Southern California
Having Caleb Williams avoid the Heisman Hangover
Southern Cal has an obvious fix it has to work on with its defense choking away the Cotton Bowl against Tulane.
With head coach Lincoln Riley and the much maligned defensive coordinator Alex Grinch working to improve a Trojans defense that was extremely penetrable in 2022, the one thing it can ill afford is to have Caleb Williams have a set back.
Williams won the Heisman Trophy in 2022 behind completing two thirds of his passes for 4,537 yards and 52 total touchdowns (rushing and passing). In the last 15 years, six Heisman Trophy winners returned for another season and most could not repeat the dominance of their Heisman seasons.
While most maintained a high level of play, there was a significant difference. Tim Tebow won the Heisman in 2007, and played at an extremely high level in 2008 delivering on The Pledge and winning the national championship, but his 2009 campaign saw a near 40% reduction in total touchdowns as his totals dropped from 55 in 2007 to 35 in 2009. Jameis Winston in 2014 coming off an extremely dominant 2013 season, threw eight more interceptions and a dubious fumble in the Rose Bowl against Oregon.
Injuries thwarted efforts of Bryce Young and Sam Bradford from repeating efforts. Talent losses for both Johnny Manziel and Lamar Jackson kept them from winning more games to get into the Heisman race to repeat. History tells us Williams will have a setback from his 2022 campaign, how much that will be is to be determined.
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Washington
Finding a ground game to complement their elite aerial attack
Kalen DeBoer’s first season was a home run for Husky fans as he guided Washington to its best record since its 2016 College Football Playoff season with an 11-2 record.
The chances of a repeat of a very successful 2022 season comes with quarterback Michael Penix Jr. returning to school for a final season. Joining him are two of Pro Football Focus’s Top 6 wide receivers returning for the 2023 season in Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan.
Top 10 returning WRs in College Football for the 2023 season
Via @Chad_Maxwick pic.twitter.com/3S5b8f8Lx1
— PFF College (@PFF_College) February 2, 2023
In 2022, the Huskies had the number one passing attack in the country at 369.8 yards per game and number two total offense in the country. However, their ground game was 69th in the country at only 146 yards per game.
With running back Wayne Taulapapa declaring for the NFL draft, who led the Huskies in rushing yards, yards per carry, and had 11 touchdowns on the ground, the Huskies are looking for Mississippi State transfer Dillon Johnson to be the feature back.
What will help with the transition is Cameron Davis, who led the Huskies with 13 rushing touchdowns last season, is back. If Washington can get a ground game that is improved, it will aid them in their aspirations for a Pac-12 Championship and a berth in the College Football Playoff.
Colorado
Replicating the Jackson State blueprint
New Colorado head coach Deion Sanders is looking to return Colorado back to the Rocky Mountain highs that Bill McCartney had during the 1980’s and 1990’s. To do that, he is looking to eradicate a losing culture that has permeated Colorado now for the better part of two decades.
Sanders is leveraging the transfer portal and recruiting for instant impact landing commits from his son at quarterback Shedeur Sanders, high profile five-star cornerbacks Travis Hunter and Cormani McClain, edge rusher Taylor Upshaw, running back Dylan Edwards, wide receivers Adam Hopkins and Omarion Miller, and linebacker Demouy Kennedy.
The schedule isn’t in Sanders’ favor, however, as Colorado in the first month visit TCU and Oregon, while hosting Nebraska and Southern Cal. The season ends with trips to UCLA and Utah, and with Oregon State in the mix. The Buffs may struggle to get to bowl eligibility in year one for Sanders, but the real thing to watch for is just how competitive they are and what style of play they have. That will be the real indicator as to just how much progress Coach Prime has made in eradicating that culture.
Oregon
Replacing Kenny Dillingham with Will Stein
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning knew Kenny Dillingham was a very hot coaching commodity and wasn’t long to stay in Eugene with him after the success of the Ducks’ 2022 offense. Dillingham though architected an offense that was Top 10 in total offense, Top 20 in rushing and passing, and averaged 38.8 points per game.
After Dillingham took over at Arizona State, Lanning pried Will Stein away from UTSA to become Oregon’s new offensive coordinator.
Last season, UTSAaveraged over 300 yards per game through the air, 476 yards per game in total offense which was 12th nationally, and 36.8 points per game.
Stein said why he accepted the Oregon job, “It’s a school that you grow up admiring from afar. I’m from Kentucky. I never thought I’d be out here…It’s a national brand. It’s a world-wide brand. Great football is played out here every single year. You get to coach the best players in the country. You get to coach with the best coaches in the country. Why Oregon? Why not? It’s an amazing place. The people here are first-class. It’s a professional organization — better than I’ve ever seen. It’s extremely buttoned up, and it’s a place where you can win a national championship. We’ve played for two in the last 12 or 13 years. I think we’re right on the cusp again, and I’m ready to get going this spring and this fall.”
Early thoughts on his quarterback are extremely favorable, Stein said of returning quarterback Bo Nix, “Part of what I look for in quarterbacks is that football junkie, and Bo loves ball,” he said during the radio show. “He’s probably in the office right now watching tape somewhere, and if he’s not watching tape, he’s recruiting. I’ve told him once he’s done playing that if he ever wanted to be a coach, he will kill it.”
UCLA
Replacing DTR, Charbonnet, and Bobo
Chip Kelly and UCLA had a breakthrough back to relevancy a season ago, and they did it with quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, running back Zach Charbonnet, and wide receiver Jake Bobo. All three have departed leaving many to wonder who is next in line in Westwood?
Kelly made a recruiting coup by flipping five-star quarterback Dante Moore from Oregon to UCLA. Sophomore running back T.J. Harden, who had over 100 yards rushing in the Sun Bowl against Pitt, looks like the favorite to be the feature back.
Kelly hit the transfer portal and brought in former Cal receiver J.Michael Sturdivant. Senior wide receiver Kam Brown will be the top target for Moore or transfer Collin Schlee, whichever of them wins the starting job. Senior Logan Loya in the slot is the favorite heading into the spring, and incoming freshman Jeremiah McClure might play his way into the lineup.
Kelly also shored up the offensive line with two grad transfers in tackle Khadere Kounta and Spencer Holstege, and a JUCO transfer in Caleb Walker. These new Bruins need to adapt to a Kelly offense and the more fluent they are in the offense will determine if last year’s flirtation for a Pac-12 championship was for real or an aberration.
