The Last Dance: 2022 Pac-12 Season Preview
For the final time with USC and UCLA in the conference, the 12 teams in the Pac-12 look for a better all-around showing compared to the year prior.
The Pac-12 is set to undergo some significant changes, but there’s still football to be played.
Let’s kick things off with one of the two teams on the way out. USC may have only gone 4-8 last season but underwent a revamp unlike any other team in the nation.
A few Oklahoma Sooners joined the team in head coach Lincoln Riley who brought along his quarterback, Caleb Williams.
That was topped with a top-10 recruiting class, which wasn’t the highest ranking in the conference, although impressive.
Oregon took that title after a 10-4 season and a conference title game defeat last season. The Ducks will have a new man under-center after securing a big-time transfer in Bo Nix, who will replace Anthony Brown now of the Baltimore Ravens.
Utah ended last season as the conference champions after defeating Oregon 38-10 in early December.
While they couldn’t capitalize on that success in the Rose Bowl against Ohio State, the Utes return a ton of high-end talent for the new year.
The teams leading passer, rusher and receiver all return for another go around, although they did lose linebacker Devin Lloyd who was drafted in the first round by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
While Utah finished first in the South division, UCLA was not far behind them. The Bruins will soon join the Trojans in the Big Ten but still have a shot at their first Pac-12 title since 1998.
Zach Charbonnet was one of the top running backs in the nation last season with over 1,100 yards and 13 touchdowns, and he returns for his senior campaign.
The only other team with eight or more wins last season in the conference was Arizona State. Herm Edwards’ squad ended last season with an 8-5 record and a third-place finish in the South.
Jayden Daniels is possibly replaced with Emory Jones, who transferred from Florida to provide a spark at the quarterback position, which held them back at times a season ago.
With the revolving door known as the Pac-12, the only constant in the conference is changing. While most of that change has yet to come, there are still games to be played.
Logan Bourandas is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email lxb5412@psu.edu.
