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BERKELEY, Calf. -- California's defense needs to replace both starting defensive ends from 2011. And both safeties. And both inside linebackers, including Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Mychal Kendricks.

Looks like the Bears won't have much of a chance to lead the conference in total defense a third consecutive season, right?

Looks, however, can be deceiving. And, in fact, looks are also a good reason to suspect the Bears are going to be pretty salty on defense this fall. During a scrimmage-heavy and rare open practice last weekend, they looked big up front, fast in the back half and athletic everywhere. This is a young but fairly experienced unit with plenty of upside. It would be surprising if it doesn't rank near the top of the Pac-12 in most categories in 2012.

"I see us playing faster and faster every practice," coordinator Clancy Pendergast said.

Young? Based on conversations with Pendergast and head coach Jeff Tedford, the Pac-12 blog has calculated that about 28 guys are in line for action next fall. Six are seniors and 17 are sophomores or younger.

Experienced? Eight of those youngsters saw significant action in 2011. Five started games.

Further, this will be the Bears' third year using Pendergast's 3-4 scheme. Unlike the previous two seasons, the Bears have mostly grown up with this system while landing three consecutive top-25 recruiting classes that were particularly strong on defense.

"The biggest thing to me is this is the third year in the system," Pendergast said. "These guys know a lot more about this system than they did two years ago and even a year ago. We've got it built here now where as guys come up through the program, they are learning the defense, and when it's their time, they understand what they are supposed to do by learning from guys ahead of them."

Start up front, where Pendergast and Tedford are practically giddy over the maturation of 6-foot-5, 311-pound end Deandre Coleman. Said Tedford: "He may be one of the best that we've ever had." Keep in mind that Bears have produced two first-round NFL draft choices at end -- Tyson Alualu and Cameron Jordan -- over the past three seasons.

At the other end is true sophomore Mustafa Jalil, who surged late last season. Kendrick Payne and 347-pound sophomore Viliami Moala give the Bears a good combo at noseguard, while 2011 noseguard starter Aaron Tipoti is playing nose and end.

While this line might not have a dominant edge pass-rusher, it's deep with guys who will be difficult to account for with just one blocker, which should make things much easier for the linebackers.

As for replacing Kendricks and D.J. Holt at inside linebackers, veterans Robert Mullins and J.P. Hurrell, both seniors, are battling to hold off a youth movement that includes David Wilkerson, Nick Forbes, Jalen Jefferson and Jason Gibson, who are all sophomores or younger. This is the most competitive spot on the defense.

"It's not really like the well is empty there, but it's which guy or two is going to step up," Tedford said.

At outside linebacker, Chris McCain had six tackles for loss as a six-game starter in 2011. Returning starter Dan Camporeale holds down the opposite side, but true sophomore Brennan Scarlett could make a move when he returns in the fall from a knee injury. Scarlett's potential as a pass-rusher should get him on the field, and the same can be said for Cecil Whiteside, who started three games in 2011 and recorded three sacks.

Finally, there's also talent, depth and experience in the secondary, even with two 2011 safety starters to replace. Pendergast is particularly high on Josh Hill, who moves to free safety from corner. Alex Logan leads the competition at strong safety, but Avery Sebastian (who changed his last name from Walls) and the injured Michael Lowe (who changed his last name from Coley) saw action last year and could push for starting jobs.

There are three experienced, top-flight corners in Marc Anthony, Steve Williams and Stefan McClure, who is sitting out spring practices with a knee injury.

Of all these guys, only Payne, Tipoti, Hurrell, Mullens, Anthony and Hill are seniors. So the future looks perhaps even brighter than the intriguing 2012 present. For one, Coleman, Moala and Jalil across the defensive front look like a troika of potential All-Pac-12 performers in 2013, if Coleman opts to return for his senior season.

This depth and veterans vs. youth dynamic can be constructive, too. The fluidity of the depth chart ensures players take competition seriously this spring and into fall camp. Serious competition means quality reps in practice, which means you have a two-deep full of guys who are ready to play because they were forced to practice hard in order to stay in the mix.

Or as Sebastian, a true sophomore, explained it: "We want to come out and be better than the people who are in front of us. We want to take their spots. That's our mentality."

In 2010, Pendergast and then-Stanford defensive coordinator Vic Fangio brought 3-4 schemes from the NFL to the Pac-12 when everyone else was running a 4-3. It's meaningful that six conference teams will be base 3-4 in 2012 (including Arizona with its 3-3-5) and a couple of others will extensively use odd-front looks. The 3-4 seems to work well against the proliferation of spread teams in the conference, and it's easier on the West Coast to find linebacker recruits than defensive tackles.

But no matter how many teams adopt the scheme, it's reasonable to project that this Cal defense will remain atop the conference pecking order.

STANFORD, Calif. -- Stanford's defense went from mediocre-to-lousy in 2009 to darn-close-to-dominant in 2010. New Cardinal defensive coordinator Derek Mason, who oversaw the secondary last season, is quick to give credit where it is due for what he calls "a complete metamorphosis."

"Vic [Fangio] brought in a sense of accomplishment, stability and experience," said Mason of the coordinator who followed former Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh to the San Francisco 49ers. "Guys bought in to what he was selling."

Considering how much better the Stanford secondary was in 2010, Mason certainly deserves his share of credit. The pass efficiency defense improved from 98th in the nation to 16th in one year with Mason.

Mason believes there's no reason for regression in 2011, even though Fangio and five key starters are gone, including nose tackle Sione Fua, who made the Cardinal's new 3-4 look work by anchoring the middle of the line and keeping the linebackers free to roam in space.

"The biggest component was confidence," Mason said. "When you have some success, it starts to breed confidence."

Some notes from our chat:

• The general gist from Mason: There's good depth at linebacker, good competition in the secondary and maybe some concerns up front. Replacing Fua -- perhaps the most underrated player in the Pac-10 last year -- isn't going to be easy. "We're going to do it by committee," Mason said. "There is no player right now that we can say, he's the guy."
[+] Enlarge
Jonathan Daniel/Getty ImagesDefensive end Matt Masifilo was part of a Stanford defense that was dominant last season.
• As for that D-line, Matt Masifilo is back at one end. Ben Gardner probably is tops at the other end. Terrence Stephens, David Parry and Henry Anderson are options inside at nose tackle. Mason also mentioned Eddie Plantaric as an option. Mason called Anderson, a redshirt freshman, a "swing guy" who could play inside our outside: "When we look at who has come the furthest in the shortest amount of time, it's Henry Anderson."
• Mason also admitted -- after a certain sports writer whined about the multiplicity of looks from the Stanford D -- that the the Cardinal defense is more of a hybrid 3-4 than a pure 3-4. There were plenty of times last fall when four defenders put their hands on the ground in a 4-3 look. It's about matchups, he said. And if it's clear there's more talent at linebacker, which appears to be the case, "We could take a defensive end out and put another linebacker in. We're going to get the best athletes in."
• Mason repeatedly talked about incoming freshman, particularly linebacker James Vaughters, who by most accounts will be too good to redshirt, as well as a defensive backs Wayne Lyons, Ra'Chard Pippens and Ronnie Harris. "We're not afraid to play true freshmen," he said.
• Inside linebacker Shayne Skov and outside linebacker Chase Thomas are All-Pac-12 talents. As for the two vacancies at linebacker, two sophomores, Blake Lueders and Trent Murphy, are battling outside and senior Max Bergen and sophomore Jarek Lancaster are competing inside. Alex Debniak also is in the mix outside -- Mason included him with Lancaster and Lueders when he said, "Those three guys have probably come the furthest in the shortest period of time." And Vaughters, well, he's got great high school video and could help inside or out.
• Linebacker? "We are a very athletic group across the board," Mason gushed.
• As for the secondary, the question is not only Richard Sherman's former sport at cornerback. Said Mason, "Richard's spot is up for grabs. Both corners are up for grabs. I'll say this. There's not a position in the secondary that isn't up for grabs." That includes both returning starters at safety, Mike Thomas and Delano Howell (here's a guess Mason was mostly making a point about competition -- "We're always going to keep pushing the envelope" -- Thomas and Howell are almost certain to start). At corner, Barry Browning, Johnson Bademosi and sophomore Terrence Brown are in the mix. Sophomore safety Devon Carrington also has caught Mason's eye.
• Interesting quote from Mason: "We probably played as much man coverage as any team in the country [in 2010]."
• The Stanford defense finished ranked in the nation's top 1o in scoring, which is more remarkable when you consider it gave up 52 points at Oregon. That ill-fated trip is something that Mason seems to recall as vividly and often as the fancy, positive stats. It's clear he has -- and likely his staff and players have -- spent plenty of time thinking about the Ducks, who handed Stanford its only loss. Said Mason, "The team we have to go get is the Oregon Ducks. Oregon is king of the hill."

New UCLA defensive coordinator Joe Tresey was fired at Cincinnati before the 2009 season, lasted only one year at South Florida and then couldn't get any other job other than with the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League last fall.

Ergo: Desperate hire by Bruins coach Rick Neuheisel, right?

Not really. The devil is in the details. As for the numbers from coordinating defenses, Tresey's are solid.

2007 at Cincinnati: The Bearcats led the nation in turnover gained (42) and interceptions (26). They ranked eight in sacks per game (3.23). What about points? They were 13th in the nation: 18.77.

2008 at Cincinnati: The Bearcats ranked 31st nationally in total defense (321.9 yards), 19th in rushing defense (115.0) and 25th in scoring defense (20.1 points). They were ninth in the nation with 2.86 sacks per game. Didn't force as many turnovers, though: Just 22. Of course, that's four more than UCLA forced last year and would have been tied for fourth in the Pac-10 in 2010.

2009 at South Florida: The Bulls ranked 24th nationally in total defense (321.8 yards) and 19th (tied) in scoring defense (19.8 points). They forced 23 turnovers that season.

So what about those details? Well, recall that cryptic "timing issue" that Neuheisel alluded to Tuesday as to why then-Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly, now at Notre Dame, fired Tresey? Well, that's mostly what it was.

Following the 2008 season, Tresey thought he had been hired as Miami's defensive coordinator, so much so that he told Kelly that he was leaving. But then Tresey and Shannon couldn't finalize a deal -- it apparently was over what position Tresey would coach -- and Shannon left Tresey at the altar. That interview, combined with Kelly's desire to switch to a 3-4 from Tresey's 4-3, drove a wedge into the relationship, and Kelly then made plans to move on with Bob Diaco, who's now with Kelly at Notre Dame. So Tresey was out of a job.

It's meaningful then that Tresey quickly landed on his feet as the defensive coordinator of a Cincinnati foe in the Big East: South Florida. It's not easy to get a job after national signing day, but Bulls coach Jim Leavitt wanted Tresey.

So why did Tresey last just one year at South Florida? Wasn't his fault. Leavitt was fired in January of 2009 after a school investigation concluded he grabbed one of his players by the throat, slapped him in the face and then lied about it.

Incoming coach Skip Holtz brought in his own guy to coach the Bulls' defense: Mark Snyder. So, in mid-January, Tresey was out of work, though he was a good soldier for the Bulls until he got pink-slipped, which Holtz even acknowledged.

That is how he ended up coaching in the UFL.

Is Tresey a spectacular hire? No. Bruins fans would have been more juiced to get Vic Fangio or Rocky Long, Neuheisel's first two choices.

But considering how the nearly two-month search played out in the media -- it didn't seem pretty, did it? -- Neuheisel landed a solid, experienced candidate who figures to bring an attacking, aggressive scheme, which the Bruins didn't have last fall.

And, by the way, it's not like Neuheisel isn't invested in this decision. He's fully aware that 2011 is a win-or-else season for him in Westwood.

Some more stories on the Tresey hire here and here and here.

A lot of names have been attached to the UCLA vacancy at defensive coordinator, but the guy Rick Neuheisel tapped on Tuesday was not one of those names.

Joe Tresey, 52, a former defensive coordinator at Cincinnati and South Florida, has been named UCLA's defensive coordinator, ending a lengthy and winding search since Chuck Bullough was fired on Dec. 18.

“He has an aggressive style that forces turnovers and negative-yardage plays and I feel our players, especially our youngsters, will benefit greatly from his style of play," Neuheisel said in a statement. "He is a fine teacher and I can’t wait for him to get started.”

Tresey coached at South Florida in 2009 and Cincinnati -- under current Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly -- from 2007-08. Last year, he was the defensive backs coach for the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League. (Recall that Bulls coach Jim Leavitt was fired in January 2010 after a school investigation concluded he grabbed one of his players by the throat, slapped him in the face and then lied about it.)

In 2009, South Florida ranked 24th nationally in total defense (321.8 yards) and 19th in scoring defense (19.8 points) while compiling an 8-5 record. The Bulls forced 23 turnovers that season. In 2008, Cincinnati ranked 31st nationally in total defense (321.9 yards), 19th in rushing defense (115.0) and 25th in scoring defense (20.1 points).

Tresey is a secondary specialist "with a reputation for forcing turnovers and piling up sacks."

But also consider this paragraph from a Tampa Tribune story on Tresey's hire at South Florida: "Tresey was fired last month by Bearcats coach Brian Kelly, who said he had philosophical differences and was shifting to a 3-4 defense, but the move could have also been prompted by Tresey's talks with Miami."

Recall that one of the reasons Neuheisel dispatched Bullough was a desire to switch to a 3-4 scheme. Tresey is a 4-3 guy.

Here's a Q&A with Tresey, also from the Tampa Tribune.

A 1982 graduate of Ohio State, he also has coached at Central Michigan (2006), Georgia Southern (2004-05), Akron (2002-03) and VMI (1999-2001).

Before Neuheisel tapped Tresey, a multitude of coaches were touted as potential candidates, including Vic Fangio, Randy Shannon, Rocky Long, Chuck Heater, Teryl Austin, Rocky Seto, Jeff FitzGerald and Steve Brown.

UCLA still doesn't have a defensive coordinator after coach Rick Neuheisel's flirtation with former USC linebacker and Trojans assistant Rocky Seto abruptly ended.

It appeared last week that Neuheisel was on the cusp of announcing Seto's hiring, but apparently things turned sour in the eleventh hour, perhaps in part because many Bruins fans didn't want a former Trojan running their defense, particularly one without a proven track record. Seto is presently on Pete Carroll's staff with the Seattle Seahawks helping with the secondary.

Further, Nevada running backs coach Jim Mastro is still deliberating whether he will accept a position as the Bruins' running game coordinator. The Orange County Register reported that Mastro would coach tight ends and F-backs while Bruins running backs coach Wayne Moses would stay in his current position, if Mastro opts for Westwood.

Other than Seto, the L.A. Times reported that Neuheisel talked to former Stanford defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, now with the San Francisco 49ers, former Miami head coach Randy Shannon and former Florida defensive co-coordinators Teryl Austin and Chuck Heater. Heater was a Washington assistant when Neuheisel was the Huskies' coach from 1999-2002, but Heater was hired to coordinate Temple's defense.

So what now?

Well, maybe Neuheisel just moves down to the next name on his list. Or maybe he regroups and casts out a new net. It would be a bit of a surprise at this point if he pulls a rabbit out of his hat and lands an experienced, "name" defensive coordinator. And, by the way, that might not be a bad thing.

Neuheisel's stated preference for a 3-4 scheme -- or at least a hybrid of it -- suggests his best candidates are NFL assistants who are itching to call their own plays. But how committed is Neuheisel to a 3-4 if he was serious about Seto, whose mentor -- Carroll -- is a 4-3 guy?

While some might think a jump to UCLA under Neuheisel might be risky -- Neuheisel is under a lot of pressure to win in 2011 -- there's solid, young talent on the Bruins' defense. Even a single impressive season in Westwood could provide a career boost. It would certainly be a way to get on a Pac-12 coach's radar.

As it stands now, Neuheisel isn't inspiring much confidence with his constituency. A second 4-8 finish in three seasons, combined with coaching staff turmoil,and a disappointing recruiting class isn't sending the Bruins into the offseason on an uptick.

Of course, all the hullabaloo between now and September could be easily forgotten if Neuheisel simply does one thing this fall: Win.

What tops the to-do list in the newly formed Pac-12 this offseason? Read on.

Hey, why are there 12 teams here? Hey, it's because the Pac-10, the conference we've known since 1978, is now the Pac-12, with two new teams -- Utah and Colorado -- and North and South divisions and a conference championship game. It will take some getting used to. For one, goodbye nine-game, round-robin schedule; hello conference misses. And hello this debate: "The North rules!" "No way, man, the South is where it's at!" In any event, the dynamic will be different, and you can count on coaches thinking about how it will be -- in recruiting and on the field -- over the coming months.

Solving the QB intrigue: Arizona, Oregon, Oregon State, USC, Utah and Washington State are set at quarterback. Oh, and Stanford, too. But five schools have varying degrees of intrigue (and even Arizona needs to figure out what to do with capable backup Matt Scott). Arizona State needs to establish a pecking order between Brock Osweiler and Steven Threet. At Colorado, Tyler Hansen returns from an injury and will try to fight off a challenge from junior college transfer Brent Burnette this spring. California has a wide-open competition with a bunch of names and no clear favorite (transfer Zach Maynard?). Is true freshman Brett Hundley ready to take over at UCLA, or are Kevin Prince or Richard Brehaut going to prevail? (And will Prince be ready to compete this spring after knee surgery?). And Washington is a battle between Keith Price and Nick Montana.

Tending to the hot seats: No Pac-10 coach was fired this year, though newcomer Colorado dispatched Dan Hawkins. But that might not be the case after the 2011 season, seeing that a couple of seats range from steamy to warm. Topping the hot-seat list are UCLA's Rick Neuheisel and Washington State's Paul Wulff. Both need to win this season to survive. Neuheisel, coming off his second 4-8 season in three years, probably needs seven or eight wins. Wulff probably needs to get his team to a bowl game. Arizona State is expected to be a top-25 team. If it's not, Dennis Erickson could be in trouble. Arizona coach Mike Stoops and California coach Jeff Tedford might not be on hot seats, per se, but their seats aren't as comfortably chilled as they once were.

Hello, my name is Coach New Guy: Two Pac-12 teams welcome new coaches: Jon Embree at Colorado and David Shaw at Stanford. Shaw will need no introduction to his players; he was the Cardinal's offensive coordinator under Jim Harbaugh, who bolted to the San Francisco 49ers. (I'm concerned I will suffer some sort of Harbaugh withdrawal this spring.) But he's rebuilding an outstanding coaching staff that suffered a major brain drain on both sides of the ball, including Greg Roman (offense) and Vic Fangio (defense). Embree has stocked his staff with plenty of familiar names and faces and lots of impressive NFL pedigree, which will appeal to recruits. Still, both are first-time head coaches so it will be interesting to see how they adjust to their big corner offices.

Where's the beef? Most Pac-12 teams take significant hits on their offensive or defensive lines -- or both, in the case of Arizona, Oregon and Stanford. Colorado loses just one lineman, but that's left tackle Nate Solder, a likely first-round NFL draft pick. Arizona, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA and USC must replace at least three offensive line starters. Arizona, Arizona State, California, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, Utah and Washington State need to replace at least two on the D-line. If you watched the conference's two BCS bowls -- Stanford in the Discover Orange and Oregon in the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game -- you saw what happened when you win the battle in the trenches.

If David Shaw is as good a head football coach as he is handling a news conference, then Stanford is in excellent hands.

Let's start with this: "Two years of good football is not enough," said Shaw, a former Stanford player.

Shaw, 38, isn't planning on just maintaining what Jim Harbaugh built before he bolted for the San Francisco 49ers. He wants to take the program another step forward.

A dominant victory in the Discover Orange Bowl over Virginia Tech? Old news.

"We're going to put it in a box, we're going to put a ribbon around it, and we're going to put it up on a shelf for everybody to admire," he said. "But we're going to get back to work. We're going to let everyone else admire and talk about how great it was. Our goals are not done. ... We did not win our conference. Oregon did that."

Why did athletic director Bob Bowlsby hire Shaw, Stanford's offensive coordinator since 2007, over the other three members of the Cardinal staff he interviewed (associate head coach Greg Roman, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and special teams coordinator Brian Polian)?

Bowlsby said Shaw's hiring was "logical" and a "perfect fit." Among Shaw's strengths, Bowlsby listed recruiting, experience at the NFL and college levels, an understanding of Stanford's academics, organizational skills, continuity from Harbaugh's tenure, high character, the support of the locker room, and good motivational skills.

There's also this: Shaw was adamant that this is his dream job. Stanford won't be a coaching stepping stone for him, he said.

"Since the day I started coaching, this is the job I always knew I wanted," he said, then added later. "I wanted this to be my last head coaching interview ever."

But Shaw wouldn't talk about his staff or assistants. Fangio and Roman are going to leave. It is unclear which members of the current staff stick around, though a handful almost certainly will.

As for as what he wants to continue from the Harbaugh Era, Shaw mentioned being aggressive and physical on both sides of the ball. Shaw also might have said the words "compete" and "competitive" 20 times. That's very Harbaughian.

He said the schemes won't change. And then again they will. "We're going to push the envelope with scheme," he said. Also a Harbaugh trademark.

Shaw's hiring will be popular with the current players. Just after Harbaugh's departure was announced, receiver Doug Baldwin told the San Jose Mercury News that, "All the players want David Shaw as the head coach."

Shaw said he doesn't "plan on disappointing them" when he was asked about this, but he also added something that very much sounded like a grumpy, veteran head coach.

"I was not happy it was in the paper," he said.

Shaw has a lot on his plate, starting with a big recruiting weekend, when he must keep an outstanding recruiting class on board. Next, he must fill out his staff. Then, once the boxes are unpacked and he turns his attention to X's and O's, he will be freighted with the high expectations that come with a likely preseason top-10 ranking.

It won't be easy to replace a larger-than-life -- and slightly eccentric -- personality such as Harbaugh, particularly after the Cardinal's success this year. But Shaw's first day on the job was impressive.

Jim Harbaugh led Stanford football out of the Pac-10 basement into the nation's elite. Now it's David Shaw's job to maintain that growth.

Stanford announced Thursday that Shaw, the Cardinal's offensive coordinator since 2007, will replace Harbaugh as the Cardinal's head coach.

A news conference is scheduled today for 4:30 p.m. ET.

Hiring Shaw won't generate much national sizzle, particularly after Harbaugh, who bolted for the San Francisco 49ers, became a skyrocketing national figure over the past two seasons. But it will be a popular choice among Stanford players, administrators and top boosters.

Further, it insures continuity for a team that is likely to be ranked in the preseason top 10, largely because of the return of quarterback Andrew Luck.

“David Shaw is exactly the right person to lead our football program at this time,” athletic director Bob Bowlsby said in a statement. “David has the experience, intellect, coaching skills and organizational abilities to be a tremendous head coach. He understands and embraces the combination of world class academics and world class athletics that is required at Stanford.

“David has made a substantial contribution to the recent success of our program and our team has great confidence in him. I could not be more excited to work with David and to assist him and his staff in leading our football program to high achievement in the years ahead.”

Shaw, 38, played receiver at Stanford from 1991-94 and is the son of a former Cardinal assistant, Willie Shaw. He was picked over two other members of Harbaugh's former staff: associate head coach Greg Roman and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.

Stanford also interviewed Yale coach Tom Williams, a former Stanford linebacker, and pursued Boise State coach Chris Petersen, who opted to stay in Boise.

The first big question for today: Which members of Harbaugh's staff will remain and coach under Shaw? Roman and Fangio will not return, ESPN.com's Ivan Maisel has learned. They will have numerous opportunities elsewhere, particularly in the NFL. Either or both could follow Harbaugh to the 49ers. So who does Shaw have in mind to fill the considerable voids left behind? Both Roman and Fangio did brilliant jobs this past season.

Of immediate concern for Shaw is a major on-campus recruiting weekend. Stanford's class is ranked 17th by ESPN recruiting, and Shaw must reassure previously committed players and get the class signed intact on Feb. 2, national signing day.

Shaw has extensive NFL and college experience. He coached with Harbaugh at San Diego in 2006, but from 1997-2005 he served stints with the Philadelphia Eagles, Oakland Raiders and Baltimore Ravens.

In 2006, Stanford's offense stank: It ranked 118th in the nation -- second to last -- in both scoring (10.6 ppg) and total offense (232 yards per game).

The past two seasons, Stanford's offense has been outstanding. It ranked first in the Pac-10 in 2009 in total offense (427.6 ypg) and second in scoring (35.5 ppg). This year, despite the loss of running back Toby Gerhart, the 2009 Heisman Trophy runner up, it ranked 14th in the nation in total offense (472.5 ypg) and ninth in scoring (40.3 ppg).

Of course, deciding who deserves credit for that is difficult. Harbaugh officially called plays, but the scuttlebutt around the program was that Roman was the architect of many creative formations and blocking schemes the Cardinal used over the past two seasons. Harbaugh was always intentionally vague about how the offensive coaching functioned.

Beyond sophisticated X's and O's, Harbaugh established a tough-guy, blue-collar culture. Shaw was a part of that and surely will try to retain that culture. His first task, other than recruiting, is surrounding himself with a staff that connects with the current players.

Shaw's hiring won't reverberate nationally. The leading response will be, "Who?" Heading into the first season of the Pac-12, the general reaction from other teams is likely this: "Yahoo! No more Harbaugh!" More than a few folks will wonder if a safe, internal promotion won't lead Stanford back down in the conference pecking order.

Shaw's marching orders, therefore, are simple: Maintain the program's growth and make sure that the 12-1 finish this year does not become a one-and-done historical anomaly.

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Stanford defensive coordinator Vic Fangio spent 24 seasons in the NFL before taking over the Cardinal’s defense. Prior to that, he hadn’t coached at the collegiate level since 1983, when he was a graduate assistant at North Carolina.

It hasn’t taken him long to get reacquainted.

Stanford enters the Discover Orange Bowl with one of the nation’s top defenses, but Fangio knows one of the toughest tests lies ahead in trying to contain mobile Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor.

“When you watch him play, he's like the point guard of a great basketball team; the guy just makes plays many different ways,” Fangio said. “Our biggest challenge is going to be to tackle him in open spaces because you can see that's where a lot of his stuff comes from, and their team feeds off of that. So he will be hard to contain, as their running backs are, also. We'll have our work cut out for us. He's similar to the guy at Oregon and I think Oregon State that we played in the Pac-10.”

Stanford ranks in the top three in the Pac-10 and nationally in five defensive categories, and has allowed just 44 points in its final five regular season games. That’s the fewest points allowed by a Stanford defense in a five-game stretch since the 1971 season. Stanford has allowed just six touchdowns in its last five games, two of which came in the fourth quarter against Cal after the Cardinal surged to a 45-0 lead.

It’s an impressive turnaround, considering Stanford finished eighth in the conference inscoring defense (26.5) and ninth in the Pac-10 in total defense a year ago.

“You don't make the improvement that they have from one year to the next defensively unless something is going on there in terms of coaching and playing,” said Virginia Tech offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring. “And to go from a bottom-tier in total defense to the top in their conference and to be 11th in the country in scoring defense, that doesn't just happen by accident. I think it goes back to their defensive personnel and obviously their defensive coaches.”

On a team known for its blue-collar defenses, Virginia Tech’s offense has stolen the spotlight this year. Taylor, along with a tailback rotation that includes three NFL prospects in Darren Evans, Ryan Williams and David Wilson, have been the difference in the Hokies’ 11-game winning streak.

“Virginia Tech’s offense, along with the run game, they thrive off of what he’s capable of doing and the intangibles he has as a quarterback,” said Stanford linebacker Shayne Skov. “Obviously you have some awareness of where he is in the pocket and try and keep him in the pocket, but we’re definitely pressuring the same way we have all year. We’re not going to back down. We’re going to consistently bring pressure and attack their offensive scheme.”

The Cardinal has watched plenty of film – at least 10 games – of Virginia Tech’s offense to try and figure out the best way to stop Taylor.

“There’s a lot of different strategies on how to attack him, especially watching all the different teams,” said defensive end Brian Bulcke. “Some teams try to cage him, some try to slow rush him, some teams go after him. When it comes down to it, we’re just going to do what we’ve done all season.”

So far, it’s worked pretty well.

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- If Stanford fans, or anyone else for that matter, would like an NFL scouting report on quarterback Andrew Luck, they need look no further than Stanford defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. His extensive NFL background includes time with the Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers.

Here's what Fangio had to say about Luck, whenever he decides to turn pro:

"Oh, I definitely think when the time comes, when he deems the time to come out, he's got a great future ahead of himself in the NFL. He's got good size, got good athletic ability, and then I think most importantly as a quarterback position he's got great intangibles. He's a leader. He's got great feel for the game of football. He's an accurate passer, which is extremely important.

I think he's got a great demeanor to play the quarterback position in the NFL. He doesn't get flustered. Tremendous work ethic. You know, you can go on and on and on. The guy has got what it takes to succeed at the next level in every aspect.

Whether he needs another year of college to help him prepare for that, that's a decision him and his family are going to have to make. And you can draw comparisons between himself and Peyton Manning. Peyton Manning knew he was going to be the No. 1 draft pick coming out and decided to go back to Tennessee for one more year. The guy in St. Louis, Bradford, did it and had a shoulder injury. Didn't seem to slow him down. It's a tough decision for Andrew, I'm sure, but when he does come out, I'll be shocked if he's not a very good NFL quarterback."

Stanford defensive coordinator Vic Fangio talks about defending the Hokies.

UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel is on a quest: "A quest to be thorough," he told the Orange County Register.

In other words, no, Neuheisel hasn't found a new defensive coordinator and, no, he hasn't made a decision on whether offensive coordinator Norm Chow will return in 2011.

So the news is this: “The process is moving forward,” Neuheisel told the newspaper.

As for the known vacancy at defensive coordinator.

Stanford defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is believed to be Neuheisel’s first choice to replace Chuck Bullough, who was fired by Neuheisel Dec. 18. Fangio worked with Neuheisel with the Baltimore Ravens and has had a strained relationship with Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh.

Neuheisel said he has not asked Stanford for permission to speak with Fangio.

Scott Reid did get some things out of Neuheisel.

• Reid reported that "Neuheisel said he is not waiting for Chow to find another job and has not approached UCLA boosters about donating to a fund to buy out Chow."
• As for his discussions with Chow, Neuheisel said, “I’m still playing with a lot of things in my mind as to what’s the perfect scenario.”
• Neuheisel has not decided if the Bruins will stick with a pistol offense, and that decision won't be made until after national signing day on Feb. 2.

Stanford Cardinal (11-1) vs. Virginia Tech Hokies (11-2

Jan. 3, 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Stanford take by Pac-10 blogger Ted Miller: The big question for Stanford in the preseason was how would the Cardinal do without Heisman Trophy runner-up Toby Gerhart. The answer quickly came: Pretty darn well.

Stanford finished 11-1 because quarterback Andrew Luck looked every bit like the No. 1 overall pick in this spring's NFL draft, the running game was nearly as good as it was with Gerhart and the defense was significantly improved. That Stanford ranks eighth in the nation in scoring should be no surprise. But the defense ranking 11th in the nation in scoring is why the Cardinal are playing in the Discover Orange Bowl against Virginia Tech. That defense has pitched three shutouts and seemed to improve under first-year coordinator Vic Fangio as the year went on.

Stanford rolled through its early schedule until it got hammered at Oregon 52-31. That loss seemed to suggest that the Cardinal still lack the overall team speed to play with the elite programs. But that would be their final loss. They played a couple of tight games with USC and Arizona State, and they dominated Arizona before winning their final two games over California and Oregon State by a combined count of 86-14.

What is most notable about Stanford is how it’s taken on coach Jim Harbaugh's tough-guy image. It's an extremely physical team, particularly on an offensive line that ranks among the best in the nation.

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Virginia Tech take by ACC blogger Heather Dinich: Despite their current 11-game winning streak, the ACC champions still feel like they have something to prove after an 0-2 start. The Hokies will have an ideal chance to silence any remaining doubters with their matchup against Stanford, one of the best one-loss teams in the country. The ACC, which is 2-10 in its BCS bowls, needs the Hokies to represent well.

Virginia Tech will once again rely on the ACC’s Player of the Year, quarterback Tyrod Taylor, and a defense that has 14 interceptions in the past six games. Even with two starting linebackers sidelined with stingers in the ACC championship game and starting corner Rashad Carmichael out for most of the game with an ankle injury, Virginia Tech found a way to pressure FSU backup quarterback E.J. Manuel into mistakes. The Hokies will look to do the same against Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, a Heisman contender. Luck leads an offense that averages over 40 points and 200 rushing yards per game -- a challenge for Bud Foster’s defense, which has been average against the run this year. Stanford’s rushing defense has been better, and the Hokies will need all three of their running backs -- Darren Evans, Ryan Williams and David Wilson -- to contribute.

Who's running with a bull market? Who's battling the bears (not the Golden ones)?

Stock up

LaMichael James & Darron Thomas: Is there a better QB-RB combination in the country. No, you're wrong. There isn't.

Nduka "Junior" Onyeali: The true freshman had three sacks and forced two fumbles vs. Washington State. His name is Nigerian for "Your quarterback is in trouble."

Jacquizz Rodgers: The Oregon State running back was brilliant against California. He and James are odds-on favorites to be the first-team All-Pac-10 running backs. Wonder who ends up with more TDs? Rodgers has 16 -- if you count his TD pass -- compared to James' 15.

Stanford's defense: While it's had a couple of mediocre-to-bad games -- the Ducks gutted the Cardinal, for example -- pitching two shutouts in Pac-10 play is impressive by any measure. Kudos to first-year coordinator Vic Fangio.

Jeff Maehl: Arizona's Juron Criner is the best receiver in the Pac-10. Anyone else starting to think Maehl is No. 2?

Stepfan Taylor: Quick: Name the only Pac-10 running back who's eclipsed 100 yards rushing in five consecutive games? Here's a hint: His name is typed in bold on the left. [James officially ended up with 94 yards at Arizona State, according to Oregon.] The Stanford running back has averaged 114.2 yards per game during that span. Toby who?

Stock down

The state of Washington: Losing is one thing, but both teams getting shut out -- and blown out -- by a combined count of 83-zip? That's just yucky. Someone should send me a bushel of oysters and some Cougar Gold cheese just for having to write about it. I'm being serious -- I need those for Thanksgiving.

Jake Locker: Ever had a broken rib? One word: hurts. But the bottom line is Locker went onto the injury list as the ninth-rated passer in the Pac-10.

Matt Barkley: Barkley has played well most of the year and validated the hype that has surrounded him since high school. That said, he had poor-to-middling performance vs. Oregon, with two interceptions. He's not there yet.

Shane Vereen: Vereen was bottled up at Oregon State -- he rushed for just 53 yards for the second time in three games -- and saw his streak of 33 consecutive games with at least one reception end. He'll need to step up now that QB Kevin Riley's season ended with a knee injury.

UCLA's defense: The Bruins gave up 583 yards to Arizona after yielding 582 to Oregon. They are giving up 30.4 points per game, which ranks eighth in the conference (thanks, state of Washington!). Coordinator Chuck Bullough might be concerned that head coach Rick Neuheisel has been helping out this week.

Paul Wulff: The Washington State coach is fighting to retain his job, and the Cougars are clearly a more competitive team this year. But Wulff probably can't take too many more feckless efforts and blowout defeats after the 42-0 drubbing at Arizona State gave the Cougars their 15th consecutive Pac-10 defeat.

Stanford's visit to UCLA on Saturday features multiple mysteries and intriguing storylines. Will Bruins quarterback Kevin Prince be healthy? What about the health of Stanford linebacker Shayne Skov, receiver Chris Owusu and running back Jeremy Stewart? What defense will the Cardinal run? Who will make the first mark in the Pac-10 schedule?

Stanford senior center Chase Beeler, however, is focused on something that stands out specifically for him and his fellow hogs that is no mystery because it's a measured number published for all to see: Last weekend, the Bruins' rebuilt front seven surrendered 313 yards rushing at Kansas State.

"As an offensive linemen, that's something that excites me," Beeler said. "If myself or any of the other offensive linemen were operating things, I don't know if we would ever pass the football. We'd always be running."

While the conventional wisdom is that Stanford's offense, post-Toby Gerhart, will lean in talented sophomore quarterback Andrew Luck, coach Jim Harbaugh owns Big Ten sensibilities and has worked hard to cultivate an edgy physicality within his team. As in: Yeah, it's Stanford, one of the nation's elite universities, but on the football field it plays like bikers whose manhood has been questioned.

So count on Stanford challenging the Bruins' questionable run defense with its post-Gerhart backfield-by-committee, which rushed for 213 yards and scored three TDs in the opener against Sacramento State.

"We know we are going to play a team that is going to be running the ball," UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel said. "And we've got to find a way to stop that run. If they can run the ball down our throats, as they seemed to attempt in almost every game they play, then it's going to be a long evening."

Neuheisel likely is just as concerned about his offense as his run defense. For one, Prince, after missing all of fall camp with a back injury, is now nursing a shoulder injury, which has limited him in practice this week. Prince certainly looked rusty while completing just 9 of 26 passes for 120 yards with two interceptions at Kansas State, but he also was victimized by numerous drops.

Neuheisel didn't give Prince a bad grade for the opener, considering the circumstances.

"He managed the game really well," Neuheisel said. "I thought he ran the ball really well. While he was a little rusty with his accuracy, from the decision-making standpoint, I thought he was pretty sharp there. The ball just wasn't where it needed to be all the time. Truthfully, I had to expect much of that because he missed much of training camp. But there should be a quantum leap from Week 1 to Week 2. If he gets sharp, we are going to be a much better offense."

But not practicing won't help him get sharp. If Prince can't go -- or can't go all the way -- his backup is Richard Brehaut.

Stanford is not without issues. Neither Owusu nor Skov, two of the Cardinal's stars, played in the opener. Harbaugh's new policy is to not talk about injuries, so the nature and severity of the injuries are a bit of a mystery, though probably not to UCLA coaches, who have ways of finding such things out. Harbaugh has intimated he thinks both will play. Stewart appeared to hurt his ankle in the opener and should be viewed as decidedly questionable.

Another mystery: After adopting a new 3-4 scheme during spring practices with new coordinator Vic Fangio, the Cardinal played a 4-2-5 against Sacramento State. Fangio is a longtime 3-4 guy, and Neuheisel said he expects a 3-4. Harbaugh said his defense ran a 4-2-5 because Sacramento State runs a one-back spread. And that's mostly what the Bruins' new "pistol" offense is.

So what are the Bruins to do?

"I don't know if they were doing that to fool us or what, but we'll prepare for both," Prince said. "If they play that 4-2-5, we know what we want to do against it because we learned from what we did against Kansas State [which ran a 4-2-5 last weekend]. If they play a 3-4, we've played teams like that before. We know what to do."

As for the Bruins' defense, it's got a lot to prove against a Stanford unit that, at least on paper, should be far more difficult to stop than Kansas State. Carson Coffman, the Wildcats' quarterback, is no Andrew Luck.

"You want to go out and prove we're much better team than we were at Kansas State," linebacker Akeem Ayers said.

While Stanford has been billed as a Pac-10 contender much of the preseason, the Bruins were tapped eighth in the preseason media poll. And that relegation probably included most penciling in a win at Kansas State, a team the Bruins pushed around in 2009. With one of the toughest schedules in the nation -- Houston and Texas are the other two nonconference opponents -- there's more than a little bit of worry in Westwood that things could get ugly early.

Prince understands the thinking. He's just not buying it.

"I know how fans are. I was a big time UCLA fan before I joined the squad. I used to freak out over games like that, too," he said. "But it was just the first game of the season. There are still 11 games to be played. And then a bowl game. There is plenty of time to get better, but we've got to do it quickly."

Quickly, that is, if the Bruins hope to play that 13th game.