in the middle rounds. Recent buzz, however, has suggested that Webb’s stock is climbing.
“Every meeting [with an NFL team] I’ve had, they’ve said I’m one of the best quarterbacks on the board,” Webb said.
ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper currently projects North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky and Clemson’s Deshaun Watson to be the only two quarterbacks taken in the first round at No. 12 and No. 13, respectively.
… Continue reading story here …
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March 23rd
… Foe Pause …
Jon Wilner explains NCAA basketball tournament payouts – Pac-12 at 12 “units” … and counting
From the San Jose Mercury News … Just two rounds into March Madness, the Pac-12 has already earned more precious NCAA units than it did in the entire 2016 event.
Last year, it sent seven teams to the tournament — a conference record — but only one escaped the first weekend.
This year, it sent just four teams, but three are alive in the Sweet 16.
It pays … tens of millions … to win.
(Actually, it pays to place a load of teams in the field and to win a load of games. That’s how you get into the rarefied air of 18+ units.)
The collection of units might be the best measurement of postseason success — repeat: postseason success — because it takes into account a conference’s depth and performance.
By that standard, the Pac-12 is approaching its best showing of the decade:
2010: 5 units
2011: 9
2012: 3
2013: 10
2014: 14
2015: 12
2016: 11
2017: 12 (thus far)
… Continue reading story here …
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March 21st
… Foe Pause …
Half of the Pac-12 South coaching fraternity in the coaching “hot seat”
According to Coaches Hot Seat, three Pac-12 South coaches will enter the 2017 season on the “Hot Seat”.
Todd Graham at Arizona State is No. 3 on the list … Jim Mora of UCLA is at No. 5 … with Rich Rodriguez of Arizona at No. 15.
The rest of the Pac-12:
— No. 52 – Justin Wilcox – new head coach at Cal
— No. 54 – Gary Andersen – Oregon State
— No. 72 – Mike Leach – Washington State
— No. 80 – Willie Taggart – new head coach at Oregon
— No. 94 – Kyle Whittingham – Utah
— No. 105 – Mike MacIntyre – Colorado
— No. 107 – Clay Helton – USC
— No. 109 – Chris Petersen – Washington
— No. 110 – David Shaw – Stanford
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Stuart
Continue reading...