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Ohio State posted one of the great "What might have been?" seasons in the history of college football this year.

Just imagine what might have happened had the unbeaten Buckeyes, say, anticipated oncoming NCAA sanctions and self-imposed a bowl ban last year, so they would have finished 6-6 instead of 6-7, thereby matching the most losses in school history.

That might have completely transformed the 2012-13 postseason. It certainly would have made for a much better Rose Bowl, however things played out.

Consider:

• It's possible 12-0 Ohio State would be playing Notre Dame for the national title, instead of once-beaten Alabama. That would have ended the SEC's national title streak at six.
• If the Buckeyes were headed to South Florida, the Rose Bowl would have had first pick among the remaining BCS bowl eligible teams. That probably would have given us a scintillating Florida-Stanford, SEC-Pac-12 matchup -- No. 3 vs. No. 6 -- instead of the Cardinal vs. five-loss, unranked Wisconsin.
• Or, if the BCS standings still had Alabama ahead of Ohio State, which would have been highly controversial, Ohio State-Stanford would have been a classic Big Ten-Pac-12 matchup between elite, highly rated teams.

"We're not built like that," he said. "Our guys aren't built like that. We talk a lot about respecting the game. The game deserves our respect. Our opponent deserves our respect. We can't change how we play based on who we play. How we play never changes. We're going to play fast, we're going to play physical, we're going to play our style of football, and we don't take our foot off the gas pedal. Never, ever anyway. We're going to respect these guys. These guys have earned our respect. Watch the film, look at the scoreboard, and watch the film, and these guys will get your respect."

There is good news here, for Ohio State, for the Rose Bowl and for the Pac-12.

While the Big Ten has been on an extended swoon in terms of national perception, and one of its top teams, Penn State, has been wiped off the map by NCAA sanctions, Ohio State is clearly rising under Meyer. The Buckeyes will be national title contenders next fall. Or, failing that, they could become a worthy Rose Bowl foe.

As college football moves forward in 2014 with a four-team playoff, the Pac-12 needs the Big Ten to produce elite teams -- and vice versa -- or the continuing and evolving Rose Bowl partnership will suffer.

This "What Might Have Been Season" for Ohio State, which has broadly affected teams coast-to-coast, is almost certainly an anomaly.

That might not salve the immediate pain for the Buckeyes, or help make this year's Rose Bowl any better, but a hopeful glance toward the horizon is all we have for you.

The Pac-12 is 2-3 with three games remaining this bowl season. Yuck.

Up next is the Hyundai Sun Bowl pitting USC against Georgia Tech (2 p.m. ET, CBS).

After Ted Miller correctly picked Texas to beat Oregon State in the Valero Alamo Bowl, he moved one-up on Kevin Gemmell with a 68-27 record.

Kevin Gemmell: Is anyone else getting the impression that USC just wants to put 2012 behind them and move on? Still, the Trojans have far more talent than Georgia Tech on both sides of the ball and Max Wittek showed enough against Notre Dame that leads me to believe the Trojans should win. He’s not going to throw it in because this is his audition for next season. It’s been a bad start to the bowl season for the conference. But this is one that shouldn’t get away. Having a healthy Marqise Lee would be nice. But even if he can't go, the Trojan receivers should enjoy a nice game against a Georgia Tech defense that doesn’t get much pressure and doesn’t defend the pass particularly well. USC 41, Georgia Tech 27.

Ted Miller: Does USC, losers of four of five, care enough to show up with a focused effort today? That's the real question here. The Trojans are three touchdowns better than the Yellow Jackets, but that could said of a couple of teams the Trojans lost to this year. Slowing down Georgia Tech's option attack is all about assignment football. It's not the sort of thing an unfocused team does well. QB Matt Barkley will be in street clothes on the sidelines, so Max Wittek has a chance to step up and claim the pole position at QB for next fall. There seems to be some question about the health of Lee. The Yellow Jackets have their own problems, having lost strong safety Isaiah Johnson to a knee injury. I think USC fans should be plenty nervous about another embarrassing performance, but I'm going with the Trojans. Reluctantly. USC 30, Georgia Tech 24.

Last year, the Pac-12 had a quasi-valid excuse for its 2-5 face plant in the bowl season.

Because 10-2 and fifth-ranked USC was ineligible for the postseason, the conference was missing a quality team, and the Trojans' absence forced everyone other than Oregon up a notch in the bowl selection pecking order.

Of course, while you were trying to explain that, you were Nelsoned five times by trolls from other conferences.

The Pac-12, favored in seven of its eight bowl games, is presently 2-3 with three bowl games to play. It owns wins over Nevada and Navy, hardly a powerhouse pair. UCLA got bludgeoned by Baylor, and Washington and Oregon State threw up on themselves while blowing leads to Boise State and Texas, respectively.

The Big 12 showdown with the Pac-12 for the title of "Second Best Conference" has gone to the fly-over states, even if Oregon beats Kansas State.

The Bruins are likely to fall out of the final top 25. The Beavers also figure to tumble.

Stanford faces a no-win situation in the Rose Bowl. It's playing unranked, five-loss Wisconsin. Anything less than a dominant win will be greeted with a national, "Neh."

An Oregon loss will be met with a variety of dismissive insults. And it's not hard to imagine USC losing to the only bowl team with a losing record, Georgia Tech, today in the Hyundai Sun Bowl.

Are we on the brink of a complete meltdown, one that comes after we less than a month ago entertained the notion of going 8-0?

It's possible.

Why does that matter? Because it affects the next set of preseason rankings, and -- more important -- it sends ripples of negative perception out as we head toward a four-team playoff in 2014.

If the Pac-12 is widely viewed as the third best conference, well behind the SEC and Big 12, then when a selection committee compares, say, 11-1 Stanford and 11-1 Baylor for a playoff spot, it's likely going to leave the Pac-12 team behind.

Even with the new playoff, perception will be a critical ingredient in the process. Perhaps even more critical than before under the BCS system.

Sure, things could start to trend up in 2013, which looks promising for the conference. But perception isn't a one-year deal.

It might pain many of you to say the following, but we humbly suggest you consider repeating this: "Go Trojans;" "Go Cardinal;" "Go Ducks."

Sorry ... couldn't hear you guys over the crickets.

Arizona State dominated Navy from the opening moments, winning 62-28 as the Pac-12 improved to 2-2 this bowl season.

It was over when: The game was over quickly -- 21-zip in the first quarter -- as the Sun Devils were dominant on both sides of the ball from the opening bell until the end.

Turning point: While there really wasn't a turning point, Navy seemed to announce that this wasn't going to be its day when it dropped a sure touchdown pass on a fourth-and-7 from the Sun Devils' 31-yard line in the first quarter. It would have closed the gap to 14-7 and given the Midshipmen some confidence. Instead, Arizona State quickly went 69 yards the other way for a 21-0 lead.

Game ball goes to: Last spring, Taylor Kelly was the Sun Devils No. 3 quarterback. But he led the Sun Devils to an eighth win by passing for four touchdowns and running for another. He completed 17 of 19 throws for 272 yards and zero interceptions. He also rushed for 76 yards on seven carries.

Unsung hero: Arizona State running back Marion Grice's 22-year-old brother Joshua Wood was killed during a robbery just before Christmas, a horrible tragedy that forced him to return home to be with his family and miss practices. Grice emerged from his grieving to post an outstanding game, rushing for 159 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries. Let's hope that gave his heavy heart a boost.

Unsung hero II: The Sun Devils defense didn't always dominate, but it shut down Navy's triple option. The Midshipmen's second touchdown came on a 95-yard kickoff return from Gee Gee Greene and the bench was cleared for the entire fourth quarter, so the starting defense yielded only a single score. It's worth noting that defensive tackle Will Sutton, who is probably playing his final college game, had three sacks. One word: Unblockable.

Stat of the game: Arizona State gained 648 yards and didn't punt. In fact, it faced only three third downs through the first three quarters, converting each of them.

What it means: Arizona State finishes with three consecutive victories and an 8-5 record in coach Todd Graham's first year. The last time the Sun Devils won their final three games? 1978 under Frank Kush. When you toss in that one of those wins came over that team in Tucson, it's fair to say Graham's debut was a success that far exceeded expectations. There will be some wide grins heading into the offseason in Tempe.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Oregon running back Kenjon Barner is how most folks want star college football players to be. He's humble but confident. He's quiet but articulate. You don't worry about him turning up on a police blotter. And 1,624 yards rushing, 6.5 yards per carry, 21 touchdowns and consensus All-American honors are pretty cool, too.

He's had a great career, rushing for 3,480 yards and 41 touchdowns while averaging more than 6 yards per carry each of the past four seasons. But after the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 3, he'll pass the torch, just as LaMichael James handed it to him.

The question is whether the preternaturally talented De'Anthony Thomas is ready to take it.

Said Barner, "Absolutely. He was up for it this year. There will be no letdown."

The truth is many were more focused in the preseason on Thomas as the Ducks' top weapon. His 16 touchdowns as a true freshman in 2011 -- most of them of the "No he didn't!" variety -- had him near the top of many preseason Heisman Trophy lists. He was a hybrid receiver/running back/return man who was touted as perhaps the fastest player in college football.

He was good this season. Just not as good as 2011. He rushed for more yards (686 versus 595 in 2011) and more touchdowns (11 versus 7), but he was far less effective as a receiver (385 yards versus 605, and four TDs versus nine). His all-purpose yards decreased from 159.6 yards per game to 130.2.

It wasn't so much that he took a step back but that Barner and quarterback Marcus Mariota took a step (or two) forward.

Said Thomas, "I'm not really a stats guy. I just like winning."

Barner was asked a lot of questions at Pac-12 media day back in July about Thomas, but he ended up getting the accolades while Thomas was only an All-Pac-12 honorable mention.

The questions focused on Barner in the preseason mostly centered on filling James' large shoes, and whether he could be an every-down back. He answered those inquiries best with his play, but you shouldn't expect him to gloat over some sort of validation.

"To myself? No. Maybe to everyone else," he said. "I don't need validation from anybody to feel a certain way about me. To myself, I didn't prove anything. I knew what I can do. I know what God blessed me with the talent to be able to do."

Those talents best came together during Oregon's win at USC, when he set a school record with 321 yards rushing and five touchdowns. Barner certainly improved his NFL draft stock by coming back for his senior season. The 5-foot-11, 192-pounder could be selected as early as the third round this spring.

"I think that's a great example of a guy that needed that seasoning, to prove that he could be 'the man,'" offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich said.

As for Thomas, the groundwork has been laid for him to get more touches in 2012. While Mariota and receiver Josh Huff also will return in 2013, Thomas will be the elder statesmen among the Ducks' running backs, where sophomore Byron Marshall and, very likely, at least one incoming true freshmen also will be in the mix. He will be the leader, the guy the youngsters turn to when the screws tighten.

"I'm ready for it," Thomas said. "Any team I've ever been on, I've been that guy who shows leadership to the team. I'm pretty much prepared for it."

Barner said Thomas didn't require much mentoring, that he arrived in Eugene pretty grounded, despite long being a celebrated athlete at Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles. Thomas, you might have heard, was dubbed the "Black Mamba" by none other than Snoop Dogg.

"When you have a young guy come in who is as highly touted as De'Anthony was, you expect something different than a guy who is a two- or three-star player," Barner said. "But with De'Anthony, there wasn't too much to tell him. He carried himself in the right way. He wasn't cocky. He wasn't arrogant. He wasn't disrespectful. He was just a great kid."

The message Thomas would hear from James and Barner? Don't get distracted by the bright lights and by the hangers-on.

Said Barner, "You maybe had to open his eyes to some things. He's still a young kid. You kind of have to let him know that not everybody is in your corner."

When asked about his goals, Thomas mostly talks about winning and having fun. He's certainly not the go-to quote that Barner, a member of the Pac-12's All-Interview Team, has become with reporters. But Oregon fans probably will like what he calls his chief focus for the future.

The Heisman?

Said Thomas, "Not at all. My goal is to win a national championship."

LOS ANGELES -- Stanford’s defense has to face yet another Doak Walker finalist. Heck, that’s just another day at the office.

In fact, this is the fourth straight game that the Cardinal will be seeing one of the three finalists for the award given to the nation’s top running back. Only this time, they are facing the guy who brought home the hardware.

First, they held Oregon’s Kenjon Barner to just 66 yards on 21 carries. Then in they kept UCLA’s Johnathan Franklin to just 65 yards on 21 carries. In the Pac-12 title game, also against UCLA, Franklin had a monster game, rushing for 194 yards on 19 carries. But hey, these guys are Doak Walker finalists for a reason, right?

Now the Cardinal will complete the Tour de Doak when they take on winner Montee Ball and the Wisconsin Badgers on New Year’s Day in the Rose Bowl presented by Vizio. And Ball knows the Stanford front seven is as advertised.

“They're very physical,” he said. “They're big. They're big up front. The linebackers are very physical. They play extremely smart, which allows for them to make great plays … They're a lot faster than people think and they'll shock you at times because they're great athletes.”

To win the Doak Walker award, you have to be a pretty good athlete as well. And Ball is that. He’s rushed for 1,730 yards and 21 touchdowns while averaging 133.1 yards per game.

“First off, he's a great runner behind his pads,” said Stanford linebacker Shayne Skov.” It really goes unnoticed, but every time he gets hit, he falls forward 5 more yards, which makes a big difference, because you're looking at second-and-7 or second-and-5, for the dynamic of what you're doing from an offensive perspective. He's elusive, and I think he's faster this year than he has been in years past. So he's definitely going to be terrific competition for us.”

Of course, this isn’t anything the Cardinal haven’t seen in the past. Stanford boasts the nation’s No. 3 rush defense and is allowing just 87.69 yards per game. Considering the competition they’ve faced (let’s not forget to include consensus All-American Ka'Deem Carey from Arizona in there as well) that’s an awfully impressive season-long statistic.

“They do a good job,” said Wisconsin offensive coordinator Matt Canada. “They're well-coached. They are. It's not clinic talk. They're gap sound. Each week, I think we can do this. Some weeks it works, some weeks it doesn't. There's always a chink. I'm sure they've watched us for a month; this is how they're going to attack us. I'm sure they're right. But they're well coached, smart football players. They do a lot and their kids don't make mistakes.”

Just because Stanford has seen three All-Americans during the course of its season, it doesn’t mean they can take Ball or the Wisconsin rushing attack lightly.

“When you talk about Montee Ball, you're talking about one of the best in the country, Doak Walker Award winner,” said Stanford defensive coordinator Derek Mason. “He's got speed, size, and great vision. Finds seams and creases, and the one thing that he's been able to do is get better as games have gone on. So I think this group is formidable. They're probably one of the best that we'll see all year, and that presents a challenge.”

Wisconsin is also giving Stanford its due respect. But they aren't going to be intimidated by the numbers.

"I think it's going to be a much different test," said Wisconsin center Travis Frederick. "I can't say it's going to be tougher. Their defense has done tremendous things and they deserve to be ranked where they are ... It's going to be a little bit different, but I think it's going to be a comparable challenge, and potentially a greater challenge."

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- There is a school of thought, now apparently subscribed to by a handful of desperate NFL teams, that if that uber-suave, hirsute gentleman from those wildly entertaining Dos Equis beer commercials revealed his true identity, he would rip off a bearded mask and reveal Chip Kelly.

Is Kelly the most interesting man in the world?

Pause for a moment before chortling over our potential hyperbole, for Kelly has packed a lot into his 52-game tenure at Oregon, including 45 victories.

He has run with the bulls in Pamplona. He has led the Ducks to three Pac-12 titles and four BCS bowl games. He has done humanitarian work in Africa. He has produced Oregon's first Rose Bowl victory in 95 years. He has visited U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Kelly, 49 and single, is also fiercely private. He has never cooperated with any truly in-depth "This is your life, Chip Kelly!" story, which is exceedingly rare for a high-profile coach. Nearly all his close friends are back in New Hampshire, where he's from and where he went to college.

Kelly doesn't like glad-handing boosters, something often viewed as a prerequisite for being a college coach. He particularly dislikes talking to reporters, and he goes to great lengths to make sure they understand.

The Dos Equis guy says, "Stay thirsty, my friends." Kelly would say, "Stay away, annoying hangers-on."

Yet the vast majority of Ducks fans not only love all the winning, they love Kelly for his wiseacre, smirking self. They chant "Big Balls Chip!" inside rocking Autzen Stadium to celebrate Kelly's penchant for going for it on fourth down, going for 2 and launching onside kicks at surprising times.

He tells fans, "Shut up!" for cheering behind him during an ESPN postgame interview, and they love him more. A Twitter page, Chipisms, celebrates not only Kelly's amusing or insightful wisdom -- “I saw the ‘Feel Sorry for Yourself’ train leaving the parking lot & none of our players were on it, so that was a good sign” -- but also for his snark.

Inquiries that Kelly doesn't like might get one-word answers, clichéd responses or snappy rejoinders that belittle his inquisitors. Questions that engage him, however, receive full and thoughtful treatment. Consider this response from an ESPN story on Kelly's trip to Africa, when he worked with adolescent girls who had no idea who he was.

"The real heroes are the little girls in Africa who are trying to better themselves so they can help their families," he said. "When I hear a coach say, 'We're grinding.' I'm like: You're sitting in a room with air conditioning watching videotape. That's not grinding."

There seem to be three facets to Kelly. His standoffish public face, the detail-obsessed coach and the Renaissance man determined to drink life to the lees away from the game. Even the hard-driving, "win the day" side of Kelly can loosen up behind closed doors; those who work with him frequently cite his sense of humor.

"He [jokes around] all the time," said offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich, a leading candidate to replace Kelly should he bolt for an NFL job. "It's not: 'Aha, he smiled! Isn't that amazing?' It's daily. We have a lot of fun."

Further, while Kelly's offense almost always runs like a finely tuned machine, plenty of, er, interesting things have been interspersed with winning during Kelly's tenure. Drama has not been lacking over the past four seasons.

His first game as Oregon's head coach remains his worst: A 19-8 loss at Boise State. Not only did the Ducks gain an embarrassing 152 total yards, but Kelly's star running back LeGarrette Blount punched a Broncos player afterward, bringing the hot light of controversy to his team's feckless performance.

Some thought Kelly was in over his head. He answered that by becoming the first Pac-10 coach to lead a team to an outright conference championship his first season.

Oh, and in a sign of interesting things to come, when a season-ticket holder wrote Kelly demanding a refund for his expenses incurred after attending that disastrous trip to Boise, Kelly quickly fired off a note with a personal check for $439.

Heading into 2010, starting quarterback Jeremiah Masoli was suspended after he was involved in the burglary of an Oregon fraternity house. Losing a star quarterback typically would damage a team's chances, but all Kelly's team did was finish undefeated and play for the national championship, losing 22-19 when Auburn kicked a last-second field goal.

The NCAA came calling during the 2011 offseason, wanting to know details of Kelly's and the program's dealings with street agent Willie Lyles. A distraction? Nope. Oregon won the conference a third consecutive year and the Rose Bowl against Wisconsin.

Kelly then nearly left for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His quarterback, two-year starter Darron Thomas, had already opted to leave the program, which again threw into question the Ducks' prospects. But Kelly returned and so did the winning, with redshirt freshman Marcus Mariota earning first-team All-Pac-12 honors while leading the Ducks to a No. 4 ranking and a Fiesta Bowl berth opposite Kansas State.

Yet he arrives at the Fiesta Bowl amid swirling rumors that he's about to leave for his pick of available NFL jobs. Asked about his NFL ambitions this week, he gave a 235-word answer that essentially said "no comment."

"My heart is to win the day, and that’s it," he concluded. "I know everybody wants to hear a different answer, and I know at times when I don’t give you guys the answer you guys want, then I’m being evasive. I’m not being evasive. My job is to coach the University of Oregon football team, and I love doing it. And that’s what I’m going to do.”

So the question will linger for a coach who at the very least is currently the most interesting man in college football: Will the Fiesta Bowl be his last day to win for Oregon?

It was billed as a potentially high-scoring, exciting Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl. Baylor got the memo. UCLA didn't. The Bears dominated, making an early statement for the Big 12 in the battle with the Pac-12 for the title of "second best conference."

UCLA was gifted a TD at the end they didn't actually score. The final score should have been 49-19.

It was over when: It was 35-10 at halftime, so there wasn't much tension at any point. Baylor dominated in every way from gun-to-gun, on both sides of the ball. That the Bears' offense was explosive wasn't a surprise. That the Bears' defense crushed UCLA, well, that was.

Turning point: UCLA wanted to blitz and pressure Baylor's offense. It seemed like a good idea. But in the second quarter, on third-and-9 from the Baylor 45, the Bruins blitzed Bears QB Nick Florence, and he connected on a 55-yard TD pass to Tevin Reese. It was a beautiful pass and catch. It made the score 21-zip, and it firmly established the direction of this game.

Baylor game ball goes to: Coordinator Phil Bennett and the Baylor defense. There was this guy who kept calling Baylor's defense "horrible" and "terrible" and "awful." He doesn't feel very smart at this moment. Of course, that was the take on Baylor's defense just about all season from everyone. Still, just as Baylor transformed after a 3-4 start, the defense posted its best game in its final outing of 2012.

UCLA game ball goes to: Let's hear it for the special teams! Bruins kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn was 2-for-2 on field goals, and punter Jeff Locke was his usual outstanding self. Shaquelle Evans had a 43-yard punt return, and Steven Manfro had a 51-yard kick return.

Unsung hero: Baylor running back Lache Seastrunk, who announced his Heisman Trophy candidacy before the game, had a nice performance with 16 carries for 138 yards. But backup running back Glasco Martin had 98 yards and three TDs.

Stat of the game: UCLA was 1-of-17 on third down. That's just horrible. The Bruins were also 3-of-8 on fourth down. Credit to Baylor. Discredit to UCLA.

Stat of the game II: Baylor outrushed UCLA 306 yards to 33. One word: dominant.

What it means: This was the first of three bowl games putting Big 12 and Pac-12 teams. Those conferences are competing for the mythical title of Second Best Conference. This was a decisive win for the Big 12, as a team that went 7-5 overall and 4-5 in Big 12 play whipped a Pac-12 team that went 9-4 overall and 6-3 in conference play. While it's probably silly to read too much into one bowl game, which can be fluid and surprising, the pressure certainly is now on Oregon State in the Valero Alamo Bowl against Texas and Oregon in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl against Kansas State.

Here are three keys for tonight's Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl:

1. Johnathan Franklin versus Lache Seastrunk: Baylor's defense is bad, but it's better against the run than the pass. When we type "better," we mean less terrible. The Bears give up 189 yards rushing per game -- 4.74 yards per rush -- which ranks 89th in the nation. Franklin, who averages 6.3 yards per carry, needs 300 yards to hit the 2,000-yard mark this season. He probably won't get that, but he could cross the two bills mark. Meanwhile, Seastrunk's emergence in the final portion of the season was a key to the Bears' late surge. If he outrushes Franklin, the Bears probably are going to win.

2. Attack on defense: One of the great secrets this season was that Baylor QB Nick Florence was darned near as good as Robert Griffin III was during his Heisman Trophy campaign in 2011. He's a good runner and scrambler and was sacked only 1.42 times per game. He also only threw two interceptions over the final five games, both coming in the upset win over Kansas State. The Bruins ranked seventh in the nation with 3.31 sacks per game, and outside linebacker Anthony Barr is one of the nation's dominant pass-rushers. The first step is pressuring Florence. The second is hoping that pressure causes him to misfire. Against a spectacular offense that scores quickly, UCLA should be willing to take some chances to potentially create big plays.

3. Turnovers: It's a good bet that whoever wins the turnover battle wins the game, because with two prolific offenses scoring a lot of points, every possession is critical. Baylor's season turned around when it started protecting the football -- it won the turnover battle 13-3 over the final five games. UCLA committed six of its 25 turnovers in one game, its horrid 43-17 loss at California.

UCLA (9-4, 6-3 Pac-12) vs. Baylor (7-5, 4-5 Big 12)

Who to watch: Baylor has been ridiculously good on offense all season, but it got even better over the homestretch when running back Lache Seastrunk, an Oregon transfer, asserted himself, eclipsing 100 yards rushing in four of his final five games (and the fifth was a 91 yards, three TD performance at Oklahoma). He's already popped off about winning the Heisman in 2013. With a good running game, life gets even easier for the high-flying pass-catch tandem of QB Nick Florence and receiver Terrance Williams. On the other side of the ball, UCLA QB Brett Hundley and running back Johnathan Franklin will be charged with keeping up. Franklin should eclipse 200 yards in this game.

What to watch: As noted, Baylor ranks among the nation's leaders in just about every offensive category. But on the other side of the ball, Baylor is among the nation's worst. The Bears rank 119th in the nation in total defense and 115th in scoring defense. They are really, really bad on defense. Think Colorado bad. UCLA is good on offense and solid-to-mediocre on defense. The question, really, is does the Bruins good-to-solid on both sides of the ball outperform the lopsided Bears, who entirely rely on their ludicrous speed offense to outscore foes.

Why to watch: Isn't it obvious? Do you recall the Baylor-Washington Alamo Bowl from a year ago? This could be a scoring fest. Both teams are talented on offense and like to play fast and both seemed to peak over the latter half of the season. Baylor's chances improved when UCLA safety Tevin McDonald was suspended for breaking team rules. It could come down to turnovers, as wasted possessions could prove critical. It's difficult to look at this matchup and not anticipate a highly-entertaining game.

Prediction: While losing McDonald is a significant blow to the pass defense, UCLA has enough talent on defense to slow the Bears down and perhaps to make any turnovers or miscues critical. The Bruins should get at handful of stops. The question is will it be enough for Franklin and Hundley? We expect this one to go deep into the fourth quarter. UCLA 42, Baylor 40.

Welcome to a quick mailbag. Headed back to the Southeast for Christmas.

By the way, you can follow the Pac-12 blog on Twitter here.

To the notes!

AKDevil from Tempe, Ariz., writes: After reading the interesting article yesterday on ESPN detailing why the Big 12 is better than the PAC 12 I am curious on your thoughts. The author's main point was that the computers consistently ranked Big 12 teams higher than PAC teams and therefore the Big 12 is the better conference. Additionally he outlined the end of the year results after the Big 12's mighty 9 game in conference schedule. Isn't this point refuted by the fact there are more teams in the PAC with better records than the Big 12. Additionally, unless the Big wins all of their bowl games against the PAC is there really any sort of evidence to support the author's theory? I see no way in which the Big 12 is better than the PAC this year outside of the bowl games and yet many fans and news articles are demanding that the Big 12 should receive more respect than our glorious west coast war-zone. Perhaps this was just an article to fuel controversy and debate? I'm curious how you would respond to such a statement.

Ted Miller: Oh, what sad times are these when passing ruffians can fuel controversy and debate at will among kindly readers. There is a pestilence upon this land, nothing is sacred. Even those who arrange and design Pac-12 blogs are under considerable economic stress in this period in history.

This is what Big 12 blogger David Ubben wrote about the Big 12 getting an edge on the Pac-12 because of the computers:

But the computers? They factor in every team in the league, and there's no debate there. The Big 12 is the No. 1 league in college football according to the computers, and the Pac-12 is all the way back at No. 3.

First of all, this is great news. Not only do they now have computers in Big 12 flyover states, they no longer believe they are purty, lil' shiny boxes with magical, mathematically skilled leprechauns inside.

No question the Pac-12 is weaker at the bottom. I think you can make a strong case that the Pac-12 is not only superior at the top, it is stronger in the middle. The one head-to-head measure we have is Oklahoma State's 21-point loss at Arizona. The Wildcats were 4-5 in the Pac-12, and the Cowboys were 5-4 in the Big 12.

But, really, the conferences are close enough that it's a moot debate. There's no decisive way to say one is better than the other.

That said: The Pac-12 and Big 12 play three bowl games against each other: Oregon-Kansas State in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, Oregon State-Texas in the Valero Alamo Bowl and UCLA-Baylor in the Bridgepoint Holiday Bowl.

The conference that wins two -- or three -- of those games would then have some legitimacy to claims of superiority.

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Rob from Santa Clara, Calif., writes: Why don't the Pac 12 and SEC have any bowl tie-ins? Until this is settled on the field, the myth of the supremacy of the SEC will be tough to destroy. There is already what seems to be a shell game that allows at least one SEC team into the championship game every year. The playoffs might even be worse -- filled with SEC teams. There's an easy way to settle this: 2 or 3 yearly major or minor bowl games between the two conferences. It is long overdue. Now espn is even insinuating that the Big 12 is the #2 conference, for crying out loud!

Ted Miller: The SEC has great bowl tie-ins. The Pac-12's are not as good. Geography is a prime culprit. The conferences are separated by 2,000-plus miles. Bowl games in Florida are more lucrative than bowl games out here, so they can throw more money at their teams.

Further, with the creation of the Champions Bowl between the SEC and Big 12, the chances are more remote for creating an A-list bowl game between the SEC and Pac-12.

The only way this is going to happen is if someone is highly motivated to match the two conferences and throws money at the SEC. Say someone builds a stadium for a new NFL team in Los Angeles and promises the SEC's No. 2 team $8 million to play the Pac-12's No. 2 team. That could do it.

Again, highly remote.

I do think the four-team playoff will increase the Pac-12's chances to prove itself versus the SEC. Sure, there might be two SEC teams in the playoff every year and just one most years from the Pac-12. But if the Pac-12 team consistently beats the SEC team, perceptions will change.

It's the same with the other power conferences, by the way.

There really isn't an SEC conspiracy here. That conference just keeps winning national championships. All the other conferences need to do is win that darn title game. This isn't rocket science.

Though Kevin did build a rocket and fly his family to Mars last weekend.

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Ryan Roberts from Scottsdale, Ariz., writes: Ted, regarding your recent blog article on Arizona's team next year, I have a question? You ask, 'can Arizona be better?' My question to you is, what do you mean specifically? Can Arizona be better or will Arizona match or exceed 8 wins? I don't know that they'll be better (though I don't think it's impossible that they could be). But with NAU, UNLV and UT-San Antonio for a non conference slate, missing Stanford and Oregon State ... and getting back Wazzu and Cal ... I think the likelihood of Arizona getting back to 8 wins is highly probable. The defense can't get any worse, with everyone coming back ... they will be better. If Anu, Scroggins or Denker can be decent at qb ... and with a very good OLine, Ka'deem and very solid receivers, I see 7-5 in the regular season as VERY attainable.

Ted Miller: You make a good point: Schedule is meaningful. Extremely so. Utah fans are tired of hearing about the Utes' good fortune in not playing Oregon and Stanford during their first two years in the Pac-12, but I suspect they'll better understand the point this fall.

When I look at Arizona's roster this year and its projected one in 2013, I'd pick this one beating that one. To me, subtracting quarterback Matt Scott is huge. I might be wrong, of course. See how Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota answered questions about his ability to replace Darron Thomas.

As for the nonconference schedule, it's far easier next season, but the Wildcats were 3-0 in nonconference games this season, so that's a push.

I see Arizona as being clearly superior only to Colorado in the South Division in 2013. I'd also probably pick the Wildcats over Utah. I see UCLA, USC and That Team From Up North finishing ahead of Arizona.

But this is me in December talking about a team in next August. A lot can happen. Shoot, I could go down to spring practices and completely change my impression.

On Aug. 31, 2013, Washington will play a hugely important game.

After a lengthy and sometimes contentious bureaucratic process, it finally will open a renovated Husky Stadium, as one of the most spectacular settings in college football finally gets a stadium worthy of sitting on the banks of Lake Washington in the shadow of Mount Rainier.

It likely will own its first preseason ranking since 2002.

And it will face Boise State, one of the nation's top programs.

On Saturday, Washington will play a hugely important game. It will try to shake off the frustration of a horrible collapse in the Apple Cup against rival Washington State and end its season on the uptick in the MAACO Las Vegas Bowl.

And it will face Boise State, the nation's 19th-ranked team.

Yes, Washington and Boise State are set to play back-to-back games connecting this season to the next. Yes, it's strange.

But Huskies coach Steve Sarkisian isn't obsessing about it. The preparation for the Las Vegas Bowl is no different than any other game, no matter that it amounts to Game 1 of a two-game series.

"We've got basically nine months to worry about the next game," he said.

Sarkisian acknowledges that there are certain to be plenty of moments he will file away -- matchups, tendencies, formations -- that he will grind over the next few months. Both teams surely will.

"There's going to be plenty of stuff we take from this game, good and bad, that we will be able to apply in the preparation for the second one," Sarkisian said. "That goes without saying. It's hard to prepare that way now for what is down the road, but I do think, whether it's during the game or looking at the film of returning personnel, we'll be thinking of things we can take from the game."

The reality is the Huskies are just glad to have a next game on their schedule. The stink of their last game has surely been hard to shake.

Washington arrived in Pullman riding a four-game winning streak. It seemed on its way to its first postseason national ranking since 2001, which would have further boosted the perception of promise for 2013.

Washington State, meanwhile, was in seeming disarray, coach Mike Leach's first season turning from hopeful to massively disappointing. The Cougars were 2-9, had lost eight in a row and were coming off a 46-7 shellacking at Arizona State. Their best defensive player, outside linebacker Travis Long, wasn't going to play.

While it was a sloppy game throughout, things seemed to be going according to the Huskies' plan. They led by 18 heading into the fourth quarter, and there was little to suggest the Cougars could overcome a 28-10 deficit. It seemed more likely they would mail it in and hustle into the offseason.

Then things went completely haywire for the Huskies. In one of the worst fourth quarters a team has posted in Apple Cup history -- a fumble, six penalties and a missed 35-yard field goal for the win -- the Huskies allowed the Cougars to tie the game and force overtime.

In overtime, QB Keith Price's first pass was intercepted.

Yeah, it was really bad. Sarkisian even laughs when a reporter awkwardly tries to accurately describe its badness without giving offense. Sark has no illusions about what happened in Pullman, but his message to his team is the big picture, which it still has significant control over.

"We told them one quarter of football wasn't going to define our season," Sarkisian said. "We've come a long way as a football team. We've matured greatly the second half of the season. I couldn't have been more proud of what our defense was able to get accomplished. I'm really proud of some of our younger offensive players, as they matured as the season went on. But unfortunately we played a bad 15 minutes. We gave up an 18-point lead, and we really didn't execute in any of the three phases to win the game."

Boise State offers an opportunity to make at least some of that bad taste go away. It would provide momentum heading into the offseason. And it would quiet some of the grumbling about Sarkisian, as some fans forget he inherited a team that went 0-12 in 2008.

So the Las Vegas Bowl is a big, meaningful game -- but not as meaningful as Aug. 31.

Further, Sarkisian points out that the second game won't be a complete redo.

"One of the differences is I think Boise State is starting 13 seniors and we're starting about three," Sarkisian said. "A lot of new faces will be playing for them significantly next fall."

New faces in a new stadium for a hugely important game.

Sonny Dykes has been California's coach for just over two weeks, and he's nearly filled out his coaching staff and made a dive into recruiting.

He also announced that he's bucking a recent Pac-12 trend toward closing practices. So that will earn him grins from fans and media.

It seemed like a good time to check in with the 43-year-old who went 22-15 in three seasons -- 9-3 this season -- at Louisiana Tech.

You guys had a great season at Louisiana Tech, but when the Cal job opened up, did you immediately raise an eyebrow and see it as an intriguing possibility?

Dykes: Yeah, I think so. I didn't know much about Cal prior to getting in the Pac-12. But after my time at Arizona [2007-09], my eyes were opened to the potential. I don't know I knew that prior to that. Just from a recruiting standpoint, and then the name that Cal carries in the state of California and nationwide, the academic institution being as great as it is. To me, when you sit down and look at a place and you say, 'What do we have to sell?' You've got a lot to sell at Cal. The No. 1 public institution in the US. You've got the best area in the US to live in in the Bay Area. You've got $475 million worth of new facilities. You've got the Pac-12 conference and the state of California to recruit. So you sit down and look at the whole deal and this checks all the boxes. I think the place has tremendous potential. I'm really fortunate to be here.

Athletic director Sandy Barbour talked about how you had a great interview. What do you think so impressed her?

Dykes: That's all about connecting with someone and having a shared vision. I think Sandy and I share the same vision. It all begins with understanding what Cal is and what the culture is and realizing it's a positive and not a negative. The fact that it is the No. 1 academic institution in the US, we view that as a positive, while some view it as a negative. I think it all started there. We shared the same vision in how we want to build the program and how we want to deal with people. How we are going to build this thing to reach its potential. I think that is the biggest thing you do when you interview for a job. A lot of it is, you get a feel for what they are looking for and they get a feel for who you are. If the two match, it's a great marriage. I liked Sandy personally when I met with her. I was impressed with her vision for Cal. To me, I walked away from the deal going, 'I'd like to work for her. I'd like to work at this institution.'

Have you reached out to Jeff Tedford?

Dykes: I have. We've spoken. We talked about the uniqueness of Cal and the challenges that are here and also the opportunities. Jeff did a remarkable job with this program. He brought this thing so far and did an incredible job. It would be a bad decision on my part not to get his input. And it's like anything else: What would you do differently? What would you do if you had a chance to do it over again? Jeff was great. Jeff loves Cal. He loves the people here. Jeff obviously loves the players. It was a great conversation.

From what you gathered from him and from what you've heard from folks around the program and from your own assessment since you've been hired, what do you feel like went wrong, as far as the program falling off from its early surge under Tedford?

Dykes: I think it was a variety of things. First of all, it's hard to sustain success in college football. Just look around the country. In good, competitive leagues like the Pac-12, it's hard to sustain something for 10 to 12 years. It's difficult to do. You're going to have your highs and lows. I think it all begins there. Then the other stuff, there are things that are unique to this situation. The thing we have to do is look forward and learn from the mistakes that might have been made in the program. Like I said, Jeff took this thing a long way and really built this thing. I think he did a good job. The thing we've got to do is address the academic side of it quickly and get that part fixed. I think there is a correlation with that. Jeff's best teams were probably the teams full of the best students as well. Looking from the outside-in, I think that's a good lesson for me.

Tell me about Andy Buh. Why was he the choice for defensive coordinator?

Dykes: I'm a believer in fit. I've known Andy for a long time. I have a lot of respect for him. He's been successful everywhere he's been. He's been a part of really good defenses. I coached against him at Nevada and had tremendous respect for him there. I think he understands the Cal culture having been here and also coaching at Stanford. I think he's exactly what I want. He's passionate. He does a tremendous job teaching fundamentals. I think he understands how to adjust. When I brought him in to talk, the thing that was most impressive to me was his ability to adjust to different styles of offense in the Big Ten. I think that is important in this league because this is an unusual league. You are going to play against pro style one week against USC and the next week you are going to play Oregon, which is going to be fast-paced, then you're going to play against Washington State, which is going to be throwing every down. There's just unique offensive personalities in this league. I think Andy's ability to adjust is important. But it all starts with fundamentals. There's also his ties to California in recruiting. He's been recruiting here for a long time and has deep recruiting ties. This was a very important hire for me, and I have complete faith in Andy and the coaching staff we are going to put together.

He's a 4-3 guy. Are you guys going to switch from the 3-4 to a 4-3?

Dykes: We'll transition to a little bit more of an even [4-3] front. But we'll have some odd elements, especially on third down.

In recruiting, what's been the pitch and what's been the reception so far?

Dykes: I've been incredibly impressed and surprised to a degree about the name that Cal carries on the West Coas,t but also from a national perspective. We're able to get in on guys. We have name recognition, and to an academic kid, we're incredibly appealing. That gets in the door. We get them on campus, they see the Bay Area, they see the facilities, they meet the coaches. I think to a degree, Cal sells itself. I have been places that haven't necessarily done that in the past. I've had to do a lot of selling.

You're going to have a quarterback competition this spring. That's obviously a big deal anywhere, but QB play has been a problem of late for Cal. What are the key things those guys need to do to impress you and win the job?

Dykes: The biggest thing is be productive. When they get their opportunities, move the offense, scoring points, protect the football and be a leader. Those are the things we'll judge those guys on. Who can command the attention of the team? Who does the team have confidence in? Who's the most productive? We're not big on 'This guy has the most potential. This guy has the biggest arm.' That stuff doesn't matter to us. We're most interested in who can complete the passes to our guys and who can get first downs. Who do the guys believe in? And who takes care of the ball? That's what it comes down to these days, how you win and lose football games. Turnovers. You take care of the ball you win. You don't, you lose.

Oregon and the NCAA enforcement staff at one point agreed on the parameters of Le Affair de Willie Lyles. Otherwise, the collaborative efforts to reach a summary disposition would not have begun. For example, a summary disposition was never on the table for USC.

Then something changed, and the NCAA committee on infractions (COI) now wants its hearing. That means this dark cloud, which first drifted into Eugene in March 2011, will endure past the two-year mark.

Yes, it is quite reasonable for Oregon fans to be worried.

The simple reason for that was Oregon was going to be able to escape severe penalties mostly based on a technicality: The Ducks -- and the rest of college football -- were operating under vague rules about the use of recruiting services. If you have a lawyer write up a disposition about how and why Oregon paid a shyster $25,000 for nothing -- other than his "mentorships" with top recruits -- you can bury what it actually looks like in verbiage that can split a single hair 1,000 times.

In a hearing, however, you answer questions. You talk spontaneously. When people talk spontaneously, stupid things get said. Stupid things that might make Oregon's position look weaker.

It's possible that the COI just wants to talk. It wants to probe. It wants to hear Oregon's position from a variety of folks, including coach Chip Kelly. That doesn't necessarily mean it wants to bring a hammer. It just wants to understand a relatively new issue that the organization has been trying to wrap its hands around for a few years.

Since a summary disposition is a two-way negotiation, it's also possible that Oregon drew a line for the types of charges it was willing to accept. When the NCAA wouldn't meet Oregon at the line, the school's representatives decided they could handle a hearing and refused to yield any more ground.

Oregon does have counters to put before the COI, starting with the fact that Lyles provided his magical touch to more than a few programs. While Lyles was eager to talk to reporters about the school and coach that he feels betrayed him -- Oregon and Kelly -- he also talked to NCAA enforcement staff about his other, er, relationships.

Oregon, aware of some of this, will be able to compare what it did with what other schools did, and it won't look as bad. Part of the NCAA's problem here is fairness and consistency, never an organizational strong suit. Hitting Oregon with severe sanctions will invite backward- and forward-looking comparisons that will make the NCAA again look bad.

While the Pac-12 office likely is taking a dim view of the NCAA seemingly obsessing over the conference's present top power again, as it did with USC -- despite the rest of college football operating like the Wild West (Miami! Ohio State! North Carolina! The SEC!) -- the other 11 Pac-12 teams probably are cackling at Oregon's expense.

The NCAA's glacial investigative pace has left long-term clouds hanging over Eugene, and that hurts the program. The news this week turned those clouds a darker shade of gray. For one, schools competing with the Ducks for recruits can raise a more substantive specter of sanctions.

Further, the news this week allows competing schools to hit Oregon with another body blow: With the NCAA investigation now definitely enduring past the New Year, it's far more likely that Kelly will turn his attentions to forthcoming NFL offers (see Exhibit A: Pete Carroll bolting USC for the NFL ahead of NCAA sanctions).

If the parties had reached a summary disposition, those arguments would have been muted. Recruits would know where the program stands. They would know there were no additional motivations for Kelly to bolt for the NFL, even if some see that as an inevitability.

At some point, perhaps right now, the NCAA process needs to be part of this discussion, just as guilt, innocence and degrees of guilt are.

There is no justification for Le Affair de Willie Lyles to remain unresolved for two years. What happened to the peculiar alacrity applied to the Cam Newton case with Auburn? Or the Ohio State case where the NCAA seemed to say, "Hey, it's 4:55 p.m., time to go home, even if Sports Illustrated provided us an outline of what was going on in Columbus. Can't work until 5:10 or anything."

Oregon fans, you probably should be concerned. But you also should be angry.

Second-year head coach David Shaw has repeatedly said he views Stanford as his destination job. After he signed what was termed a "long-term contract extension" Wednesday, perhaps more folks will believe him.

Of course, Stanford didn't provide any details about just what "long-term" means, or about how much Shaw is being paid, because it is a private school that likes keeping secrets. If it were a 10-year deal worth, say, $30 million we could conclude both parties -- Shaw and institution -- are fully invested in each other.

But even without the details, this feels like a reasonably solid gesture of mutual affection.

Shaw played for Stanford. He loves the place. He's also a family guy who's living in a great place to raise one (if you can afford it). He's got a good thing going, both on the field and with recruiting.

On the field? Stanford finished 11-2, won the Pac-12 title and is preparing for its first Rose Bowl in 13 years. It's won 11 games for the third consecutive season, which it has never done before. Stanford is one of just four teams from AQ conferences to win 34 or more games over the last three seasons, joining Oregon (35), LSU (34) and Alabama (34) in an exclusive club, though Stanford's SAT averages are a bit higher than that troika.

The Cardinal’s .872 winning percentage since 2010 is tied for third-best among FBS teams during that stretch.

Not too shabby, which is why Shaw, the two-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year, is a finalist for the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award.

When Jim Harbaugh left for the San Francisco 49ers after the 2010 season, some wondered if Shaw could maintain the Cardinal's unexpected rise in the Pac-12. Whereas Harbaugh was edgy and eccentric, Shaw was polished and articulate. And, perhaps, some might have fretted, a bit too mellow.

Yep, Shaw is a smooth dude. But he's 4-2 against USC, Notre Dame and Oregon and playing in another BCS bowl game with a team that appears to have a bright future.

Again, not too shabby.

We will humbly offer up a suggestion to both Shaw and Stanford, though we suspect Shaw is well ahead of us here: Take care of the Cardinal's nine assistant coaches. These guys deserve raises, too.

We've repeatedly lauded defensive coordinator Derek Mason and offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton. Both are strong head coaching candidates. But the entire staff, from veterans such as defensive line coach Randy Hart to youngsters like running backs coach Mike Sanford, have participated in creating an outstanding team culture.

And by "team culture," what we really mean is a team that is on the cusp of a third consecutive final top-10 ranking.