Today we continue with our PAC 12 Football Q & A sessions with Kurt Liedtke. Kurt is a freelance sports and music journalist, a native Oregonian working with numerous publications and websites. He is VP of Campus Attic, a collegiate apparel and media company set to launch this Summer.

[box] Question # 1: Las Vegas has installed Oregon as the favorite to win the North this year (+100) and USC as the favorite to win the South (+150). What other team(s) could realistically surprise the oddsmakers and challenge those two teams for the division & conference title? Why?[/box]

In the Northern Division Stanford, last year’s conference winner, is quickly becoming the other nationally recognized program in the Pac as a perennial contender, while in the south both UCLA and ASU are gaining ground on USC’s throne. However the south remains USC’s to lose, something they have done a bit too often of late for fan’s tastes but perhaps blamed more on maligned coaching than roster talent.

ASU and UCLA while both viable foes under now 2^nd year head coaches Todd Graham and Jim Mora look formidable, but lack the complete package to match the Trojans, perhaps in another year or two the power balance will flip but not quite yet. The roster talent is just not there yet, and growing pains within the new systems are inevitable.

The North is another story, as the annual Oregon-Stanford game has in recent years become must-see TV, the game of the year with the victor (oddly the road team based on recent trends) winning the division and conference. Stanford is a well-oiled machine, and despite the huge losses in senior leadership like Stepfan Taylor and Zach Ertz the Cardinal should continue to roll.

There are some expecting Washington to compete with both the Ducks and Cardinal, but their defense remains too suspect to go head-to-head with either. While other teams may be feisty, none outside of Stanford realistically have a chance to knock off the Ducks or Trojans.

[box] Question # 2: Name me a few unknown players that could become stars this season[/box]

DeAnthony Thomas gets all the hype for his flashy play, but as a hybrid RB/WR x-factor type player the stats show he was actually outshined in 2012 by Arizona State’s Marion Grice. Largely an unknown quantity outside the desert, Grice possesses the skills to rack up big numbers (1,104 total yards, 19 TDs in 2012) with a better yards-per-touch avg. than Thomas, and should thrive in his second year in a Sun Devil offense that quietly was one of the top offensive units in the nation.  DAT gets the hype, but Grice has the numbers and should in 2013 start to be recognized for it.

Another to watch (with an oddly familiar name) is Barry Sanders Jr. at Stanford. A redshirt in 2012, the Cardinal attack is ready to roll with the Sanders pedigree now that Stepfan Taylor has moved on to the NFL, with little Barry benefiting from arguably the best offensive line in the conference if not the nation. Practice reviews for Sanders have been stellar, the kind of hype of a redshirt freshman RB not seen since LaMichael James in 2008 awaited his turn to play.

Completing the trifecta of running backs to step into the spotlight for 2013, Oregon’s Byron Marshall takes over as the heir-apparent every-down workhorse in Eugene from Kenjon Barner. Over the last five seasons Oregon has been in the top-10 in the nation in rushing, and with the firepower returning it seems inevitable for the Ducks to accomplish this again. Marshall, the younger brother of former ASU RB Cameron Marshall, very quietly in mop-up duty of Oregon blowouts as a true freshman in 2012 racked up 447 yards at a 5.1 ypc clip, and with DeAnthony Thomas lacking the bulk to be a 20+ carry guy more often than not split out wide as a receiver, the core of the 2013 Duck ground game will be that of Marshall’s in the upcoming campaign. Sure, he may share carries with freshman phenom Thomas Tyner, but when it breaks down to who will be putting up the big numbers in the Oregon offense Marshall looks to be top Duck.

[box] Question # 3: Which team do you believe will show the greatest improvement over last season? Which team is overrated (not nearly as good as they are being made out to be)?[/box].

With the power at the top of the Pac-12 and 9-game conference schedule, better teams may end up with worse records over last year. Such is the case for both Arizona and UCLA, on paper looking to continue to make strides but with serious questions to address and probable growing pains in year 2 of a new head coach and serious starter questions to address. Washington State may also take steps forward, even if the win column remains sparse considering their brutal schedule.

In contrast to that, much has been hyped of the Washington Huskies in 2013, and while the team may be the best Steve Sarkisian has had during his tenure in Seattle, the full package is still not there to compete with the top teams in the conference. Add a brutal October schedule that includes game at Stanford and ASU and hosting Oregon, and it makes for a likely letdown to the impatient Husky faithful. If Washington can emerge from that October stretch relatively intact, they could be bowl eligible, but the talk of competing for a conference title appears premature for now.

---

For more Pac 12 & Oregon football analysis and commentary you can follow Kurt on Twitter @Keeerrrttt1.

---