Jon Wilner
Last weekend, Colorado hired Deion Sanders.
Saturday, Stanford named Troy Taylor as their new head coach.
In between, the Pac-12 provided a dizzying array of news with players and coaches coming, going, and staying put … with unprecedented TV ratings … a Heisman Trophy finalist and a head coach speaking bluntly, and an athletic director tweeting insightfully.
If you missed any of the developments, worry not. The Hotline has it covered.
Presenting the Pac-12’s top 10:
The most significant storylines in the five days since the Buffaloes introduced Sanders.
1. Running it back
On Sunday, Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. announced he would bypass the NFL Draft and return to Montlake for another season. The decision has sweeping implications for UW and the Pac-12, instantly turning the Huskies into a preseason playoff contender and giving the conference a tandem of quarterbacks (Penix and USC’s Caleb Williams) that will stand with any in the Power Five. The moment Penix made his intentions known, next season got dramatically more interesting on the West Coast.
2. Welcome to New York
USC quarterback Caleb Williams on Monday became the first Heisman Trophy finalist from the Pac-12 since Stanford tailback Bryce Love in 2017. Williams, who dazzled down the stretch with his arm and legs, is the betting favorite to claim the sport’s most prestigious award. The last West Coast winner: Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota in 2014. And much like Mariota eight years ago, Williams entered the season as one of the leading candidates.
3. “Coach Prime” gets real
The most viral moment of Sanders’ arrival in Boulder came during his meeting with the CU players. In a video that has generated millions of views on YouTube, Sanders bluntly told the players to consider transferring because he planned to overhaul the roster. That’s no surprise — the Buffs went 1-11. But the honesty provided a peek into the harsh reality of roster rebuilding. And it was pure Sanders. Had any other coach been caught telling players to hit the road, he would have been excoriated.
4. A ratings hit
The Utah-USC showdown for the conference title on Dec. 2 drew an average of 6.2 million viewers, making it the most-watched Pac-12 championship game in history (according to the Sports Media Watch ratings database). The figure represented a 45 percent year-over-year audience increase and surpassed the previous high of 6.0 million viewers for the Oregon-Arizona duel in 2014. Sure, it helps having USC involved. Also important: playoff implications, which are often missing from the Pac-12’s main event.
5. An AD draws the line
The championship game ratings were mocked on Twitter, where Big 12 fans noted the figure lagged the viewership total for the TCU-Kansas State game (on Saturday) even though the Pac-12 had Friday night to itself. That prompted none other than Utah athletic director Mark Harlan to respond to one particular tweet with four telling words: “We are not leaving.” It was perhaps the most definitive expression of Pac-12 solidarity by an athletic director in the five months since USC and UCLA announced their departures.
6. Arizona State’s staff takes shape
New ASU coach Kenny Dillingham wasted no time filling out his staff with familiar names. The new defensive coordinator is Brian Ward, who held the same post for Washington State last season, while ASU’s new offensive coordinator is Beau Baldwin, who ran Cal’s attack for several seasons before a short stint as the head coach at Cal Poly. The 32-year-old Dillingham has smartly surrounded himself with veterans in the key posts.
7. Oregon finds a play-caller
Dillingham’s acceptance of the ASU job on Thanksgiving weekend created a void on Oregon’s staff. It took coach Dan Lanning just over a week to find a replacement: Will Stein, the former Louisville quarterback who served as UTSA’s offensive coordinator this season. Although Stein has no experience coaching on the West Coast, his style of offense fits with the high-speed, balanced approach that Lanning favors.
8. The portal fills up
Pac-12 players flooded into the transfer portal as soon as it opened on Monday. Many of the entries are backups, little-known starters or members of programs that have experienced coaching changes (Colorado, Stanford and ASU). But several impact players have decided to explore their options, including three receivers: Arizona’s Dorian Singer, who will be highly coveted across the Power Five, plus Washington State’s De’Zhaun Stribling and Oregon’s Dont’e Thornton.
9. Cal’s new coordinator
The Bears turned to an old friend to reinvigorate their offense: Jake Spavital, who served as play-caller during the Sonny Dykes era and was a candidate for the vacancy after Dykes was fired. So yes, the Bears are turning to the spread offense for salvation. That constitutes a radical shift in philosophy for Wilcox, who had favored the Pro Style attack. But can the Bears recruit enough high-end receivers to make the strategy work.
10. Draft decisions
The transfer portal isn’t the only threat to existing rosters. The deadline for players to enter the NFL Draft is Jan. 16, but the Pac-12 postseason exodus is underway with two big names. Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez, a potential first-round pick, has declared; same with Stanford quarterback Tanner McKee, who announced his intentions Thursday. Others will follow after the bowl season. But with Penix set to return and Williams not yet draft-eligible, the Pac-12 two biggest names aren’t going anywhere.
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