This Week in Pac-12 Football - Week Zero

COMPLETE RELEASE (PDF)

QUICK HITS

HIGH FIVE: The Pac-12 had 5 schools in the AP Preseason Top 25, matching the SEC & Big Ten for most by conference and 41.7% (5 of 12 schools) are represented, the highest percentage of any conference.  The Pac-12 last had 5 teams in the preseason AP poll in 2019.  

• #11 OREGON made the preseason Top 25 for the 4th straight year and are ranked in the Top 11 in each of the last 3 years.  #15 USC is in the preseason poll for the 60th time, 3rd most of any school.  #20 WASHINGTON makes the preseason Top 25 for the 5th time in the last 6 yeras.  For the 3rd straight year, #24 UTAH is in the preseason poll while #25 ARIZONA STATE makes it for the first time since 2015.  UCLA also received votes.

POWER-FULL SCHEDULES: Including the 9-game conference schedule and all non-conference games, the Pac-12 will play 83% of their total games against Power 5 opponents (including Notre Dame) which is the 2nd highest among the Power 5 conferences.

• On top of STANFORD & USC’s matchups with Notre Dame, the Pac-12 will play 9 games against Power 5 schools.  4 games against the Big Ten (Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio State, Purdue), 3 against the SEC (LSU, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt) and 2 against the Big 12 (Kansas State, TCU).  5 of the 9 games are on the road with 2 more on neutral fields.

STAR STUDDED OFFENSE: Of the 25 players named 1st or 2nd team All-Pac-12 on offense in 2020, 16 of them return to the conference in 2021.  

• COLORADO Running Back Jarek Broussard is the first Pac-12 Offensive Player of the year to return to school since 2017 winner Bryce Love (STANFORD) returned in 2018.
• All 3 quarterbacks who were honored in 2020 are returning this season.    1st team QB Kedon Slovis returns to USC.  On the 2nd team, Dorian Thompson-Robinson returns to UCLA while Sam Noyer stayed in the Pac-12 while transferring from COLORADO to OREGON STATE.

DYNAMIC DEFENSES: Of the 22 players named 1st or 2nd team All-Pac-12 on defense in 2002, 15 of them return to the conference in 2021. 

• OREGON Defensive End Kayvon Thibodeaux returns to Eugene after being named MVP of the 2020 Pac-12 Championship Game.  Thibodeaux has been named 1st team AP preseason All-American for the 2nd straight season.
• All 6 linebackers who were named 1st or 2nd team in 2020 return.  1st team:  Nate Landman (COLORADO), Devin Lloyd (UTAH), Avery Roberts (OREGON STATE).  2nd team:  Cameron Goode (CALIFORNIA), Drake Jackson (USC), Edefuan Ulofoshio (WASHINGTON)

WELCOME BACK WEST: This offseason, 16 student athletes who attended high school in the Pac-12 footprint transferred from another Power 5 conference (including Notre Dame) to a Pac-12 school.

THE ZERO EFFECT: Saturday’s Hawai’i-UCLA matchup will be the first time a Pac-12 team has hosted a game in Week Zero.  The last time a Pac-12 school played in a Week Zero game was 2019 when Arizona visited Hawai’i.