Huskies send seniors out with a 34-15 win over Utah!

By  Kshell

For the third straight season the Washington Huskies(6-4,4-3) are going to a bowl game as they defeated the Utah Utes(4-6, 2-5) 34-15. The Huskies for the fourth straight year under Steve Sarkisian sent their seniors out with a win on senior night. For some of these seniors they started off their career going 0-12. To see them enjoy success at the end of their career has been nice to witness.

 Another great thing to witness was the return of Keith Price who looked like the 2011 Price. Price was the star today completing 24-33 passes for a season high 277 yards with two touchdowns. He also added a rushing touchdown and most importantly didn't turn the ball over. Price was also helped by the ground game as Bishop Sankey ran for 162 yards on a career high 36 carries with two touchdowns. Sankey also became just the 11th running back in UW history to go over 1,000 yards. During the game for the Huskies Austin Seferian-Jenkins set the Husky career receptions record by a tight end with 96 career receptions. For the Huskies this was easily their best game of the season as they finally got to play a team with a losing record. The Huskies will now head off on the road the next two weeks against two teams who are a combined 3-17.

After two Huskies drives stalled the Utes took over for their second drive of the game from their own 36 yard line. Facing a third and nine freshman quarterback Travis Wilson would throw an incomplete pass. On that play the Huskies were flagged for a personal foul penalty blow to the head which extended the Utes drive to the Huskies 46 yard line. After a gain of zero by John White the Utes would take their first lead over the Huskies in the last two seasons. White would take the hand off and go right up the middle for the 46 yard touchdown. The Utes then did a fake extra point as tight end Jake Murphy ran in the two point conversation to give the Utes an 8-0 lead over the Huskies.

The Huskies offense would stall out the quarter as the Utes led 8-0. Starting the second quarter from their own 32 yard line facing a second and 12 Price would connect over the middle to Seferian-Jenkins for a gain of 17 yards to their own 49 yard line. On the following play on play action Price would throw across field to senior Cody Bruns for a gain of 19 yards to the Utes 32 yard line. Sankey would rush for four yards on the following play. Price would hit Sankey over the middle for a gain of 13 yards down to the Utes 15 yard line. Price would hit Kasen Williams for a gain of three on a quick hitter. Sankey would rush for four yards setting up a third and three from the eight. Price would roll to his right then find Williams who made an incredible diving catch dragging both feet while hanging onto to the ball for the touchdown. The Huskies would trail 8-7 after the score.

After a horrible penalty on fair catch interference the Utes had great field position on their own 49 yard line. White would rush for five yards then Wilson would complete a pass to Kenneth Scott for 13 yards to the Huskies 33 yard line. Wilson would throw an incomplete pass on first down, then White would rush up the middle for a loss of one. On third and 11 Wilson attempted a throw but Huskies linebacker John Timu jumped the pass and returned the interception 13 yards to the Huskies 33 yard line.

That was the first turnover of the ball game as the Utes failed to take advantage of their great field position. For the Huskies who often lose the turnover battle it was a chance for them to take advantage of another teams mistake. Timu like he did against Oregon State baited the quarterback and then got in position to jump the route. The Huskies defense this year has been quite good at picking off passes as this was the first momentum changer of the game.

The Huskies start off by Price hitting tight end Evan Hudson who lined up in the backfield for a gain of six yards to the 39 yard line. Sankey would rush for nine yards to the 45 yard line. Facing third and nine from their 49 yard line Price would go deep to freshman Jaydon Mickens. This time Mickens would hang on as he stumbled down to the four yard line. Mickens would pick up 47 yards on that reception which to date has been the biggest play of his career. After a Sankey run of no gain, Price would attempt a pass to his tall tight end Seferian-Jenkins but the Ute defender batted it down. Facing a third and goal from the four Price found nobody open so he decided to take off as he dove into the end zone for the Huskies touchdown. For Price that was his first rushing touchdown of the year as the Huskies led 14-8 which is what they'd lead at halftime 14-8.

The Utes opened the half on their own 34 yard line. White would rush for three yards to their own 37 yard line. On second and seven Wilson completed a five yard pass but the Utes committed a 10 yard penalty making it second and 12. White would rush for  up the middle for nine yards to their own 41 yard line. On third and three the Utes would go back to White who ran for two yards setting up a fourth and one from their own 43 yard line. Kyle Whittingham decided to go for it on fourth and one. Timu would blow the play up and tackle White a chain length away from the first down as the Huskies would take over from the Utes 43 yard line.

The Utes would jump offsides as the Huskies had a first and five from the 38 yard line. On second down Price would connect with Williams for a gain of five yards down to the 33 yard line. Price on the following play would find Seferian-Jenkins on the left side for a gain of 24 yards down to the Utes nine yard line. Price looking like the Price of last year was in a groove on the following play would hit junior DiAndre Campbell over the middle for a nine yard touchdown pass giving the Huskies a 21-8 lead over the Utes. For Price that was his second touchdown pass of the game and for Campbell that was his second touchdown reception of the season.

The Utes would respond to that score as the Huskies reeled off 21 consecutive points. Starting from their own 39 yard line White would rush for five yards to the 44 yard line. On the following play White would rush for six yards to the 50 yard line. After three short runs the Utes would go for it once again on fourth and one this time from the Huskies 41 yard line. This time White would get the first down rushing for three yards to the 38 yard line. On second down Wilson would connect with Dres Anderson for a gain of 18 yards to the 20 yard line. Following play White would rush to the right for a 20 yard touchdown. That would be White's second rushing touchdown of the game as it cut the lead to 21-15 as the Utes were hoping for the comeback.

After the Huskies punted, Utes punt returner Charles Henderson fumbled the ball. Jamaal Kearse recovered the fumble on the Utes 46 yard line. Price would roll to his right and it would appear he was throwing it away instead he was throwing it high. Seferian-Jenkins would come down with the reception for 29 yards to the 17 yard line. On second down Price would hit Seferian-Jenkins on a quick receiver screen as Seferian-Jenkins would run for 10 yards setting up a first and goal from the seven. Sankey would take the hand off to the right for a gain of five yards setting up a second and goal from the two. On second down the Huskies would give it to Sankey again on a toss sweep to the left as Sankey sprinted to the corner for the touchdown. The Huskies would go for two as Price completed a pass to Seferian-Jenkins who was just short of the goal line. The Huskies led 27-15 going into the fourth quarter.

After a Kasen Williams fumble the Utes had the ball on their own 48 yard line. This was the Huskies first turnover of the game. White would be stopped for a loss of two on first down. Wilson would throw an incomplete pass. On third down, Wilson would fumble the ball pick it up then be sacked by Travis Feeney for a loss of six yards. The Utes were forced to punt as they pinned the Huskies on their own 18 yard line. That was the Utes last chance to win this game.

The Huskies were about to go on a 16 play 82 yard drive that took up 8 minutes and 50 seconds off the clock. After an incompletion Price would complete a pass to Kendyl Taylor for a gain of seven yards setting up third and eight from their own 20 yard line after a five yard penalty. Price would attempt a pass to the left but the Utes were ready for it so Price saw there was a huge opening to his right and ran for 11 yards to their own 31 yard line. Sankey would rush for five yards to the 36 yard line. On third and five from the 36 yard line Price again would take off to run to his right for a gain of seven yards to the 43 yard line. The Utes then would commit a five yard penalty giving the Huskies first and five from their own 48 yard line.

Sankey would rush for seven yards then six yards. After a short gain by Sankey the Huskies were facing a third and two from the Utes 37 yard line. Price would hit Seferian-Jenkins who would make his defender miss for a gain of four yards and the first down. On third and nine from the 32 yard line Price would throw it to his left as Seferian-Jenkins made the diving catch for a gain of eight yards making it fourth and one. The Utes would jump offsides giving the Huskies a first down at the Utes 18 yard line. Sankey would rush for four more yards to the 14. Then Sankey would rush to the left for 10 yards. On first and goal from the four yard line Sankey would rush up the middle for his second touchdown of the game. The Huskies would lead 34-15 with 4:34 left in the game.

The Huskies would win the game 34-15 over the Utes in a game that was similar to last year. The Huskies outgained the Utes 437-188 and also won the turnover battle. Price was 24-33 passing(72.7%) for 277 yards(8.4 YPA) with two touchdowns passing and one rushing.

 Austin Seferian-Jenkins caught seven passes for 99 yards(14.1 YPC) as he set the record for most career receptions for a Husky tight end. Kasen Williams caught seven passes for 73 yards(10.4 YPC) with a terrific touchdown grab. Jaydon Mickens caught one pass for 47 yards. Cody Bruns caught two passes for 23 yards. DiAndre Campbell caught one pass for nine yards with the touchdown. Bishop Sankey ran for 162 yards on 36 carries(4.5 YPC) with two touchdowns. He also caught four passes for 13 yards.

For the Utes they were led by John White who ran for 142 yards on 22 carries(6.5 YPC) with two touchdowns. The Utes had been previously 11-0 when he rushes for over 100 yards which wasn't the case today. Quarterback Travis Wilson really struggled as he was only 8-23(34.8%) passing for 55 yards(2.4 YPA) with an interception. He was also sacked four times. The Utes had just nine first downs and were 1-13 on third downs as their offense was horrible.

For the Huskies this was a good home win. Their defense played well against a team who coming into this game had scored 98 points the previous two weeks. The offense finally scored more than 21 points against a D-1 opponent this year. The Huskies are bowl eligible for the third straight season with this victory and for the second straight season have lost only one game at home. The Huskies finish their season on the road the next two weeks where they have only won two road games the last two years. The good news is the two weeks are against Colorado(1-9, 1-6) and Washington State(2-8, 0-7) as the Huskies should be heavy favorites in both games.

Observations:

- Austin Seferian-Jenkins had another incredible game to go along with his incredible season. First of all besides having a great game on offense Seferian-Jenkins was playing third down defensive end due to injuries on the Huskies defensive ends. He was playing two ways and still had a monster game. Seferian-Jenkins finished with seven receptions for 99 yards. He made several big plays and one in particular where Price threw it up there and Seferian-Jenkins just came down with it.

Seferian-Jenkins on the season has 55 receptions for 729 yards(13.3 YPC) with four touchdowns. He is the Huskies tight end record holder for most career receptions now with 96, yards at 1,273 and tied for first with 10 touchdowns. He also has the single season receptions record with 55 and counting this year. He currently is trailing Dave Williams by 66 yards for the single season receiving yardage record as well. Seferian-Jenkins is only a sophomore so he'll have one more year at least to shatter all the records.

- Kasen Williams enjoyed a fine game catching seven passes for 73 yards with a touchdown. Kasen again was Price go to receiver as he made several big plays. No play was bigger than his diving eight yard touchdown reception. At first it was unclear if it was a touchdown but when you saw the replay it was an NFL touchdown as he dragged both feet.

Williams on the year has 56 receptions for 620 yards(11.1 YPC) with five touchdowns. All five touchdowns this year have been at home. With 11 career touchdowns Williams is currently tied for 14th all-time in touchdown receptions in Washington history. Williams is only a sophomore so he'll have a chance to rack up more numbers. Williams is having a great season this year and once again was the main receiver for Price.

- This game for the first time all year the Huskies found some contributions from guys other than Williams and Seferian-Jenkins. Jaydon Mickens had a big 47 yard reception which he held onto unlike last week. That reception set up a touchdown. Cody Bruns caught two passes for 23 yards but his 19 yard reception set up a touchdown. Tight end Evan Hudson had a six yard reception on a touchdown drive as well. DiAndre Campbell caught a nine yard touchdown pass. Combined those four caught five passes for 85 yards with a touchdown. Not jaw dropping statistics but the Huskies needed that. Price likes to spread the ball around as shown by last year. He isn't that type of quarterback who only focuses on one or two guys. These other guys must step up consistently for the Huskies offense to thrive as they did today.

- Former Huskies head coach Jim Lambright was at the game. Lambright played for the Huskies from 1960-1964. He led the Huskies to the Rose Bowl his senior year earning all conference honors. He later became an assistant for the Huskies under Jim Owens then Don James. Lambright was an assistant for the Huskies from 1969-1976. In 1977 Don James promoted him to defensive coordinator where he was defensive coordinator for the Huskies until 1992. As defensive coordinator Lambright won four rose bowls, an Orange Bowl and a national championship in 1991. Due to James retiring so suddenly Lambright took over as head coach from 1993-98. As head coach Lambright was 44-25-1(.637) and 31-16-1(.659) in conference as the Huskies were co Pac-10 champions in 1995. Lambright was a great Husky and it is always nice to see him enjoying the games.

- Bishop Sankey once again had another great game. He carried the ball 36 times for 162 yards(4.5 YPC) with two touchdowns. He also caught four passes for 13 yards. Sankey wasn't supposed to be the starter this year but when Jesse Callier went down he has stepped up. Sankey has destroyed good rush defenses like Stanford, Oregon State and now Utah.

For the year Sankey has ran for 1,017 yards on 212 carries(4.8 YPC) with 13 rushing touchdowns. Sankey has became just the 11th running back in Washington history to go over 1,000 yards. His 13 rushing touchdowns eclipses Chris Polk's 12 of last season. In fact Sankey's 13 rushing touchdowns puts him tied for fifth all-time in school history for a single season. He trails Rashaan Shehee by just two touchdowns for second all-time in a single season as Shehee ran for 15 in 1995. Sankey for those who remember was a Washington State Cougar commit then last minute switched to Washington. That is a move that Sankey and Husky fans are thankful for now.

- Keith Price played his best game of the season. He was 24-33 passing for a season high 277 yards with two touchdowns. He also ran for a touchdown and for only the third time all year he didn't turn the ball over. Price made big plays with his legs rushing for a touchdown and two crucial first downs. He also made big plays with his arm connecting on several key passes.

Price has struggled this year there is no doubt. He is now 201-330(60.9%) passing for 2,042 yards(6.2 YPA) with 11 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. Price also passed Cary Conklin and is 7th all-time in Huskies passing yardage history. Price is currently sitting in third place with 46 passing touchdowns as he trails Brock Huard and Jake Locker who have 53. Then Cody Pickett is the school record holder with 55. Many thought Price would pass that this year but most likely he'll have to wait next season for that.

- Desmond Trufant was a game-time decision but we all knew he was going to play. For Trufant to go out a winner in the stadium that his brother has played in for 10 years was pretty special. For Desmond he went out a winner and tomorrow he gets to watch his brother Marcus Trufant of the Seahawks host Isiah Trufant of the New York Jets on that same field. Trufant was asked to grow up quickly for the Huskies as he was the #1 corner since his freshman year. He struggled with that early on but this year has been a shut down corner. Teams don't even try to throw on him nor should they. Trufant just bats everything down in sight and is a big reason for this resurgence at Montlake defensively. The Huskies are going to miss Trufant who will have an incredible 48 hour period with his game then watching his two older brothers duke it out.

- For seniors like co-captain Drew Schaefer, Justin Glenn, and Cody Bruns I'm really happy for them. As true freshman they had to endure their first college football season without winning a single game as the Huskies went 0-12. Now they are part of a group that led the Huskies to three straight bowl appearances which seemed like a dream back in 2008. For Schaefer especially he has been an anchor on this offensive line and has provided leadership. Due to injures the Huskies have no seniors or even juniors on this offensive line. Schaefer was the lone upper classman and the Huskies went up against a Utah defensive line that features a future first round pick at defensive tackle. Schaefer handled his own and the Huskies for the fourth straight year under Schaefer as a starter produced a 1,000 yard rusher. The Huskies are going to miss Schaefer a lot on the offensive line next year.

- Steve Sarkisian is now 25-23 as a head coach in his career. He is also 3-0 since ditching the visor and going with his gray Husky hat. The Huskies are 6-4 against the second toughest schedule in the nation. The Huskies have also dealt with injuries yet if they win out as they should they'll go 8-4. That number is significant as the Huskies haven't won eight games since 2001. In fact since Don James retired the Huskies have only won eight games four times in the last 20 years.

I'm one of Sark's harshest critics but if he pulls off this 8-4 season and wins the bowl game to go 9-4 I'll give him credit for that. The Huskies are finding ways to win such as running the football and playing good defense. This is an entirely different team than just last year which shows Sarkisian has had to adjust as a coach. There are still plenty of things about the Sarkisian program that bother me but if he can pull this off I won't be complaining.

The Huskies did what they had to do which is earn the victory at home against a Utah team who hasn't won a road game all season long. The Huskies are now 5-1 this year at home and last year went 6-1 at home. The Huskies are starting to slowly build a homefield advantage once again as Sarkisian is now 19-7 now at home. With six of those defeats coming to ranked opponents such as Oregon(X 2), LSU, USC, Stanford and Nebraska. The Huskies are going to a bowl game which is always nice and after the seven year drought we had from 2003-09 should never be taken for granted. The Huskies are now looking to finish the season out on a five game winning streak putting them at 8-4. The Huskies have survived the hard part of their schedule now we'll see if they can take advantage of the soft part of the schedule.

Huskies host Utes for final home game of the season

By Kshell

This Saturday at Century Link Field the Washington Huskies(5-4,3-3) will be hosting their final home game as they take on the Utah Utes(4-5,2-4). Both teams are coming into this game on a two game winning streak and riding some momentum. With a win on Saturday the Huskies will clinch their third straight bowl appearance under Steve Sarkisian. The Utes come into this game favored despite the Huskies being 4-1 at home and the Utes being 0-4 on the road averaging only 12 points per game. Last year in their first meeting since 1979 the Huskies won their only road game of the season blowing out the Utes 31-14 down in Salt Lake City. The Utes are going to try and get some revenge this year against the Huskies.

Last year against the Utes, quarterback Keith Price struggled in the first half. Then in the second half Price torched the Utes. In the win over Utah, Price was 22-30(73.3%) passing for 226 yards(7.5 YPA) with three touchdowns and one interception. All three touchdowns were in the second half.

Unfortunately for Price such performances as that game last year haven't happened this year. This year Price is 177-297(59.6%) passing for 1,765 yards(5.9 YPA) with only nine touchdowns to 10 interceptions. Price has already been sacked 26 times this year and his struggles has been a big part of the Huskies offensive struggles. Sarkisian is hoping Price can regain that magic that he had last season when he was lighting up opponents such as Utah last year.

The Utes have had some quarterback issues this season. Jordan Wynn started the first two games then was injured. He was replaced by senior Jon Hays who played against the Huskies last year. Hays in that game was 10-16 passing for 156 yards with a touchdown and interception. Recently he was replaced by freshman Travis Wilson.

Wilson this year is 79-116(68.1%) passing for 817 yards(7.0 YPA) with four touchdowns and five interceptions. He has also ran for 27 net yards with three touchdowns. Last week in the 49-6 win over the Washington State Cougars Wilson had a breakout game. Wilson was 17-21(81.0%) passing for 171 yards(8.1 YPA) with two touchdowns and one interception. He also ran for 14 yards in that blowout win. Wilson has been up and down this year for the Utes which explains the inconsistency of the Utes season.

To help ease a freshman quarterback playing in a hostile environment the Utes will feature the running game. Last year John White was actually shut down by the Huskies defense as he only had 35 yards rushing on 14 carries(2.5 YPC) with his longest rush being for six yards.

White is hoping the results are much different this time around. This year White has ran for 619 yards on 149 carries(4.2 YPC) with five touchdowns. He also has 10 receptions for 86(8.6 YPC) with a touchdown. His backup Kelvin York has ran for 248 yards on 50 carries(5.0 YPC) with two touchdowns. The Utes will try to run the ball on the Huskies defense which has been very poor against the run. The Huskies defense this year has allowed 1,730 yards rushing(4.9 YPC) with 12 touchdowns. The Huskies are allowing 192 yards rushing a game which the Utes will look to exploit.

The best part of the Huskies offense this year has been sophomore running back Bishop Sankey. Sankey is coming off of a career game last week against the California Golden Bears where he ran for 189 yards with two touchdowns.

Sankey this year has ran for 855 yards on 176 carries(4.9 YPC) with 11 touchdowns. Sankey has also caught 19 passes for 114 yards(6.0 YPC) on the year. His backup true freshman Kendyl Taylor has ran for 122 yards on 22 carries(5.5 YPC). Taylor also has 11 receptions for 69 yards(6.3 YPC) on the year.

Sankey will have a tough time against the Utes rush defense. This year the Utes rush defense has allowed only 946 yards rushing(3.2 YPC) with 10 touchdowns. Although last year the Huskies were quite successful in running the ball on the Utes as Chris Polk ran for 189 yards on 29 carries(6.5 YPC) including 101 yards rushing in the third quarter alone. The Huskies will hope to repeat that type of performance on the ground as they simply lack weapons in the passing game.

The Huskies passing offense is led by Kasen Williams and Austin Seferian-Jenkins. Last year against the Utes, Williams had two receptions for 30 yards with an eight yard touchdown reception. This year Williams has caught 49 passes for 547 yards(11.2 YPC) with four touchdowns. Williams has been held out of the end zone the last three weeks so perhaps he'll find the end zone this week.

The other big weapon is Seferian-Jenkins who is coming off a career high 152 yards receiving last week in the win over Cal. Seferian-Jenkins on the year has 48 receptions for 630 yards(13.1 YPC) with four touchdowns. Seferian-Jenkins last year in the win over Utah caught three passes for 32 yards. He has also caught at least one touchdown in three of the last four weeks.

Another receiver in the passing offense is Jaydon Mickens who has 16 receptions for 113 yards(7.1 YPC). He did drop a 68 yard touchdown last week. The Huskies are hoping to exploit a weak Utes defense which has allowed 174-289(60.2%) passing for 2,080 yards(7.2 YPA) for 14 touchdowns to only 4 interceptions. Look for the Huskies to feature Williams and Seferian-Jenkins early and often to take advantage of the Utes poor secondary.

The Utes receiving core isn't that strong this year although last year DeVonte Christopher had a big game against the Huskies. Last year Christopher caught five passes for 125 yards(25.0 YPC) including a 63 yard reception. This year Christopher is having a down year having only caught 19 passes for 217 yards(11.4 YPC) with a touchdown.

The Utes leading receiver is tight end Jake Murphy who has caught 29 passes for 304 yards(10.5 YPC) with three touchdowns. Kenneth Scott has caught 21 passes for 283 yards(13.5 YPC) with three touchdowns. Dres Anderson has 27 receptions for 258 yards(9.6 YPC) with two touchdowns. Last year against the Huskies Anderson caught three passes for 37 yards with a touchdown.

The Huskies pass defense has actually been pretty tough this year. Opponents are 139-256(54.2%) passing for 1,811 yards(7.1 YPA) with 14 touchdowns to 12 interceptions. Given the weak receiver core, freshman quarterback and a stingy Huskies secondary look for the Utes to try and establish the run all game long.

The main reason teams struggle to pass on the Huskies is the play of Desmond Trufant. Trufant will be playing in his final home game which I talked about yesterday how the Trufant era is ending . Now Trufant is going to be a game-time decision which changes the Huskies defense entirely. With Trufant in there the Huskies can leave him on an island and allow Shaq Thompson to simply roam. Thompson the talented true freshman had a big interception last week.

The Huskies secondary features some highly recruited guys such as Shaq Thompson and safety Sean Parker. Trufant still at the end of the day is straw that stirs the drink. If Trufant can play the Huskies secondary should be able to neutralize the Utes passing attack. Look for the Huskies to have a similar game plan they had against the Stanford Cardinal. I see the Huskies having an eight man box and leaving their corners on an island daring the Utes to beat them with the pass.

This is a big game for both programs who are stuck in the middle of the conference and would like to rise towards the top. For the Huskies a win here would clinch a bowl appearance for the third straight year not to mention they end the season with the two worst teams in the conference. While a loss to Utah would drop the Huskies to 5-5 and ensure that the Huskies didn't make any progress from the previous year in the regular season. For the Utes a win here puts them at 5-5 which puts them in a good position to earn a bowl appearance for the second straight season in the Pac-12. While a loss would put the Utes backs against the wall meaning they'd have to beat both Arizona at home and win at Colorado to earn a bowl berth. The Utes also haven't won a road game all season long which is what they have going against them. The Huskies are 11-2 in their last 13 home games which bodes well for them. Sarkisian is also 3-0 on senior night as he looks to send the seniors out right once again.

The end of the Trufant era for the Huskies

By Kshell

This Saturday when the Washington Huskies(5-4,3-3) host the Utah Utes(4-5(2-4) it will be their final home game of the season. Which means we'll be saying goodbye to our seniors for the final time. This years senior class is unique as it is the last class who was ever coached by Tyrone Willingham. One senior in particular though was one of Steve Sarkisian's first recruits in his first recruiting class which is corner back Desmond Trufant. Trufant so far in his Husky career has played in all 47 games in his Husky career starting the final 44. Trufant was only a three star recruit from Wilson High School in Tacoma but is proving everyone he has what it takes to make it to the NFL like his brothers Marcus and Isiah are(coincidentally they'll be playing against each other this Sunday at Century Link). This will be an emotional game as the Huskies will say goodbye to their seniors.

 Trufant started as a true freshman in the fourth week of the season and never lost his spot. With the team being 0-12 the year before he was given a chance to start right away. Trufant had a good year as well playing in all 12 games while making nine starts. He recorded 47 tackles, had two interceptions and recovered a fumble for a 17 yard touchdown at Notre Dame. He earned honorable mention all-Pac-10 corner. As a sophomore Trufant slumped a little but still started all 13 games. That year Trufant recorded 48 tackles, had one interception with a sack. Trufant was starting to make a name for himself as he had already started 22 games his first two years with the program. Although to that point people viewed him as a name only. Which is why he is one of my favorite seniors to ever pass through this program. He got progressively better the next two seasons which is always nice to see.

Trufant started his 2011 season off with a bang. First week of the season he had 11 tackles, forced a fumble and had the game clinching interception in the end zone to preserve the win over Eastern Washington. For his efforts he was named Pac-12 defensive player of the week. The following week he had a key interception against Hawaii then returned a block PAT for a two point conversation. For the season Trufant returned to the all Pac-12 team as he was selected honorable mention. Trufant recorded 64 tackles, had a sack and had two interceptions. Once again Trufant started all 13 games his junior year as he started to become a reliable corner. There was some talks heading into his senior year that he might be an early NFL draft pick mostly cause of his name. Instead heading into his senior year with new defensive coaches Trufant has stepped his game up. Trufant is without a doubt the best corner in the conference.

The one main difference between Desmond and his older brother Marcus is the apple cup. Desmond is 3-0 in apple cups while his brother Marcus went 0-4. This year younger Trufant is having a great senior year making all nine starts he has recorded 29 tackles, 4.5 for loss, one sack and the game clinching interception to upset #8 Stanford at home. Trufant's stats are down simply because teams don't throw towards him. Against USC he went up against future first round pick Marquise Lee and Robert Woods. Both were shut down when facing Trufant. Trufant will be first team all conference this year and could be the highest drafted corner for the Huskies since Dana Hall went first round in the 1992 NFL draft. Trufant will be a big loss for this defense that on paper is expected to return nine starters next year. Trufant has turned out to be everything Husky fans wanted out of him and then some.

Another long-time starter that will be playing his final home is center Drew Schaefer. Schaeffer is a redshirt senior as he redshirt during Tyrone Willingham's final season at Montlake which saw the Huskies go 0-12.

Schaefer as a freshman in 2009 played in all 12 games including starting the final four games at left tackle. As a sophomore in 2010 he started all 13 games, 11 at center and two at right tackle. Last year as a junior Schaeffer started all 13 games at center. Now this year Schaeffer again has started all nine games at center with this Saturday being start #10. Overall Schaefer had played in 47 games making 39 career starts and 33 starts at the center position. He'll be the only senior offensive lineman and due to injuries the Huskies don't even have a junior offensive lineman.

The Huskies have relied on Schaefer heavily this year as he is the only upperclassmen who starts games for them on the offensive line. He along with Micah Hatchie are the only offensive lineman to have started every single game this year. The center position will be a big loss as the Huskies haven't had anyone other than Schaeffer play center since 2009.

The last senior I'll highlight is wide receiver Cody Bruns. Bruns came in as a four-star recruit in the heralded 2008 recruiting class that was ranked 12th in the nation. Bruns is also the only Husky on this roster to have actually played in a game during the 0-12 season. This year Bruns only has six receptions for 28 yards. He also has six punt returns for 72 yards(12.0 YPR). For his career he has been a bust so far only catching 16 passes for 170 yards. He has 22 punt returns for 135 yards. He is also three for four passing for 67 yards. This year the Huskies have desperately needed another receiver to step up and unfortunately Bruns hasn't been that guy. Still for him and the other seniors if the Huskies win this Saturday they'll clinch another bowl trip. Their first year on college campus they didn't win a single game now they could go bowling for the third straight year.

The Huskies this Saturday are saying goodbye to two prominent starters in their program since the Sarkisian era began. The good news for Sarkisian is he is only losing two full-time starters on defense, only two full-time starters on offense and losing no skill position players who start due to graduation. The Huskies will return a lot of talent next year but for this year hopefully the Huskies can send the seniors out right. Sarkisian is 3-0 in the seniors final home games a trend he hopes to continue this Saturday when the Huskies square off with the Utes. It will be bittersweet seeing Trufant and Schaefer playing in their final Husky home game as it will be an end of an era.

Elephant in the room for Pac-12 teams

By Kshell

The Pac-12 football season is set to begin in two weeks so I'm sure you are reading a ton of previews on the teams in the conference. What isn't brought up in these previews is the Elephant in the room on these programs. The Elephant in the room saying is when there is something everyone knows about but it is never brought up. Each team in this conference has an elephant in the room. Some teams elephant in the room isn't much while others looms to be pretty large. Some teams have an obvious Elephant in the room to that particular fan base while for some teams this will hopefully wake you up on these teams. I read these previews and I'm frustrated that many tip toe around the Elephant in the room while some may just be oblivious to the Elephant in the room. As usual I'm sure you'll enjoy my Elephant in the room on other teams but disagree with my assessment on your team. Like I did with my last column I'll once again start off the Elephant in the room in the South starting in Alphabetical order just like I did last time.

South Division:

Arizona Wildcats:

Rich Rodriguez isn't a good football coach:

The Arizona Wildcats replaced one lame coach in Mike Stoops in another with Rich Rodriguez. Rodriguez was once a high profile coach when he was at West Virginia where he went 60-26. He left for Michigan where he failed miserably going 15-22 and worse yet was 6-18(.333) in conference games. Arizona didn't struggle last year because of offense they struggled cause they couldn't stop anyone. They went 4-8 last year and lost quarterback Nick Foles to the NFL. Sure Rodriguez will put up points on the board and that will be exciting. Just don't expect him to win many games down in Arizona. If Rodriguez can't win in Michigan which has a ton of great tradition and can recruit well what chance does he have a lower tier Pac-12 school like Arizona? I expect this experiment to crash and burn starting immediately this year.


Arizona State Sun Devils:

Todd Graham had the same record as fired coach Dennis Erickson had last season:

The Arizona State Sun Devils just like their rivals had a rather interesting coaching hire. They hired Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Todd Graham. Graham won at Rice going 7-6 then bounced after one year, then went to Tulsa for four years going 36-17 then bounced to Pittsburgh going 6-6 before leaving to Arizona State. The Sun Devils just fired Dennis Erickson for going 6-6(he would end up 6-7 after losing his lame duck bowl game) yet they hired a guy who went 6-6? Graham even if he does do well has shown he will bail on a team as he has already left two programs after just one season. No matter how much you want to pump this guy up he's a .500 coach in big boy ball and I'm being generous since the Big East is dog shit and easily the worst BCS conference. Face it Sun Devils you whiffed on this hire and once again despite all the potential in the world you'll still be average.


Colorado Buffaloes:

Colorado lost their only explosive piece on offense in Rodney Stewart:

The Colorado Buffaloes were terrible last season in going 3-10 which actually surprised most people in fact. Well now they lost talented running back Rodney Stewart who ran for 854 yards(4.5 YPC) with four touchdowns while also being their second leading receiver with 45 receptions for 571 yards(12.7 YPC). He did lead the team in receptions as well. This is already a terrible team who on paper lost their one stud play maker on offense. There is a very good chance Colorado could actually be worse than they were last season which is a scary thought for Buffaloes fans in Colorado.


Utah Utes:

Jordan Wynn isn't very good while Utah benefited from a weak schedule:

I keep seeing a ton of praise for the Utah Utes and I'm not buying it. You know why I'm not buying it? Cause Utah despite going 8-5 last year was 4-5 in conference. Utah also didn't win a single game in conference against a team with a winning record. They also skipped BOTH Stanford and Oregon which would have been for sure losses. Utah due to recruiting at a Mountain West level doesn't have the athletes to defeat decent to good Pac-12 teams. Another reason they can't because Jordan Wynn isn't that good. In his career he has completed 59.9% of his passes for 4,390 yards(7.4 YPA) which is good for 219.5 YPG with 31 touchdowns to 16 interceptions in 20 games. Those are solid numbers but not good enough in this league. Utah will once again benefit from not facing Oregon or Stanford. They do have to travel to Washington and they do host USC at home. Utah will once again go to a bowl game because they are skipping two of the four best teams in the conference. Just don't be fooled at the end of the year by their inflated record.


USC Trojans:

Lane Kiffin has no pressure wins:

In three seasons as a head coach Lane Kiffin has coached in one bowl game which his team got killed. Now we are to believe this team is going to win the national championship? Kiffin who is 3-5 vs ranked opponents in his career including that shocking win over Oregon in Eugene. USC the one year under Matt Barkley when there was actual preseason expectations they stumbled going 9-4. Also speaking of the Oregon game which USC fan is screaming at me now saying that is a pressure win well yes it is but not really. USC was 17 point underdogs so nobody expected them to win so the pressure was off and then they came out to a 38-14 lead over Oregon. They when the game got tight so did USC as they almost choked the game away finally hanging on 38-35 over Oregon as Oregon missed a game tying field goal to force overtime. Oregon had just had back to back big road games in closing out Husky Stadium then defeating Stanford for the Pac-12 title. This time around when the teams square off Oregon will be ready. Kiffin hasn't had to deal with being the clear cut favorite and it will be interesting to see how he handles a national championship or bust type pressure.


UCLA Bruins:

Jim L. Mora is an unproven head coach:

Jim L. Mora so far has been fired by two NFL jobs and has a career record of 31-33 in the NFL. Now while Mora could turn out to be the next Pete Carroll he could just as easily turn out to be the next Mike Sherman(25-25 at Texas A &M), Dave Wannstedt(42-31 at Pittsburgh), and  Chan Gailey(44-32 at Georgia Tech). All of those coaches had no head coach experience at college before taking over after failing in the NFL. Mora could be a success but he can just as easily be like every other UCLA head coach since Terry Donahue which is be very average. Mora isn't getting off to the best start with his comments about USC, barking at his assistants and kicking his team out of practice. It will be interesting to see what Mora does. One thing is for sure is UCLA fans should enter the Mora era with caution as he isn't proven as a head coach.

North Division:

California Golden Bears:

Jeff Tedford can't succeed without a future NFL pro bowler at Quarterback or Running Back:

Jeff Tedford is entering his 11th season at California and has a 79-48 record. He is only 48-38 in conference play. When he coached Aaron Rodgers in 2003 he went 8-6(5-3) and in 2004 he went 10-2(7-1) finishing the year ranked 9th in the country. In 2005 Marshawn Lynch came to the program where Tedford went 8-4(4-4) then in 2006 went 10-3(7-2) tying for the conference title. Since Rodgers and Lynch have left Tedford is 36-28(21-24). As you can see since he has lost Rodgers and Lynch he is a below .500 coach in conference play. There is nobody on this California roster at Quarterback or Running Back who appears to be a future pro bowler which means the California Golden Bears will once again be destined for another average season in Tedford's 11th season.


Stanford Cardinal:

Stanford is living off the name of two guys Jim Harbaugh and Andrew Luck who are no longer there:

The Stanford Cardinal have been terrific the last two years mainly due to #1 pick overall Andrew Luck at quarterback and the Jim Harbaugh handing the program over to David Shaw. In the two big games last year Stanford lost both games where Shaw appeared over matched in the Oregon game and in the Oklahoma State game he took the ball out of Andrew Luck's hands. Stanford also has a tough stretch after they start off 2-0 they host #1 USC, travel to Washington on a thursday night game, host Arizona then have a road game at Notre Dame, followed up by a weird road game against their rival California in the middle of the year. Stanford could very easily go 1-4 during that stretch with a rookie quarterback, not to mention they also lost David DeCastro who anchored their offensive line. They also lost first-teamers Jonathan Martin to the draft and tight end Cody Fleenor. Stanford lost five of their six first-team all conference guys to the NFL draft. I know most are high on Stanford but they lost their star quarterback, head coach two years ago, star tight end plus their two best offensive lineman. I don't know if any program can reload after that much departure especially a non football powerhouse like Stanford.


Oregon Ducks:

The Willie Lyles storm cloud hanging over Oregon's 2012 season:

Oregon fans don't like talking about it while rival fans do which is the Willie Lyles controversy appears to be coming to a conclusion soon. You can't talk about Oregon football without Lyles name being brought up which may be hurting their recruiting right now. Oregon despite being a top tier program has only eight committments is ranked 38th in the nation and only 5th in the Pac-12. If the penalties are severe should be interesting to see how Oregon handles the controversy. I witnessed it at Washington as the Huskies went to three straight Rose Bowls and were picked to go to a fourth straight. Then probation hit and Don James suddenly left while the Huskies suffered through three straight unthinkable 7-4 seasons. For Oregon to think they can A) survive sanctions, B) Chip Kelly won't flee to the NFL and C) replace Kelly  and maintain this level of excellence is ridiculous.

Oregon has been building this journey for a while. In 1994 they went to the Rose Bowl then following it up with a Cotton Bowl. Then suffered through three average seasons until the Joey Harrington era started where they saw their program rise to the #2 ranking in the nation in 2001. Then from 2002-08 they were a solid program who couldn't get over the hump. Chip Kelly arrives and with USC going on two year bowl ban with Pete Carroll leaving they have dominated the conference. There is no guarantee Chris Peterson would bolt to Oregon like so many fans think it is a for sure thing. Do I think Oregon would fall to Washington status of 0-12? No I don't but I could see them returning to what they were in the Mike Bellotti years where they were a good program. They just weren't a great program under Bellotti so in my opinion the Lyles Elephant in the room is the biggest in the entire conference mainly cause it could take down the team of the conference which right now is Oregon.


Oregon State Beavers:

Mike Riley is an underachiever and the program is in decline:

Mike Riley known as the coach who can do more with less has struggled in recent years. In his 11 years all at Oregon State he is 72-63 and 46-47 which is partly due to his first two years when the program was the worst in the nation. In his second go around he is 64-49 and 44-33 in coference play. Riley in 11 seasons has never had a season where he has lost fewer than four games in a season. Riley has seen the programs win totals drop four consecutive years as the Beavers have lost to the Oregon Ducks four consecutive years. Last year Riley went 3-9 and had an embarrassing loss to Sacramento State at home. In fact under Riley the Beavers have lost 12 games to teams not in a BCS conference which is pathetic for a major conference coach.

There doesn't appear to be hope on the horizon as Oregon State is ranked 75th in the nation in recruiting which puts them last in the conference, last year Oregon State ranked 44th good for 10th in the conference. Riley is driving the Beavers straight into the ditch and most fail to bring this up. I see how Oregon State is expected to make a bowl game even predicted to do better than Washington according to Phil Steele. I'm just not buying it, sure Riley pulls off one or two upsets a year but he has his fair share of bad losses. Two years ago lost at home to a 2-10 Washington State Cougars team giving Paul Wulff his first ever road win. Then last year the loss to Sacramento State at home was inexcusable as a real program would have fired him for that especially for going 3-9. As long as Riley is in Corvallis the Beavers will forever be limited.


Washington Huskies:

  Steve Sarkisian's offense is overrated:

The Huskies offense receives a ton of praise as Steve Sarkisian is labeled the offensive "guru". The offense though is actually overrated and racks up big numbers against crappy teams. Against the three top teams in the conference the Huskies have struggled offensively. Against Stanford all losses they have scored 14 points, 0 points and 21 points. Against Oregon all losses they have yet to score 20 points scoring 19 points, 16 points and 17 points. Against USC where they won twice they scored 16 points, 32 points and 17 points. In the two biggest wins of the Steve Sarkisian era the Huskies defeated #3 USC 16-13 in 2009 and defeated #18 Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl 19-7. Even the signature California win where Polk scored the game winner in 2010 the Huskies won 16-13 no exactly an offensive shootout.

 As you can see the offense struggled, in three years the offense has only came to play one time against a good defense which was an 8-5 USC team on the road in 2010 scoring 32 points. In most of the Huskies big wins it was the defense who came through so this notion that the Huskies just need an average defense then they'll be a BCS team is completely false. They scored 56 points in a bowl loss against Baylor but Baylor's defense was ranked in the 100's not exactly a good defense. This team has no NFL offensive lineman either which means they can't grind out those tough drives. Remember last year against Eastern Washington, Hawaii and California how the game was put in the hands of the defense? It was because the offense couldn't put the game away with a sustained drive. A great offense like the 2000 one chewed up the clock, moved the chains and got the clutch first downs. This is a good offense but it has a long ways to go before it becomes a great offense.


Washington State Cougars:

Cougars went 4-8 last year with a top 10 passing offense in the nation and top 30 offense overall in the nation. Defense was the problem and Leach isn't a defensive coach.

The Cougars are excited to have Mike Leach over the dreadful Paul Wulff. I keep hearing how Air Raid is going get the Cougars back into a bowl game this year as Leach is going to vastly improve that passing offense plus Jeff Tuel is coming back as well. The thing is the Cougars offense was pretty good last year and wasn't the problem. They were top 10 in the nation in passing offense and top 30 in the nation in overall offense. Leach will improve that field but he won't improve what has plagued the Cougars for a while which is their defense. The Cougars defense in nine conference games allowed 311 points(34.6 PPG) with 27 being the fewest which was against Colorado and Arizona State which were both wins. Against teams with a winning record the Cougars went 0-6 last year allowing 227 points(37.8 PPG) showing they aren't ready to hang with the good teams.

The last time the Cougars defeated a team with a winning division-1 record was SMU back in 2009. The last time the Cougars defeated a conference opponent who ended the year with a winning record was all the way back in 2006. The Air Raid offense will put up points but it will also put more pressure on the field as passing teams tend to not use up much time of possession. The Cougars defense which has been dreadful the last couple of years doesn't appear to be any better. Leach is an offensive coach, the defensive players aren't very good. Look for the Cougars to be a better version of what Paul Wulff had them be last year which is eat up the weak teams but struggle to stop anyone in conference.

So when you making your predictions for this upcoming season keep in mind these Elephants in the room for each program. I noticed every fan base chooses to ignore their Elephant in the room and especially the media  who covers their teams. I just like to look at them before I do my predictions as the season is only two weeks away. We'll see how each team handles their Elephant in the room and perhaps make me look dumb by the end of the year. Once again I'm sure most fan bases will like this piece while the homer fans who see no wrong in their team won't like it. For those rational fans out there I hope you enjoy this and hopefully you can at least respect my Elephant in the room on your program while nodding your head reading about the rival schools I had a dig on.

If the Pac-12 was a neighborhood party

By Kshell

With college football just around the corner I figured I would take a fun take at the history of the Pac-12 conference. In this piece I'm pretending what each football program would be like if they represented a real person . I set all 12 teams in a neighborhood as they are all neighbors who have a neighborhood party once a year to see who is doing the best. I'll include the programs history based on how successful this person may or may not be. How good their coach is will represent their wife or if they have a new coach that will represent a girlfriend. How the football program is doing will represent how they are doing in life far as their job, how much money they make, their accessories, etc. Like I said I'll try in a creative way use the past and the present day programs to give you a better idea how each football program looks in our conference. I'll go alphabetical order like I do in my Pac-12 predictions piece starting with the South.

Arizona State:

Arizona State is no longer the new guy on the neighborhood and just like that has been part of this neighborhood for a while when the neighborhood expanded to 10 houses. Arizona State also has the rest of the conference confused as to why he isn't more successful in life and is always single. Arizona State is pretty intelligent so he should be successful in his work life and is in great shape as he is always working out. He is also pretty good looking and the rest of his neighbors view him as a sleeping giant to have the best house and hottest wife. Then at the party the rest of his neighbors noticed that Arizona State is the life of the party. He is the guy who is always tanked and brings the bulk of the alcohol. He is a fun loving guy who simply doesn't give a shit. He is just there to have fun. That is when everyone else realized he is what he is which is a guy who has potential for so much more but won't ever reach that potential.


Arizona:

Arizona moved into the neighborhood same time as Arizona State did. Minus a brief time period in the 1990's Arizona has just been the forgotten man on the neighborhood. He has never been married or even had a pretty girl friend. He has never been successful in his job either. He isn't a loser and his house isn't the worst on the block. That is the thing about Arizona he isn't so bad where his neighbors make fun of him but they are wondering why they invited him to the block in the first place? Then they remembered he brings value outside of the neighborhood. He is good at other stuff that nobody really cares about(basketball, baseball, etc) but still has value. He is the guy who goes around the neighborhood to help clean up, he is always willing to baby sit for you as well. So his value is other areas so the rest of neighborhood tolerates him.


Colorado:

Colorado is new to the neighborhood and currently owns the smallest home on the block. Colorado used to be in another neighborhood where he was very successful. He had the hottest wife and was making six figures at his job. In 1990 he was named most successful man in the city. Then in 1998 his young hot wife left him in the middle of the night and ended up marrying Washington. Colorado still hasn't recovered from that and last year they struggled in their new neighborhood after their last neighborhood was threatening to fold. The fellow neighbors still don't respect Colorado as they know they are a has been. Sure they may have been successful 20 years ago but right now they are left eating the scraps at the party with Oregon State and Washington State. Poor Colorado had they joined this neighborhood 20 years ago they would have fit in nicely instead they are the runt of the neighborhood.


Utah:

Utah like Colorado is new to this Pac-12 neighborhood. Utah had a rough transition their first year but settled in nicely. Utah was in a different neighborhood that was beaten down sure they had the nicest house. They also had the nicest house on one of the worst neighborhoods in town. Utah made good money at his job or so he thought compared to the rest of his neighborhood. He was big fish small pond syndrome. In this past he's had competitions with teams in the Pac-12 and whooped their ass so he figured the transition would be easy. Finally another house was built in the Pac-12 neighborhood and Utah decided to jump all over it. Now with the same wife who was the hottest in her previous neighborhood she is simply good looking in this one. Utah will eventually get adjusted and raise their game up. They need to do some landscaping around the house to improve on it some, with the promotion in their job they will start making more money so they can upgrade their car. Utah will eventually upgrade their house so in a few years they can finally compete. As is they are still one of the better overall guests at the party. Almost everyone respects Utah but they also got a kick out of Utah's struggles that first year proving that you can't just go from a shitty neighborhood to a big time neighborhood without your struggles.


UCLA: 

UCLA has been part of the conference since day one. UCLA is good looking and for a long period of time had a great house with a great job. His problem is he is next door neighbors to USC so no matter how good he does it doesn't seem enough. UCLA has had some woman issues lately too. Remember the wife who left Colorado? Well after Washington chose to divorce her UCLA decided to marry her and she sank him down. So now UCLA is dating a girl who has been lusting after Washington for years. UCLA has what it takes to control this neighborhood but his biggest problem is he is a wimp. He lets his neighbors(particularly USC) walk all over him. When USC wants something of his UCLA just bows down and USC takes whatever he wants. UCLA despite having the best location in the neighborhood and easy access to move up in his job he just can't seem to seal the deal. What it boils down to is UCLA is soft as a person and when you are soft others will walk all over you.


USC:

USC has been part of this neighborhood forever. His grandpa made this neighborhood what it is today, then his dad ruled this neighborhood and someday so will his son. USC is the biggest toughest guy in the room and always has a hot girl friend. USC makes six figures and nobody messes around with USC except for lately. Due to a scandal he had at work back in 2005 he was sentenced to two years in jail plus probation. So other teams in the neighborhood have caught up to USC and gotten some revenge on USC the last two years. USC has a new young girlfriend and is determined to be the most successful person on the block. At the parties USC is seen as arrogant but he knows he can be because he has earned it. He will once in a while give Washington a nod of respect but don't think for one second he will even acknowledge what Oregon has going on at their place. He will act like McKayla Maroney and be very unimpressed. USC knows even while being in jail he was still the most successful person at the southern end of his block. USC is constantly laughing at his next door neighbor UCLA whom he doesn't even consider  a rival. He considers Notre Dame the guy who lives across the city who has been living off his dad and grandpa's generation for a while now. USC is finally out of jail so he is hoping to make up for lost time the past two years.


California:

California is the hippie pot smoking guy on the neighborhood who is care free. California despite such a big house had one of the dumpiest houses on the block, one of the worst cars, wasn't married and had a terrible job. Then after hitting rock bottom he met a girl and fell in love. Early on he enjoyed great success as he got a new job which paid well. In fact only USC was more successful on the block than he was. Now his wife her looks have dropped off a bit, at work people have passed him up, his car isn't so nice anymore. He has returned to be average on the block and worse yet his oldest son who he raised so well has left his company to go work for Washington. Then his son stole some other young up and comers he was recruiting to go work for his company. He has never felt so betrayed by a family member in his life. California tasted success but now is just rolling in mediocrity.


Stanford:

Stanford was the skinny little nerd at the neighborhood party for years. He was the smartest guy at the part something he'd always remind everyone but nobody else cared as he was a slob. His house was messy, he was single, he had no car and his job was terrible. Then very quietly Stanford met this girl and caught a "LUCKy" break. He started to work out and suddenly showed up to the part not only as the smartest guy but also the toughest guy. He was bullying USC at the party which nobody did and USC was backing down. He was also pushing around Washington which he never used to do. The only person who could stand up to Stanford lately is Oregon who has been beating everyone at everything lately. Stanford's young hot girlfriend left him for better opportunities that he couldn't provide. His lucky horseshoe he lost while on a trip to Indianapolis so some are curious how Stanford is going to far without his hot girl friend or his good luck charm. One thing is for sure Stanford isn't that skinny little wimpy nerd that the conference used to take advantage of for years. Stanford will fight back and lately Stanford has been the one taking advantage of others in the conference.


Oregon:

Oregon's family has been part of this neighborhood forever. Oregon was the loser of the block, had a small house, couldn't afford a car, worked at a shitty job, had a long time wife who was average. Then suddenly in the 1990's Oregon realized his distant uncle was the creator of Nike. His uncle who had no kids of his own immediately treated Oregon like a son and named his CEO of Nike. Oregon who used to get picked on by everyone especially Washington is now picking on Washington. After Oregon's long-time loyal wife left him for what she thought was a better guy Oregon would realize he had an uncle. Then after being one of the top guys on the block Oregon met some under the radar girl from the east coast. Nobody knew anything about her and after short time he booted his second wife to the curb for this young hot wife. Oregon has the nicest house on the block, the hottest wife and due to being treated like crap for generations they are obnoxious about their success. USC still doesn't acknoweldge their success and just recently after winning the best roses on the Pac-12/Big 10 block contest Washington is reluctantly giving Oregon credit. Oregon is new rich but there is a storm brewing possibly. There is speculation Oregon could get in trouble and go to jail soon as they may have done some illegal things to get this high. We'll see but for now Oregon has been king of the neighborhood for three straight years and only USC can knock him off that porch this year.


Oregon State:

Oregon State is the nice polite guy at the party who everyone else secretly wonders why they were even invited to the neighborhood to begin with. For over three plus decades Oregon State had the worst house, was living off welfare and was single. He was a loser who everyone else felt sorry for. Then  Oregon State met a sweet girlfriend who brought his life together but she quickly left him. Oregon State then found great success with his new girl. He finally got a kick ass job, improved his ass and his girl friend although a drinker was pretty hot. Just like that Oregon State was one of the more successful guys at the party. Then that girl friend left him so Oregon State decided to get back with his previous girl friend who had left him and they sustained success for a while. Well that girl friend hasn't been working out, letting herself go a little and is bad with money. Just like that Oregon State career isn't going as well so he is having to cut back on his house a little. Oregon State looks around and he is in danger of becoming the least successful person on the block if he isn't careful. He is too loyal to his girlfriend as well even though many are suggesting he can do better.


Washington:

Washington has been part of this block for generations as well. He has always had one of the nicer houses, and a nice job plus beautiful women. He inherited the place from his dad who was the most successful guy on the block from 1977-1992 then suddenly one of his dad's employees below him took out an illegal loan to help finance his house. The other neighbors found out and they flipped punishing his dad for two years which his dad said screw it I'm moving out! Then suddenly his dad passed away unexpected and there was major turmoil for Washington. His uncle came in to right the ship for a while but eventually had to hand it over to Washington who wasn't ready for this responsibility. Washington snatched away Colorado's wife and that was a hit right off the bat Washington was kicking ass at his job, did some improvements to his house and was living the dream. Come to find out his wife was a bit of a gambler and after being tired of being lied to he finally dumped his young attractive wife. He settled on Stanford's ex where he hit rock bottom. He lost his job in 2008, had to file for bankruptcy and even live on welfare for a while. He is now dating someone from the USC family tree one of USC nieces and things have turned around. Washington is working a decent job, his house seems in order but Washington is frustrated because he has to achieve what his dad had achieved for such a long stretch. At one time his dad was the smartest, toughest and most successful guy on the block. Washington is hoping someday he can join that level of USC and Oregon but right now he isn't quite there.


Washington State:

Washington State is always the guy who embarrasses himself at the party by getting too drunk off Busch Light. He is the guy everyone wonders who invited this guy? He insists that he matters but in reality he doesn't. He really enjoys it when his next door neighbor Washington is down in the dumps even though his life isn't going as well. Washington State has been the least successful guy on the block throughout most of their history. He had a stretch from 2001-03 where he turned his life around, his loyalty to his wife paid off as she got smoking hot, he was named ceo of his company and life was looking good for him. Then his loyalty turned to betrayal as his wife left him in the middle of the night. Washington State just ended a bad four year divorce where they hit rock bottom. She gave him bad advice and he has been unemployed for the last four years, living off welfare and everyone on the neighborhood wanted him to move out. Washington State is now dating this weird chick who is obsessed with Pirates, she is controversial and speaks her mind. She also appears to be a good fit for Washington State. Washington State just recently found a job and things could be looking up for Washington State. In a few years Washington State might not be the least successful guy on the block as that title will probably belong to Oregon State at this rate.

Well I hope I didn't offend your fan base in this piece as this was all done in fun. I always imagined what they would look like if they were in a neighborhood together. This was one of the more fun pieces I've done as I usually don't do satire pieces. The Pac-12 neighborhood has gone over some changes in recent memory and we'll see how this post stands up in a few years from now. Some teams have had to work hard to get where they are at, while others seem to always be successful, while some have never tasted success and lastly some have had success but fallen on hard times. I tried to give a historical review of each program in a less than serious context. Should be a fun 2012 season coming up and I can't believe college football is only 15 days away for most programs and for Washington State it is only 13 days away!