ESPN College Football

The judge smiled. Men are born for games. Nothing else. Every child knows that play is nobler than work. He knows too that the worth or merit of a game is not inherent in the game itself but rather in the value of that which is put at hazard.

• Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez has confidence in QB Matt Scott.
• Checking in with Arizona State defensive coordinator Paul Randolph.
• These former California players have gone radical.
• The Colorado QB competition is far from over. And competitive runs deep with the Embrees.
• Oregon's Rose Bowl win wasn't cheap. Some notes and video of LaMichael James getting drafted -- Ducks fans should avert their eyes at the 41-second mark.
• Oregon State coach Mike Riley talks about his QB and offensive line, and he feels better about one than the other.
• Athlon takes a look at Stanford.
• Here's a vote for Brett Hundley to be UCLA's QB.
• Who will USC's No. 3 RB be? For some reason, this issue doesn't seem as worrisome as depth at DT.
• This ranking is high on Utah to perhaps upset USC in the South Division.
• Some Washington notes based on Steve Sarkisian's time on the Pac-12 spring coaches teleconference.
• The dynamic in Washington State's radio booth will be interesting. Cougars coach Mike Leach talks about ... lots of things.
• Pac-12 coaches know they aren't in control of the playoff discussion.

USC receiver Marqise Lee has been named a member of Bruce Feldman's 2012 "Freaks" list, his annual accounting of some of college football's most freakish athletes.

Of Lee, he writes:

Projected by many to play safety for the Trojans, Lee outshined his former high school teammate, five-star WR recruit George Farmer, from the moment both arrived at USC. By the end of the 2011 season, Lee may have even surpassed star Robert Woods. (Lee caught 39 passes for 609 yards and six TDs in USC's final four games of the season.) Lee's athleticism had Lane Kiffin saying the rising sophomore could leave the school as the program's best receiver ever. This spring, the 6-1, 200-pound Lee moonlighted as a long jumper on the USC track team where he had Trojans coaches raving there, too, after leaping 24-4. Lee said he's found that the jumping training has helped hone his body control and anticipation as a receiver, which means he may be ready to take another leap as a football player this fall.

In the original post, I missed Colorado DT Eric Richter. Writes Feldman:

The 6-3, 315-pound Californian only got in action for seven plays last fall for the Buffs, but it's not for a lack of strength. When CU players were tested this offseason on the bench press, Richter banged out 51 reps at 225, 10 more reps than he did a year ago. "He doesn't need a cheerleader, he doesn't need a audience," says CU strength coach Malcolm Blacken, "he just needs a lot of weight on the bar to get motivated. A strength coach's dream -- a real living and breathing Frankenstein!"

Oregon's De'Anthony Thomas and Arizona State's Rashad Ross -- both on the short list of college football's fastest player, along with USC's Farmer -- were named honorable mention.

It has nothing to do with the Pac-12, but his No. 1 guy, SMU's Margus Hunt, has a fascinating backstory.

For all the different competitions spilling out of Stanford this spring and into the fall -- quarterback, safety, offensive line -- head coach David Shaw made it clear that kicker is not one of them.

"Jordan is our kicker," Shaw said on Tuesday's Pac-12 conference call, referring to kicker Jordan Williamson.

Williamson, some might recall, had a rough outing at the Fiesta Bowl, missing three of four field-goal attempts in the 41-38 overtime loss to Oklahoma State. Most notable was a 35-yarder as time expired that would have given Stanford the victory.

Shaw was asked if there is a competition between Williamson and Eric Whitaker, which led to his decisive declaration for Williamson.

"Eric Whitaker is ready when called upon, just like a year ago when he was called upon to go at USC and was the special teams player of the week for the conference," Shaw said.

Williamson opened the season by converting his first seven field goals and 11 of his first 12. An injury forced him to miss three games -- USC, Oregon State and Oregon. Whitaker filled in and was 4 of 5 during that stretch.

"Jordan Williamson is an exceptional kicker who is athletic, who has a strong leg, who has been consistent up until the point he got hurt," Shaw said. "He came back and his timing was a little off and his technique was a little off."

Shaw said Williamson isn't lingering on it -- so neither is he.

"He and I have had one conversation about the Fiesta Bowl, and that was the day after," Shaw said. "All I told him was anybody that is any good at anything has always hit a low point. That was his low point. Scars heal, but they don't necessarily go away. He can use it as motivation or however he wants to use it. All I told him was when we go back to school, we go back to work. Your everyday activity, your everyday work ethic, how you carry yourself, your confidence, all of those things are things I'm going to observe. And when you're dedicated and work your tail off, and use the talents that you have, I said I'll never hesitate to put you back in that situation."

Speaking of "that situation" Shaw took the conference call as an opportunity to reiterate his decision to kick a field goal on the final drive in regulation. He was asked (full disclosure, by me) to reflect in general on his first year as a head coach -- whether he felt he was too aggressive or conservative in any situations or if he'd change anything moving forward.

"I don't know if you are referring to anything specific [for the record, I wasn't], if we're in a situation where we're driving the ball in a 2-minute drill against the team that leads the nation in interceptions, I don't give a doggone who the quarterback is. We're going to run the ball, get down to field-goal position and kick the field goal," Shaw said.

Sounds like coach and kicker have both moved on.

Dion Jordan is flattered, but ultimately unmoved by comparisons. Oregon's defensive end has heard most of them -- Jevon Kearse, Terrell Suggs, Dwight Freeney, to name a few. Not exactly shoddy company, mind you.

"I think it's cool and I've been compared to a few of those guys in the past," Jordan said. "But I want to bring my own game to the table. I've watched those guys in the film room. I've studied the great pass-rushers and outside linebackers that drop into coverage. I want to get as much as I can out of them and then roll that into my own game."

And if all goes according to plan, Jordan's game in 2012 will be to create chaos.

Jordan, a returning first-team all-conference defensive end last season, was one of the most disruptive players in the Pac-12, finishing fourth in the league with 7.5 sacks. There's no reason to believe he isn't poised for equal or better numbers in his senior season. Nor is it out of the realm of possibility to consider him a legitimate candidate for conference defensive player of the year.

"First, I've got to finish up school, graduate and become a better leader for my teammates on the field," said Jordan, who totaled 13 tackles for a loss last year. "My main goal is to get after the quarterback more so I can increase those stats. That will help me and my team a lot. If I can get my hands on the ball, I believe I can get in the end zone one or two times."

Spoken like a true offensive player at heart. Coming out of Chandler, Ariz., as a 6-foot-6, 215-pound receiver/tight end hybrid, he never imagined himself on the defensive side of the ball -- or on the line, for that matter. But he's grown an inch since arriving in Eugene and is playing at about 245 pounds now -- a proportion he's happy with.

"I can definitely add more weight, but my real goal is to get stronger," he said. "Last year I played at about 240, but if I gain too much, I won't be as effective with my feet. I gotta get stronger. More time in the weight room, take care of my body and stay healthy. That's all that matters right now."

He's being touted early on as one of the top 20 players in the 2013 NFL draft -- something that's crossed his mind, but it's not on his mind. Like all good team leaders, he's got his attention focused on the first game of the season.

"When the season starts, everyone has the same record," Jordan said. "You really can't buy into the hype. All you can do is prepare and come out ready to play. Coach [Chip] Kelly makes sure we're prepared every week to compete against anybody we play. And we feel like if we prepare good enough, we can compete with anybody in the nation."

All of the ingredients are in place. Jordan plays on a high-profile team that's going to win a lot of games and is expected to be in the national championship hunt. And according to defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti, he could be Oregon's best defensive player. Kelly is equally thrilled with Jordan's progress.

"I'm really excited about Dion," Kelly said. "He's really come into a leadership role this spring and he's emerged as one of the top players in our conference."

And he's one of the top players on a defense that is loaded with talent. With playmakers like Michael Clay, Kiko Alonso, Taylor Hart and John Boyett -- to name a few -- the Ducks defense looks poised to again be one of the best in the conference.

"It's not about one or two guys standing out," Jordan said. "I honestly think we all do a good job complementing each other in our own way. We work hard. If you look at previous games, not everybody is going to play their best game every week. We do a good job picking each other up."

We're continuing with our under the radar series.

The idea is to pick out a player who is not a big name, but who may be underrated. Or, at least, a guy who will need to step up and play a critical role in 2012.

We're going in reverse alphabetical order.

California: RB C.J. Anderson

2011 production: Anderson rushed for 361 yards with eight TDs. He averaged 4.8 yards per carry. He also caught seven passes for 186 yards and a score.

Making the case for Anderson: Talk about under the radar: Anderson is the backup to one of the Pac-12's most underrated players in Isi Sofele, who quietly rushed for 1,322 yards last year. Anderson was mostly the thunder to Sofele's lightning in 2011, giving Cal a big back to spell the diminutive Sofele, particularly in short-yardage situations. But here's the deal: A little bird told me that Anderson was consistently the Bears best back this spring. A big reason for that is Anderson losing 15 pounds -- he was out of shape last year after transfering from a junior college -- though he's still listed at 5-foot-11, 215. He's a physical runner who showed much better quickness this spring. Fans got a taste of the new-and-improved Anderson when his 87 yards rushing in the spring game included a 15-yard TD and 44-yard scamper. The Bears backfield is stacked. After Sofele and Anderson there's speedy Brendan Bigelow, and Daniel Lasco isn't too shabby either. That's a quality foursome, but there's only one ball. Let's just say Anderson, if he continues to focus on conditioning during the summer, could offer Sofele some legit competition for the starting job in fall camp. It's notable that Anderson is not only more physical, he's also a better receiver than Sofele and less of a mismatch when asked to block. Even if Anderson doesn't displace Sofele, it's not unreasonable to expect him to double his production from 2011.

The Pac-12 blog has not made it a secret that we think the conference is going to have some pretty good defenders next season. We're not the only ones.

The Lott IMPACT Trophy announced its watch list for the 2012 season and eight of the 42 players nominated hail from the Pac-12.

• John Boyett, S, Oregon
• Jordan Poyer, CB, Oregon State
• Chase Thomas, LB, Stanford
• Patrick Larimore, LB, UCLA
• T.J. McDonald, S, USC
• Brandon Magee, LB, ASU
• Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah
• Ray Polk, S, Colorado

Boston College's Luke Kuechly was last year's winner. You can click here to see the complete watch list. The winner will be announced Dec. 9. The trophy is named in honor of Ronnie Lott -- a two-time All-American at USC and 10-time Pro Bowler with the San Francisco 49ers.

Some quotes from the Pac-12 coaches conference call earlier today.

• Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez on how his players grasped his philosophy: "I think they grasped it pretty well from the progress from the first practice to the last. We tried to coach them up and educate them on how practice is going to run and the tempo we were going to go out and the things we wanted to achieve in each and every practice. For the first practice, which was tough on guys, about halfway through they were gassed and done and struggling to the end, to the last practice of spring they were moving around a little better ... I think they saw a whole other level of continuing we have to be in just to get through practice, let alone to play at the pace we want to play at."
• ASU coach Todd Graham on the quarterback situation: "Obviously, we're a lot closer than what it appears probably from the outside. It was a great evaluation for us. And to be honest it's very difficult to rep three guys and I was very impressed that we were able to install the amount of the offense that we did install and we did it with three different guys."
• Cal coach Jeff Tedford on the progress of quarterback Zach Maynard: "I thought he did a nice job. We were so far ahead of last year when he was new into the system. We were able to do much more on offense this spring and move along and much more efficient. You could really tell his experience from the season had really paid off with the speed of the game and the management of the game. He really improved obviously through a year. Spring was very effective for him."
• Colorado coach Jon Embree on splitting quarterback reps this fall: "With two to three going after it you have to be creative. We'll do some different things to make sure they get quality reps. It may be by day, it may be by drill ... if it's a clear cut deal, I'm not going to waste time. I think it's important that the team knows and that quarterback know that they're going to be leading the team."
• Oregon coach Chip Kelly on quarterback Bryan Bennett after the spring game: "He was fine. I saw him Monday and he was good. There's not much we can do about the games of the past. He's getting in and watching film on his own because we're in that part of the season. I saw him in there watching tape and getting ready for camp coming up. Everything is a learning experience for everybody in our program. It was a good learning experience for Bryan to go through."
• Oregon State coach Mike Riley on Sean Mannion's progress: "To summarize it, I think he had a very valuable freshman year. He's a tremendously hard worker. Conscientious. So what we're looking for is just continued growth. Quarterbacking is a never-ending story of decision making, getting the ball out of your hands. Getting it to the right guy. I thought he had an excellent spring that way. He'll take all of that work into the summertime and be prepared for fall camp so we're just looking for bigger and better things."
• Stanford head coach David Shaw on The Big Game in October: "I think the biggest change is all of the activities around the game, it's going to be hard to do all of those because they're not at the end of the season. The last couple of years it's been the second to last game of the regular season. But now, so early in the season, we've got too much work to do. We can't afford to have too many distractions. I've talked to coach Tedford and we're going to try to organize that week to where we can still do some of the traditional things, maybe just earlier in the week. We're just mid-season. We can't have too many other things going on."
• UCLA coach Jim Mora on the need to cut scholarships (he said they need to cut three): "Probably a combination of both [grayshirting and current players]. I've talked to all our recruits and all our current players about their futures at UCLA."
• USC coach Lane Kiffin said he wants to see improvements in the running game: "I think we did improve in the second half of the season comparable to the first half ... obviously we lost our left tackle Matt Kalil, so that will be tough to replace. But Curtis coming back after a 1,000-yard season. He's coming into his senior year. I'm looking for him to improve with D.J. Morgan going into his second year of playing with us. We aren't very deep, but we would like to definitely improve our rushing stats."
• Utah coach Kyle Whittingham on what he learned in the first year in the Pac-12: "I don't know if we learned anything new. We had an idea going in that it was going to be very competitive ... it was very apparent on tape that there was a lot of good athletes in this conference and some great coaching and that was the case. I can't say that anything surprised us."
• Washington coach Steve Sarkisian on finding a third wide receiver: "We know who Kasen Williams is. We know who James Johnson is. Who's going to be the third guy that's a consistent contributor. Can Cody Bruns get healthy and do it? Can a young guy? Can a Jamaal Jones, DiAndre Campbell, a Marvin Hall, one of those types of guys, step up. That will be big."
• Washington State defensive coordinator Mike Breske on the new system: "Speaking for my first go-around with coach Leach going through spring ball, it was a little bit unusual in terms of 70-75 percent of the balls in the air from a defensive perspective. Growing process, [it was] coaches learning kids, kids learning about their coaches and how to practice, that type of thing. Once we got to practice 15 we accomplished a lot of the things we were looking for going into the spring."

Erik McKinney writes : The Newhall (Calif.) Hart 2015 combination of quarterback Brady White and wide receiver Trenton Irwin sizzled for B2G Scorch in 7-on-7 play this past weekend.

McKinney writes : Recent USC wide receiver commit Eldridge Massington got his invite to The Opening on Monday, joining many other Trojans targets.

Garry Paskwietz writes: The 42 nominees for the 2012 Lott IMPACT Trophy were announced Monday, with seven serving as repeat nominations from last year.

I have all the characteristics of a human being: blood, flesh, skin, hair; but not a single, clear, identifiable emotion, except for greed and disgust.

• The Rose Bowl is important to the conference -- including Arizona.
• ASU's Aderious Simmons took an unlikely road to the NFL.
• Make your predictions for how Cal will do in 2012.
• Reflecting on Colorado's first year in the Pac-12 (from a complete athletic department perspective).
• Life after football has been good to Joey Harrington.
• An early preview of the Cal-Oregon State game.
• Looks like Andrew Luck won't be using Jim Irsay's private plane after all.
• UCLA is going to have to trim some scholarships to get down to 85.
• Matt Barkley or Landry Jones in 2013?
• Former Utah receiver Brian Hernandez signs with Washington.
• Steve Sarkisian talks defense when meeting with boosters.
• Washington State picks up another commit for 2013.

Change keeps coming at Washington State as athletic director Bill Moos continues to put his stamp on the football program.

The school announced major changes Monday on its football broadcast team. Out is color commentator Jim Walden, a former Cougars coach, and in is Bud Nameck and Shawn McWashington, who both will join longtime play-by-play man Bob Robertson in the booth. The broadcast also will add Jessamyn McIntyre as a sideline reporter.

Further, football and men's basketball will move to 710 ESPN radio in Seattle.

Robertson is returning for his 46th season. That Walden is not will bother more than a few Cougs -- as well as some reporters who found him endlessly amusing -- but Walden's outspoken defense of former coach Paul Wulff rubbed some important folks the wrong way.

“Jim Walden and I have been friends for over 30 years and continue to be friends,” Moos told The Spokesman-Review. “I just thought we needed a fresh approach. Basically everything having to do with Cougar football is being revamped, from uniforms to the stadium to the coach to our replay boards to our marketing – everything – and the changes in the radio broadcast format is just a part of it.”

The press release said Cougar gameday broadcasts will include a two-hour pregame and one-hour postgame football show and a 30-minute pre- and postgame show for men's basketball. 710 ESPN also will air a weekly, season-long segment featuring coach Mike Leach heard during the “Kevin Calabro Show with Jim Moore” along with special Cougar Athletics programming on both 710 ESPN Seattle and KTTH 770 AM.
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“College Football Live’s” panel of experts preview Stanford's upcoming season.

As we've noted before, sports fans love lists. They love rankings.

And so we have another ranking of Pac-12 coaches, this time from our friends at The Sporting News.

Here's how they see things.

1. Chip Kelly, Oregon
2. Mike Leach, Washington State
3. Lane Kiffin, USC
4. Kyle Whittingham, Utah
5. Steve Sarkisian, Washington
6. David Shaw, Stanford
7. Rich Rodriguez, Arizona
8. Mike Riley, Oregon State
9. Jeff Tedford, California
10. Jim Mora, UCLA
11. Todd Graham, Arizona State
12. Jon Embree, Colorado

We've been here before, when we took note of Athlon's rankings and then provided our own.

Here are those other lists.

Here's Athlon's order:

1. Chip Kelly, Oregon
2. Lane Kiffin, USC
3. Mike Leach, Washington State
4. Kyle Whittingham, Utah
5. Rich Rodriguez, Arizona
6. Steve Sarkisian, Washington
7. Mike Riley, Oregon State
8. Jeff Tedford, California
9. David Shaw, Stanford
10. Todd Graham, Arizona State
11. Jim Mora, UCLA
12. Jon Embree, Colorado

This was mine:

1. Chip Kelly, Oregon
2. Kyle Whittingham, Utah
3. Rich Rodriguez, Arizona
4. Mike Leach, Washington State
5. Lane Kiffin, USC
6. Steve Sarkisian, Washington
7. David Shaw, Stanford
8. Mike Riley, Oregon State
9. Jeff Tedford, California
10. Todd Graham, Arizona State
11. Jim Mora, UCLA
12. Jon Embree, Colorado

We're continuing with our under the radar series.

The idea is to pick out a player who is not a big name, but who may be underrated. Or, at least, a guy who will need to step up and play a critical role in 2012.

We're going in reverse alphabetical order.

Colorado: DE Chidera Uzo-Diribe

2011 production: Totaled 18 tackles -- all solo -- and had 5.5 sacks. He also forced a team-high three fumbles.

Making the case for Uzo-Diribe: Of the eight defensive linemen named to the first and second team all-conference defense last year, only two of them (Nick Perry and Dion Jordan) had more sacks than Uzo-Diribe, who finished ninth in the conference. He tied for fifth in the conference in forced fumbles. But Colorado's poor defensive showing last season (last in scoring defense, 10th in total defense) didn't do much to help his credibility. He's an explosive player at 6-foot-3, 255 pounds and is certainly a defender that opposing offenses can't overlook. The biggest issue for him this spring was being more consistent against the run, and he seems to be making strides. He's poised for another good season -- potentially a breakout season -- and if some of Colorado's younger defenders can step up, he could be in line for some of the postseason honors that evaded him last year.

UCLA has released a post-spring depth chart, but at least one person rated it as fairly worthless.

That would be new Bruins coach Jim Mora.

"I wouldn't put a lot into this depth chart," Mora said. "This depth chart to me is a piece of paper that as soon as we're done talking, I'm going to crumble up and throw in the trash. We wanted to give you something to work with."

That depth chart didn't include many revelations. The quarterbacks were listed in numerical order. Not including quarterback, there were "ORs" listed between six different positions.

You can see the depth chart -- and some notes from Jon Gold -- here.

Some notes:

• Quarterback still remains a three-man race between Brett Hundley, Richard Brehaut and Kevin Prince -- and, yes, I listed them in what I suspect to be their current order. Mora has said that he will announce a starter on Aug. 16. Why not after spring practices? "We didn't have a guy where it was clear-cut," Mora said.
• By the way, Mora went out of his way to praise quarterback Jerry Neuheisel, former coach Rick Neuheisel's son.
• Brehaut may have helped his cause by giving up baseball. Mora said he had nothing to do with that decision but, "I think it's significant. He's shown a commitment. He needs to show that commitment."
• The "ORs" on the depth chart: Jerry Johnson and Devin Lucien at receiver, Greg Capella and freshman Jake Brendel at center, Joseph Fauria and Darius Bell at receiver, Datone Jones and Owamagbe Odighizuwa at defensive end, Cassius Marsh and Odighizuwa at the other defensive end spot, and Jordan Zumwalt and Keenan Graham at outside linebacker.
• Wade Yandall is listed No. 1 at right offensive guard, but he's got concussion issues. Mora said his status is "very uncertain."
• Freshmen Torian White and Will Oliver are Nos. 1 and 2 at right tackle, ahead of senior Brett Downey.
• Sophomore Brandon Willis, a transfer from North Carolina, is No. 1 at nose guard.
• Junior Anthony Barr, a once-touted recruit who's mostly played offense, was No. 3 at one outside linebacker.
• Mora on cornerbacks Aaron Hester and Sheldon Price: "I feel comfortable with both of those guys."
• Mora said there will be some roster attrition this summer: "We've got some decision we've got to make and some guys who have got to make some decisions. This isn't for everybody . . . I still think there are a couple of guys who are half-in and half-out."
• Asked about freshmen he thinks will play, Mora listed: defensive tackle Ellis McCarthy, defensive back Ishmael Adams, wide receiver Jordan Payton, safety Taylor Lagace, offensive lineman Simon Goines and offensive lineman Carl Hulick.

This is a quick makeup mailbag from Friday.

As you know, you can follow me on Twitter here.

To the notes!

David from Eugene, Ore., writes: The Oregon spring game was the last time I'll step foot in Autzen as an undergraduate, and I must say, while Mariota was able to lead his team to victory, there wasn't a unit on the field that really made me feel comfortable about the future. Do you think the Ducks will be a BCS bowl team this season? And what reasoning have you come up with regarding your answer?

Ted Miller: First of all, don't ever put too much into a spring game. The most important thing for each and every spring game is to get through it with no more injuries. As far as revealing much about a team, it's almost impossible to make educated judgements. For one, schemes are vanilla because no body wants to show too much. Second, every good play is a bad play. And vice versa. A great run for the offense exposes poor execution on defense. A sack on defense exposes poor execution on offense. Etc.

Do I think the Ducks will play in a BCS bowl this season? Yes.

If you look at the Ducks' schedule, the only time they likely will be an underdog is at USC on Nov. 3, a game that should have national title implications. It's not unreasonable to predict that Oregon will go 11-2, losing twice to the Trojans -- in the regular season and the Pac-12 championship game. Or maybe Oregon wins both or splits the games. Bottom line: It's not difficult to see 11 wins. That might, in fact, be the best over-under number.

Why am I high on the Ducks? For one, coach Chip Kelly's track record is pretty OK. Sure, he's lost six games. But he's also won 34, which isn't too bad for three seasons. After three consecutive conference titles, it's not smart to bet against him, or his new quarterback.

I also like the defense, which will rank in the top-third of the conference and top-25 in the nation. I like running back Kenjon Barner and wide receiver/running back De'Anthony Thomas. I like the offensive line and tight end Colt Lyerla. I like the specialists. If the receivers are at least solid, this will be a top-five team.

If the Ducks go 11-2 and lose twice to USC, my guess is the Trojans go to the national title game. If the Trojans face plant at some point and end up merely winning the conference and going to the Rose Bowl, I'd guess the Ducks would be a compelling choice for an at-large BCS bowl berth.

And things don't set up badly for 2013, either.

Daniel from Rexburg, Idaho writes: I love the Beavers but in all honesty I don't see them winning more than five this year (if that). Ya we are strong in certain areas but NO team can win with poor offensive line play and a very weak DT unit. Is is possible for a team to play in a bowl while casting such a poor line? (lets be honest Issac wont have THAT big of an impact this year) And how on earth can we stop a spread without strong DTs or a really effective LB unit?

Ted Miller: You are right about the questions -- both lines. I think things will be OK at linebacker, though not up to the standards of a just a few years ago.

Now, I've never been accused of being a "glass half-full guy." When I see a half-empty glass, which is the more accurate way to describe it, I am certain that my worst enemy just enjoyed the best part of my beverage, found a 20 carat diamond in the bottom, used that to buy a beach house in Malibu and only left behind backwash for me. And probably germs that will give me the sniffles.

Sniffle.

But I see some reason to be half-full with the Beavers, though a number of things have to fall in place. Start with the offensive line. What if offensive tackle Michael Philipp rediscovers his mojo, incoming freshman Isaac Seumalo is as good as advertised and UCLA transfer Stan Hasiak has gotten himself under control? Toss in Josh Andrews, Grant Enger and Colin Kelly, who have 28 starts between them, and promising Michael Beaton, and there's hope for the O-line.

While most point to the O-line first as a question, I think the D-line is as big of an issue, even with both defensive ends, Scott Crichton and Dylan Wynn, back. There's an across the board lack of depth, and things are particularly worrisome inside. Castro Masaniai, Andrew Seumalo, Mana Rosa and Mana Tuivailala look like the top-four guys, and none at present is a guy who will worry an opposing offensive coordinator.

On the upside, the track record of quarterbacks in their second year starting for Mike Riley has been strong, and Sean Mannion will have an experienced, speedy cast of receivers. My guess is the passing game will be strong. If the running game becomes merely adequate, this offense will score points.

Now can it get to at least six wins and earn a bowl berth, which I would deem a successful season after going 3-9 last year? The Beavers didn't do themselves any favors with the nonconference schedule -- Wisconsin and at BYU -- and there are no obvious gimmes, other than Nicholls State in the opener.

While I certainly can pile up a list of "Ls" while going through the schedule, this team also hints at past Beavers squads that were counted out in the preseason but somehow pushed their way into the Pac-12 race.

Five is probably the over-under for this team, but I'm a leaning toward picking the over. We should have a good idea of the direction by mid-October. After a bye, the Beavers play winnable games against UCLA, Arizona, Washington State and BYU. They probably need to win three of those to have a chance at six or seven victories.

Matt from San Francisco writes: With Cal not having a bye week this year, how much will that grind affect them?

Ted Miller: What are you talking about? California has a bye on Nov. 24, the last weekend of the regular season. That will come in handy if the Bears are playing for the Pac-12 title on Nov. 30.

We jest. No, Cal has a pretty rough schedule: 12 consecutive weeks, road games at Ohio State, USC and Utah. On the other hand, it's good that Stanford, Washington and Oregon all have to come to Berkeley to play in fancy, renovated Memorial Stadium.

Last year, Colorado played 13 consecutive weeks. The Buffs schedule was so bad it was absurd. But, curiously, they played their best ball at the end of the year, winning two out of their final three, including a shocking upset win at Utah, which knocked the Utes out of the Pac-12 title game.

It's perfectly reasonable to believe that a no-bye schedule will grind a team down. An off-week in October or early November can do wonders for those accumulated bumps and bruises -- or stingers and sprained ankles.

If the Bears stay healthy and are playing well, they'll probably be fine with suiting up every week. Who wants to break positive momentum? And if they are banged up and struggling, the no-bye schedule will be duly noted.

Mark from Boston writes: You may want to revisit some articles written by Peter Keating a few years back. They were about a corrective mouth guard used by the N.E. Patriots. The key is, it was developed with Marvin Hagler to address the boxers glass jaw.This is the common denominator to athletes that become prone and boxers who get ko'd easily.

Ted Miller: One of the points that surprised me during the Fiesta Bowl Summit panel, "Sports-Related Concussions: Facts, Fallacies and New Frontiers," was the specific mention multiple times that mouth guards DO NOT decrease the likelihood of a concussion.

They do, however, protect your teeth.

Husky Nation from Seattle writes: Were we unkind to you during your stay beside our equatorial-most fjord? Or are you just making it clear that you owe no allegiance to us by your relatively consistent immoderate remarks?Yet we still read you Ted. We still read you. What does that say about us?

Ted Miller: I'm guessing you are referring to this little ditty about the Ducks and Huskies, two American football teams living in the Northwest.

I get a lot of the "You abandoned us" from Huskies fans. Even a few Washington coaches or officials have tweaked me -- mostly good naturedly -- for allegedly favoring Oregon over Washington.

My response is this: How do you describe Oregon's past four seasons in anything but glowing terms (I include Mike Bellotti's final year)? And how would you describe the Washington program overall since 2003, even with the recent upward trend under Steve Sarkisian?

Further, how would a Washington fan write up the last eight years of the Huskies-Ducks rivalry? When I included this line from a Ducks fan, "We've beaten you eight consecutive years by an average margin of 25 points and never by fewer than 17 points," it was merely a statement of fact, supported by the record book. There is no way to sugarcoat it, but feel free to try.

I loved my time in Seattle. I really, really miss the food. And walking everywhere. I enjoyed covering the 2000 Rose Bowl season (though the Curtis Williams spinal injury was horrible). And I found the program going rear-end-over-tea-kettle a drudgery to cover because it's never fun to be around unhappy people who are busting their rear ends but nonetheless failing to succeed.

My present job is to cover 12 teams fairly and accurately. If a team is doing well, I will write, "This team is doing well." And if a team is doing badly, I will write, "This team is doing badly."

Despite what many insist, I don't favor -- or dislike -- any team in the Pac-12. Honest. What I do root for is to be entertained. And for the Pac-12 to be relevant in the national picture.

Therefore, I do want something out of the Oregon-Washington rivalry. I want it to be on ESPN in prime time as a battle of top-10 teams.