ESPN College Football

2011 record: 11-2
2011 conference record: 8-1 (2nd, North)
Returning starters: Offense: 6; defense: 7; kicker/punter 1

Top returners
RB Stepfan Taylor, OLB Chase Thomas, LB Shayne Skov, FB Ryan Hewitt, C Sam Schwartzstein, OG David Yankey, OT Cameron Fleming, DE Ben Gardner, TE Zach Ertz, TE Levine Toilolo.

Key losses
QB Andrew Luck, OL David DeCastro, OL Jonathan Martin, S Delano Howell, DE Matt Masifilo, WR Chris Owusu, TE Coby Fleener, S Michael Thomas.

2011 statistical leaders* (returners)
Rushing: Stepfan Taylor* (1,330 yards)
Passing: Andrew Luck (3,517 yards)
Receiving: Griff Whalen (749 yards)
Tackles: Jarek Lancaster* (70)
Sacks: Chase Thomas* (8.5)
Interceptions: Michael Thomas (3)

Spring answers
1. And then there were two: The pack of five has been funneled down to two quarterbacks competing to replace Andrew Luck, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft. There are plenty of questions left (see below) but at least we know that it's not a three-, four- or five-man race heading into spring. Brett Nottingham and Josh Nunes clearly separated themselves from the rest of the pack. That's a start.

2. Running back depth: In case Stepfan Taylor gets the flu, and Tyler Gaffney trips over his batting gloves, and Anthony Wilkerson stubs his toe, we know the Cardinal still have a viable running back option in Ricky Seale, who impressed Shaw this spring with his vision, quickness and elusiveness. Oh yeah, there's a Barry something or other coming in the fall whose supposed to be a pretty good running back. RB depth is not a concern.

3. Scary front seven: The Cardinal have so much talent and depth at defensive line and linebacker that defensive coordinator Derek Mason has to be scratching his head on how to get everybody in. Linebacker James Vaugthers is a star on the rise -- but that means taking reps away from A.J. Tarpley and Jarek Lancaster. Chase Thomas and Trent Murphy are two of the best at what they do. Stanford's run defense was really good last year. It could be great this year.

Fall questions
1. Who's the guy? Nunes or Nottingham? Nottingham or Nunes? That's the question everyone will be asking on the Farm for the next few months. This might be the most intriguing quarterback competition in the country. But the Cardinal don't need a 50-attempt guy. They need someone who can put them in the best play against the right defense and hand off to Stepfan Taylor. Then repeat. Repeat. Repeat. And then pop a play-action to Ty Montgomery, Zach Ertz or Levine Toilolo.

2. The Fleener factor: Much of Stanford's offensive success came from the three-tight-end formations, which included Coby Fleener, Ertz and Toilolo. In fact, about 35 percent of the offensive playbook is triple-tight sets. How much does that change with Fleener's departure to the NFL? Ertz and Toilolo are both outstanding tight ends in their own right. But the three of them together was something special.

3. Drop-off? Aren't you tired of reading about the drop-off Stanford is going to suffer with the graduation of Luck? Well, so are the players. Several have said off the record that it's a great motivational tool because they believe the defense and running game are stronger than they've ever been. Whatever the public thinks, it hasn't penetrated the locker room. Not yet, anyway.

Stanford head coach David Shaw pulled the curtain back ever so slightly on his quarterback competition, revealing not what he's looking for, but what he's not looking for in Andrew Luck's successor.

"They know the quickest way for those guys to lose the competition is to try to be Andrew," Shaw said. "That will lose someone the competition."

This has been a different spring for Shaw, who took over following Jim Harbaugh's exodus to the NFL and had the best quarterback in nation already in place. Shaw had helped develop Luck as Harbaugh's offensive coordinator, and knew there wasn't much tweaking required. This year's crop presents a fun, albeit different, challenge for the former NFL quarterbacks coach.

"There were a couple of times where I had to grab them and get my hands on them," Shaw said. "Some of those young guys are like clay and you get a chance to mold them. It was fun. It was enjoyable.

"The only thing that would be more enjoyable [will be] when someone takes the job and we plant them in there and give them a chance to play. It was completely different. It was different working with a battle for the back-up quarterback job to the best quarterback in the nation as opposed to battling for the starting job."

Still, no matter whether it's Brett Nottingham or Josh Nunes who emerges as Stanford's starting quarterback, there are going to be expectations to maintain the success Stanford has enjoyed the past few years.

"I'm not going to lie, there is still an Andrew Luck hangover going on down here in Palo Alto," Shaw said. "But we have some athletic, smart, accurate quarterbacks that understand what we do. ... Their job is to be efficient. Their job is to hand the ball to Stepfan Taylor and Tyler Gaffney and Anthony Wilkerson. To find Levine Toilolo and Zach Ertz and give Ty Montgomery a chance to play.

"As we always talk about, the quarterback's job here is to deal the cards. Get it to the playmakers. Make sure the offense runs efficiently. And the guy that does that the best will be the guy that starts."

In other Stanford news:

Linebacker Shayne Skov is on schedule with his rehabilitation from a season-ending knee injury suffered in Week 3 last season against Arizona. Shaw said he expects Skov to be ready by the start of fall camp, but they will keep a close eye on him. Some are already predicting Skov as a first-round pick in next year's NFL draft.

"We'll be very smart with him, getting into the more physical practices, just to make sure," Shaw said. "Shayne doesn't have to prove to me that he can play the game of football; Shayne has to prove to me that he's healthy. We're not going to put him in those potentially damaging situations until we know he's 100 percent ready to go. So early in training camp we'll take care of him. We'll watch him the first couple of days of pads. If there are no setbacks, we'll release him for complete, full-go activity. I expect him to play up to the level of his ability."

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.

Stanford: RB Ricky Seale

2011 production: Carried the ball six times for 23 yards and caught one ball for 3 yards. Not a wealth of on-field time.

Making the case for Seale: Fun fact: In 2008, Seale set the San Diego County single-season record for rushing yards in the last game of the season (San Diego's Division I title game). A week later, Tyler Gaffney broke Seale’s record because his team qualified for a state bowl game. In other words two of the state’s best backs that year ended up at Stanford. One has found a niche as a change-of-pace/Wildcat back. That would be Gaffney. Seale hasn’t found his place yet -- until, maybe, now.

Head coach David Shaw has been pumping up Seale for having an outstanding spring session. His exact words describing Seale: "We found out that our fourth back is good enough to start at a lot of places." Obviously, no one expects him to unseat Stepfan Taylor as the Cardinal’s primary back. Taylor is a back-to-back 1,000-yard rusher and the catalyst for Stanford’s power-run, pro-style offense. But Seale could start to steal more and more carries if he performs like he did during the spring. We saw last year that Gaffney performed well and supplanted Anthony Wilkerson as first back off the bench. There is no reason to believe that if Seale is performing, he could work his way up the food chain and be the third -- or maybe even second -- back in a very talented rotation. Seale brings explosiveness and vision. He’s a more slippery back than the others. Who knows? He could get six carries all year. Or 60. That’s what makes him under the radar.

Three consecutive Heisman Trophy runners-up, two consecutive BCS bowl games and final top-10 rankings: Hey, Stanford's special run of football success was fun to watch. It was neat seeing the most academically elite university playing BCS football whipping the big boys.

But we all know it can't possibly last, right? Jim Harbaugh built it and he's gone. Andrew Luck was a once-in-a-generation quarterback, and he's gone. And he took with him three other offensive players among the first 42 selections in the NFL draft over the weekend.

While the Cardinal certainly had more than 15 minutes of fame, it's time for this program to go back to its familiar brainiac territory -- Faulkner, computer chips and advanced algorithms. Leave big-time football the USCs, Alabamas and Ohio States of the nation.

Yes, such talk has worked its way across the grid, onto the Farm and into the Stanford locker room.

"We've talked about that," coach David Shaw said. "But we've also talked about that there can't be anything outside of our meeting rooms that motivates us. The motivation has to come from within. It's the only way that it is real. The only way that it is legitimate. But we've heard it. We know where we're ranked. But preseason rankings don't matter. Postseason rankings do."

In other words, the Cardinal believe reports of their demise are greatly exaggerated.

"They said the same thing when Toby [Gerhart] left and when Harbaugh left," outside linebacker Chase Thomas said. "We're pretty confident. We know what we bring to the table."

Of course, things change. No team can easily replace four elite NFL draft picks from its offense. That's why Stanford may be more about defense in the early going of 2012. Thomas leads a crew of six returning starters from a unit that ranked among the nation's top 30 in both scoring and total defense. The Cardinal's front seven in their 3-4 scheme appears to be particularly strong. Few teams in the nation will be as deep at linebacker, with Thomas and inside linebacker Shayne Skov both rating as potential All-Americans.

But what about that offense? The competition to replace Luck wasn't resolved this spring, with neither Josh Nunes nor Brett Nottingham demonstrating much consistency. And whoever wins the job won't have tackle Jonathan Martin protecting his blind side, or guard David DeCastro grinding defensive linemen into hamburger, or tight end Coby Fleener sprinting open down the middle with his 6-foot-6 self.

"We will continue our commitment to controlling the line of scrimmage," coordinator Pep Hamilton said. "We're going to run power. I don't see us changing much. If anything, if we have a few more opportunities to run power, we'll do that."

That means leaning on running back Stepfan Taylor, who has rushed for 2,770 yards and 27 TDs over the previous three seasons, and a deep stable of backs. That means leaning on a tight end combination -- Zach Ertz and Levine Toilolo -- that is as good as any in the nation, even without Fleener.

Receiver and offensive line? Those two spots remain questions, though the line will welcome back three starters.

Existing talent, however, doesn't tell the whole story of Stanford's potential for sustaining success. The incoming recruiting class is a significant chapter. Rivals ranked it fifth in the nation, Scout seventh and ESPN Recruiting 12th. No team in the nation came close to collecting as many elite offensive linemen: guard Joshua Garnett (Puyallup, Wash./Puyallup), Andrus Peat (Tempe, Ariz./Corona Del Sol) and offensive tackle Kyle Murphy (San Clemente, Calif./San Clemente).

Shaw isn't afraid to play the young guys, either. True freshmen will get opportunities on both sides of the ball, including the offensive line.

"There's a reason why we recruited a couple of big-timers at those positions," he said. "They will have an opportunity to play if not start at the left tackle position."

Instead of going away, Stanford may well have found a perfect formula that Harbaugh generated and Shaw has refined. Stanford has a lot to sell a certain type of athlete, one who is equal parts brains and brawn. Despite what many folks think about young athletes, there are plenty who want to challenge themselves intellectually before playing football on Sundays.

"This is a special place that attracts a certain kind of person," said Shaw, a former Stanford player himself. "The GPAs in this recruiting class are high, even positions where they are not always high. Our lowest receiver GPA is a 3.4. Not regular GPA, core GPA. These guys are good students and tough kids."

But how fast are they? A 3.4 is nice, but what about 4.4? The one thing that has held Stanford back is a lack of elite speed all over the field, particularly in the secondary and at receiver. Shaw said they "are getting closer" in terms of speed, but he also admitted that the Cardinal -- just like every other Pac-12 program -- have a bit of an Oregon problem. They are 23-1 versus everyone else over the past two seasons, outscoring those foes 1,024-405. Against the Ducks, Stanford is 0-2, outscored 105-61.

Does Stanford have an "Oregon problem?"

"That's a great question," Shaw said. "I'd like to have a survey on your website if anybody has some ideas. Chip [Kelly] does a phenomenal job."

While Shaw is said this in a good-humored way, it's clear that he and his coaches have spent plenty of time thinking about the Ducks. They recall beating them 51-42 in 2009, particularly how they handled the ebbs and flows of momentum. They know it's about preventing big plays and not wasting opportunities on offense. They know it's about tempo, a pitched battle of contrasting styles. Oregon wants to play fast and slash you. Stanford wants to slow things down and pound you.

At least one insider believes Stanford will sustain its recent run of success.

"Absolutely. Hopefully they do better than we did," Luck said. "I think there are a lot of great players here, starting at the top with the coaching staff. Great players, great recruiting classes. They will only continue to get better."

As for what Stanford will be in 2012, its first season of the post-Luck era, Shaw thinks his team will have the same tough-guy persona. But it'll be angrier.

"We're going to go right at people and hit them in the mouth," he said. "And it helps to feel like you're disrespected."

Despite the Pac-12 conference being home to some of the best quarterbacks and wide receivers in the country, some teams do occasionally run the football. Some better than others. Some really better than others.

Our friends at Athlon Sports continue their series of assorted Pac-12 rankings. They've given us the Pac-12 coaches and quarterbacks, and now they are up with their running back rankings.

Here's how the top 20 shakes out, which includes last year's production, expectations for 2012 and surrounding personnel:

[+] Enlarge
Jim Z. Rider/US PresswireOregon's De'Anthony Thomas and Kenjon Barner (24) look to be the Pac-12's top RB duo.
1. De'Anthony Thomas, Oregon
2. Kenjon Barner, Oregon
3. John White, Utah
4. Stepfan Taylor, Stanford
5. Isi Sofele, Cal
6. Cameron Marshall, Arizona State
7. Johnathan Franklin, UCLA
8. Curtis McNeal, USC
9. Ka'Deem Carey, Arizona
10. Jesse Callier, Washington
11. Malcolm Agnew, Oregon State
12. Rickey Galvin, Washington State
13. Tony Jones, Colorado
14. Bishop Sankey, Washington
15. Tyler Gaffney, Stanford
16. C.J. Anderson, Cal
17. Nelson Agholor, USC
18. Deantre Lewis, Arizona State
19. Carl Winston, Washington State
20. D.J. Morgan, USC

Initial thoughts:

• Unlike the quarterback rankings last week, where Ted and I both had some ideas on how we'd move things around, this top 10 seems pretty solid, give or take one or two spots. There will be some games when Barner takes the lead and others where Thomas does. And in the games when they both do, look out. So those two are interchangeable, but certainly worthy of the top two spots based on the scheme they are in and the numbers they are likely to produce.
• White will probably have better overall numbers than Taylor, because he's likely to have more carries. Taylor is Stanford's primary guy, but the Cardinal rotate liberally -- and with the aforementioned Gaffney, the emergence of Ricky Seale and Barry Sanders coming in, that could cut into some of his carries. But you can still ink Taylor in for 1,000 yards and close to double-digit touchdowns. Stanford and Utah have big holes to fill on the offensive line, but both backs are talented enough to absorb the change.
• Sofele is a good running back, but Anderson has come on strong and Daniel Lasco and Brendan Bigelow are expected to play bigger roles this season. Five might be a bit high -- depending on his job status.
• Interested to see what Marshall does without Noel Mazzone as his offensive coordinator. Interested to see what Franklin does with Mazzone as his offensive coordinator. Arizona State is pretty deep at the position, but Marshall is the guy.
• Without depth, McNeal is going to have to carry a lot of the load. And he's not exactly known for his durability. If the Trojans can get a couple of guys behind him to take a few snaps, he could be top five by season's end.
• Depending on how quickly the Wildcats pick up the offense, Carey is another guy who could potentially crack the top five. He has enough snaps under his belt and was productive enough in a different kind of spread that he should have very good numbers -- if he gets enough per-game carries.
• It looks more and more like Washington is moving more toward a by-committee approach with Callier and Sankey at the top of the list. Their overall ranking will depend on how many carries per game they get. By Week 3, we might be flip-flopping them.
• The final three years at Texas Tech, Mike Leach's rushing attack ranked 115th ('09), 94th ('08) and 119th ('07) nationally. Running backs come second in his offense. Just the way it is.
• Jones is a good playmaker on a team starving for them. But until we know who is going to throw the ball and catch the ball in Colorado, this ranking seems about right. He does have a couple of pretty good linemen blocking for him though, which could help him crack the top 10 by season's end.

All players are equal, but some players are more equal than others. That's the basis of our Most Important Player series.

First off, quarterbacks are excluded to make things more interesting. It goes without saying that Arizona's Matt Scott, USC's Matt Barkley and Washington's Keith Price are their teams' most important players. Their losses would be catastrophic.

And most important doesn't necessarily have to be "best." An All-American's backup can be pretty darn good too.

Our most important guys are players who could swing a win total one way or the other, based on their living up to expectations Or their absence.

Stanford: FB Ryan Hewitt

2011 production: Hewitt carried the ball 10 times for 35 yards and caught 34 balls for 282 yards and five touchdowns. He was perfect in short-yardage situations and was a primary reason Stepfan Taylor had his second straight 1,000-yard rushing season.

Why Hewitt is so important: Spider 2 Y Banana has taken on a life of its own since Andrew Luck appeared on Jon Gruden's quarterback camp. Did you notice who the guy was catching all of those balls in Spider 2 Y Banana? It was Hewitt. Who was the guy that moved over to be a third tight end when Zach Ertz missed time last season? It was Hewitt. Who was a perfect 8-for-8 on conversions when three yards or fewer were needed. Yeah, it was Hewitt. He does so much for Stanford that few people realize his impact. Sure, it would have been easier to pick Taylor, Chase Thomas on defense or budding wide receiver Ty Montgomery, but when Hewitt is on the field, Stanford can run any number of formations with the same personnel because Hewitt is so versatile.

Here's how much Stanford loves to use fullbacks: The Cardinal have four on scholarship. I haven't checked, but there can't be many teams that carry four scholarship fullbacks. And Hewitt is at the top of that depth chart. He won't run for 1,000 yards, but Taylor probably will again -- and Hewitt will be a big reason why. You take him out of the offense, and the Cardinal lose one of their most underappreciated, yet most important, weapons.

Stanford running back Stepfan Taylor talks about life after Adrew Luck, and the program's expectations in 2012.

We've given you our thoughts recently on which Pac-12 player has the best shot at winning the Heisman. You've given your thoughts (an extremely tight poll) and now the folks at HeismanPundit.com have offered up their darkhorse candidates for 2012.

They looked at 12 not-as-mainstream candidates who could contend for the Heisman Trophy, and four of them are from the Pac-12.

First, the list:

• Eddie Lacy, Alabama
• Curtis McNeal, USC
• Fitzgerald Toussaint, Michigan
• Kenjon Barner, Oregon
• James Franklin, Missouri
• Braxton Miller, Ohio State
• Kiehl Frazier, Auburn
• Le'Veon Bell, Michigan State
• Cierre Wood, Notre Dame
• Christine Michael, Texas A&M
• Jesse Callier, Washington
• De'Anthony Thomas, Oregon

Their thoughts on each of the Pac-12 players:

On McNeal: A total of 150 carries have departed the program and there is little depth behind the senior, who will benefit from defenses focusing on USC’s strong passing attack. Give McNeal at least half of those departed carries and you are looking at a possible 1,500 yard season, if not more.

On Barner: There were times the rest of the year when he looked as good as, if not better than, James. This year, the Ducks lose not only James’ 247 carries, but also the 45 of freshman Tra Carson and the 56 of quarterback Darron Thomas, for a total of 347 carries to be redistributed.

On Callier: I actually think there is a good chance that Washington experiences no dropoff at this position and that Callier establishes himself as one of the top backs in the Pac-12 with a season exceeding 1,300 yards on the ground.

On Thomas: Thomas is obviously an interesting case since he is such an all-around dynamo. Last year, he had just 140 touches, with 39 of them coming in the return game. This was a wise move by Oregon, as keeping the rather slight Thomas fresh and healthy is the key to his effectiveness. It worked, as he had 18 touchdowns and 2,235 total yards. In that vein, Oregon might be tempted to put a huge workload on him in 2012, but I don’t foresee it unless there is a desperate need.

Fun list. With frontrunner Matt Barkley out there, along with Washington quarterback Keith Price, a couple of USC wide receivers and A-list running backs like John White IV and Stepfan Taylor, there is certainly no wanting for offensive talent in the conference. Per usual.

Which players emerge will definitely be one of the more fascinating stories to follow in 2012.

Last week we gave you our thoughts on which Pac-12 player we thought could win the Heisman Trophy.

Kevin Gemmell went with preseason favorite Matt Barkley, who became the instant front-runner when he decided to return to USC for another season.

Ted Miller thinks the do-it-all, explosive De'Anthony Thomas at Oregon is the guy to beat. He should put up big total numbers, when you account for how he's used in the run, pass and special-teams games.

Are we off? Is there someone else we should be considering?

How about Washington quarterback Keith Price? He spent all of last season perfecting his game in the pocket. And now that he's fully healthy, his running game makes him that much more dynamic.

Could it be four straight years that a Stanford player is in the mix (or finishes second) in the Heisman voting? Stepfan Taylor has quietly been one of the best running backs in the conference the past two years.

What about Utah's John White IV? Only the NFL-bound LaMichael James rushed for more yards in the conference last year than White -- who carried the ball more than any other back in the league.

Which Pac-12 player has the best shot at the stiff-arm?

Our postseason list of the Pac-12's top-25 players is complete.

You can review it here.

Here are some quick breakdowns for you to chew on (remember, because we had an, er, tie at No. 12, there are 26 players on the Pac-12's top-25).

By unit
Offense: 19
Defense: 7

The Pac-12 is an offensive league. The SEC doesn't have to worry about leaving off a quarterback who might be a first-day NFL draft pick (Arizona State's Brock Osweiler).

Also, offensive players are easier to evaluate. A defensive tackle who clogs the middle but doesn't get many numbers is harder to measure than a quarterback, running back or wide receiver.

By team
USC ... 7
Stanford ... 6
Oregon ... 5
California, Utah, Washington ... 2
Arizona, Washington State ... 1
Arizona State, Colorado, Oregon State & UCLA ... 0

USC, Stanford and Oregon dominated. Makes sense: All three were top-10 teams, and no other Pac-12 squads were ranked.

As for the teams with no players: Arizona State's top candidates were Osweiler, running back Cameron Marshall and receiver Gerell Robinson. If the Sun Devils hadn't finished with a six-game losing streak, it's hard to imagine at least one of them wouldn't have made the list.

Colorado had only All-Pac-12 player: second-team offensive tackle David Bakhtiari. Oregon State cornerback Jordan Poyer, who earned second-team All-Pac-12 honors, was given consideration. He's almost certain to be on the preseason top-25.

UCLA didn't have any All-Conference players.

By position
QB ... 5
WR ... 5
RB ... 4
OL ... 3
TE... 2
LB ... 2
DE ... 2
DT... 1
CB ... 1
S ... 1

Every position group -- other than special teams -- got at least one player. That happens in large part because while making the list you think, "Who's the best guy in the conference at this position?"

Who's coming back?

2. Matt Barkley, QB, USC
5. Chase Thomas, LB, Stanford
7. Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah
8. Robert Woods, WR, USC
11. Keith Price, QB, Washington
12 De'Anthony Thomas, WR-RB, Oregon
13. Marquess Wilson, WR, Washington State
15. Keenan Allen, WR, California
16. Marqise Lee, WR, USC
19. T.J. McDonald, S, USC
20. Dion Jordan, DE, Oregon
21. John White, RB, Utah
23. Nickell Robey, CB, USC
24. Stepfan Taylor, RB, Stanford

With 14 guys from the list coming back in 2012, that means 11 spots open up for the preseason top-25.

Want a reason folks think so highly of USC: Five of the 14 guys coming back in 2012 are from USC. And it's a heck of a list.

And how tough is it going to be to earn first-team All-Pac-12 honors at receiver in 2012?

Our countdown of the Pac-12's top 25 players ends at No. 1.

You can see Ted Miller's preseason top 25 here.

1. Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

2011 numbers: Luck passed for 3,517 yards and 37 touchdowns with 10 interceptions in 2011, completing 71.3 percent of his passes. He also rushed for 150 yards and two TDs. He ranked fifth in the nation in passing efficiency.

Preseason ranking: No. 1.

Making the case for Luck: Luck not only is going to be the top overall pick in the NFL draft this spring, he would have been the top overall pick in 2011. Simply, he's the best QB prospect in a generation. Of course, you've heard this all before. He was No. 1 in this ranking in 2010 as well. First, there's the physical side: A 6-foot-4, 235-pound frame that ran a 4.69 40 at the NFL combine and jumped better than any QB. Luck is the pure pro-style pocket passer who secretly moonlights as an outstanding all-around athlete. Then there's the head. Luck is not just a smart guy, he's a Stanford smart guy. The architectural design major had a 3.48 GPA. And he's not just Stanford smart: He's football smart. No college football player in the nation -- perhaps in years -- had as much play-calling responsibility at the line of scrimmage this year as Luck. The Cardinal offense, playing with second-tier talent at receiver, averaged 43.2 points per game, which ranked seventh in the nation. Finally, there's character and moxie. While Luck is highly competitive, he's also as humble as they come -- authentically so. An NFL team is never going to have to worry about Luck getting into trouble. Luck has been burdened with high expectations since 2009 when NFL scouts started whispering about him. He's not only lived up to those expectations, he's eclipsed them. The only wart on his résumé? All together Oregon fans: He failed to beat Oregon the past two seasons, which cost him shots at the national championship.

2. Matt Barkley, QB, USC

3. LaMichael James, RB, Oregon

4. Matt Kalil, OT, USC

5. Chase Thomas, OLB, Stanford

6. Mychal Kendricks, LB, Cal

7. Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah

8. Robert Woods, WR, USC

9. Chris Polk, RB, Washington

10. Jonathan Martin, LT, Stanford

11. Keith Price, QB, Washington

12 (tie). Darron Thomas, QB & De'Anthony Thomas, WR-RB, Oregon

13. Marquess Wilson, WR, Washington State

14. David DeCastro, OL, Stanford

15. Keenan Allen, WR, California

16. Marqise Lee, WR, USC

17. Nick Perry, DE, USC

18. Nick Foles, QB, Arizona

19. T.J. McDonald, S, USC

20. Dion Jordan, DE, Oregon

21. John White IV, RB, Utah

22. Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford

23. Nickell Robey, CB, USC

24. Stepfan Taylor, RB, Stanford

25. David Paulson, TE, Oregon

Our countdown of the Pac-12's top 25 players continues.

You can see Ted Miller's preseason top 25 here.

2. Matt Barkley, QB, USC

2011 numbers: Barkley completed 69 percent of his passes for 3,528 yards, with 39 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also scored two rushing TDs.

Preseason ranking: No. 6

Making the case for Barkley: Barkley earned second-team All-Pac-12 honors behind What's-His-Name and third-team All-American honors from the Associated Press, leading USC to a final top-five ranking and 10-2 finish. He ranked eighth in the nation in passing efficiency, and his 39 TD passes ranked first in the conference. Further, over the season's final four games, he completed 72.7 percent of his passes with 17 TDs and just two picks, ending Oregon's 21-game home winning streak at Autzen Stadium along the way. In that 38-35 victory, he passed for 323 yards and four TDs. And get this: Barring injury, he is almost certain to write his name atop the Pac-12 record book's two most important categories for quarterbacks: career passing yards and career TD passes. He needs 2,765 yard passing to eclipse former USC standout Carson Palmer's 11,818 yards, and 20 TD passes to beat former Trojan Matt Leinart's 99 career scoring tosses. Barkley enters the 2012 season as the decided front-runner for the Heisman Trophy.

3. LaMichael James, RB, Oregon

4. Matt Kalil, OT, USC

5. Chase Thomas, OLB, Stanford

6. Mychal Kendricks, LB, Cal

7. Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah

8. Robert Woods, WR, USC

9. Chris Polk, RB, Washington

10. Jonathan Martin, LT, Stanford

11. Keith Price, QB, Washington

12 (tie). Darron Thomas, QB & De'Anthony Thomas, WR-RB, Oregon

13. Marquess Wilson, WR, Washington State

14. David DeCastro, OL, Stanford

15. Keenan Allen, WR, California

16. Marqise Lee, WR, USC

17. Nick Perry, DE, USC

18. Nick Foles, QB, Arizona

19. T.J. McDonald, S, USC

20. Dion Jordan, DE, Oregon

21. John White IV, RB, Utah

22. Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford

23. Nickell Robey, CB, USC

24. Stepfan Taylor, RB, Stanford

25. David Paulson, TE, Oregon

Our countdown of the Pac-12's top 25 players continues.

You can see Ted Miller's preseason top 25 here.

3. LaMichael James, RB, Oregon

2011 numbers: James led the nation with 150.4 yards rushing per game. He rushed for 1,805 total yards -- he missed two games -- with 18 touchdowns and a 7.3 yards per carry average. He also caught 17 passes for 210 yards and a TD, and averaged 10.7 yards per punt return with a TD.

Preseason ranking: No. 2.

Making the case for James: James is the greatest player in Oregon history, and one of the greatest running backs in Pac-12 history. A two-time consensus All-American, he finished his career with 5,082 yards rushing and 53 rushing TDs, totals which both rank second in conference history. He ranked second in the FBS in all-purpose yards per game (181.30), and 11th in scoring average (10.0). He produced 26 games of 100-plus, and seven of 200-plus rushing yards. What most folks don't seem to realize is that James in 2011 was probably better than James in 2010, when he was a Heisman finalist and won the Doak Walker Award as the nation's best running back. He averaged more yards per carry -- 7.3 vs. 5.9 -- than he did in 2010, and did so with a rebuilt offensive line. So why is he No. 3? The distinction ultimately came down to this: Outstanding years by quarterbacks eclipse outstanding years by running backs.

4. Matt Kalil, OT, USC

5. Chase Thomas, OLB, Stanford

6. Mychal Kendricks, LB, Cal

7. Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah

8. Robert Woods, WR, USC

9. Chris Polk, RB, Washington

10. Jonathan Martin, LT, Stanford

11. Keith Price, QB, Washington

12 (tie). Darron Thomas, QB & De'Anthony Thomas, WR-RB, Oregon

13. Marquess Wilson, WR, Washington State

14. David DeCastro, OL, Stanford

15. Keenan Allen, WR, California

16. Marqise Lee, WR, USC

17. Nick Perry, DE, USC

18. Nick Foles, QB, Arizona

19. T.J. McDonald, S, USC

20. Dion Jordan, DE, Oregon

21. John White IV, RB, Utah

22. Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford

23. Nickell Robey, CB, USC

24. Stepfan Taylor, RB, Stanford

25. David Paulson, TE, Oregon

Our countdown of the Pac-12's top 25 players continues.

You can see Ted Miller's preseason top 25 here.

4. Matt Kalil, OT, USC

2011 numbers: Zero. That's the most important number there is when evaluating a left tackle. USC's big man didn't allow a sack this season while helping USC's offense go for 162.6 yards per game on the ground and 294.2 per game in the air. As a unit, USC's offensive line allowed just eight sacks all season which was tops in the conference and second best nationally.

Preseason ranking: No. 14

Making the case for Kalil: He's one of those guys that you don't really need to make a case for. Look at him -- his ridiculously athletic 6-foot-7, 295-pound frame -- and you know he's a special player. Pre-draft evaluators actually tag him as a slightly better run blocker than pass protector at this point -- though he's going to get every opportunity to showcase himself and improve as the first offensive linemen taken in this year's draft. He plays with a controlled nastiness that sets the good collegiate linemen apart from the great ones. His list of honors and achievements is vast. Within the conference, he was a first-team performer while also earning the league's Morris Trophy for outstanding offensive lineman -- as voted on by opposing defensive linemen. He was also on the first-team All-America lists of Walter Camp, Pro Football Weekly and YahooSports.com and was a semifinalist for the Lombardi Award.

5. Chase Thomas, OLB, Stanford

6. Mychal Kendricks, LB, Cal

7. Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah

8. Robert Woods, WR, USC

9. Chris Polk, RB, Washington

10. Jonathan Martin, LT, Stanford

11. Keith Price, QB, Washington

12 (tie). Darron Thomas, QB & De'Anthony Thomas, WR-RB, Oregon

13. Marquess Wilson, WR, Washington State

14. David DeCastro, OL, Stanford

15. Keenan Allen, WR, California

16. Marqise Lee, WR, USC

17. Nick Perry, DE, USC

18. Nick Foles, QB, Arizona

19. T.J. McDonald, S, USC

20. Dion Jordan, DE, Oregon

21. John White IV, RB, Utah

22. Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford

23. Nickell Robey, CB, USC

24. Stepfan Taylor, RB, Stanford

25. David Paulson, TE, Oregon

Our countdown of the Pac-12's top 25 players continues.

You can see Ted Miller's preseason top 25 here.

5. Chase Thomas, LB, Stanford

2011 numbers: Finished the season with 52 total tackles, including 33 solo stops. But the real damage was behind the line of scrimmage, where he finished with a conference best 17.5 tackles for a loss (the closest players behind him at 14.5). He was also second in the conference with 8.5 sacks and five forced fumbles.

Preseason ranking: No. 19

Making the case for Thomas: No defensive player in the conference created more havoc in the backfield than Thomas, who instantly bolsters Stanford's defense next season with his decision to return for another year. He was one of the top run-stoppers on the conference's best rush defense, which yielded just 84.4 yards per game. What makes the first-team all-conference performer's season all the more impressive is that he still put up monster numbers without inside linebacker Shayne Skov playing next to him most of the season. Without Skov, teams were able to scheme just for Thomas, often committing two linemen or a lineman and a back to slow him down. Sometimes it worked, a lot of times it didn't. Thomas was also named to the Sporting News first-team All-America squad. At 6-4, 240-pounds, he had a chance to crack the second round of the NFL draft with a strong showing at the combine, but instead he headlines a Stanford defense that returns six of seven starters up front next year. ESPN's Mel Kiper ranks Thomas the No. 1 senior outside linebacker returning next season.

6. Mychal Kendricks, LB, Cal

7. Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah

8. Robert Woods, WR, USC

9. Chris Polk, RB, Washington

10. Jonathan Martin, LT, Stanford

11. Keith Price, QB, Washington

12 (tie). Darron Thomas, QB & De'Anthony Thomas, WR-RB, Oregon

13. Marquess Wilson, WR, Washington State

14. David DeCastro, OL, Stanford

15. Keenan Allen, WR, California

16. Marqise Lee, WR, USC

17. Nick Perry, DE, USC

18. Nick Foles, QB, Arizona

19. T.J. McDonald, S, USC

20. Dion Jordan, DE, Oregon

21. John White IV, RB, Utah

22. Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford

23. Nickell Robey, CB, USC

24. Stepfan Taylor, RB, Stanford

25. David Paulson, TE, Oregon