The conference of champions wrapped up a very eventful season. It was nearly impossible to pick winners from week to week. If I had to describe the conference in 2017 two words they would be parity, and underrated. It’s now time to compare the #UnafraidShow preseason power rankings with the final #UnafraidShow Pac-12 power rankings. When you compare these two, you will see that I was pretty damn good. The conference did have some performances that stood out amongst the rest. So without further ado I present the Pac-12 awards:
Pac-12 Biggest Surprise Team: Stanford. They struggled at the quarterback position all year. They seemed left for dead when they were sitting at 1-2. How David Shaw got this team to the Pac-12 Championship game is nothing short of a miracle.
Pac-12 Biggest Disappointment Team: Oregon State. Many Beavers fans considered the possibility of a bowl game in 2017, but their expectations couldn’t have been more wrong. They finished the Pac-12 season completely defeated.
Pac -12 Coach of the Year: David Shaw (Stanford). The man was outstanding for staying the course with his team and getting results in the face of adversity.
Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year: Bryce Love (Stanford). He has rushed for over 1,800 yards with one game to go. He is almost single handedly the read Stanford has been able to make this run.
Pac- 12 Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Justin Reid (Stanford) Troy Dye (Oregon) Justin Reid finished tied for the lead in the conference in interceptions. Troy Dye finished the season 3rd in the conference in both tackles and tackles for loss.
Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Year: Dante Pettis (Washington). It seemed like every time the Washington offense struggled Pettis showed up with his super hero cape on and had a huge return or touchdown.
Now before we get to the Power Rankings I have to disclose something. My wife and I get in huge fights over these Pac-12 Power Rankings. She is a UCLA alum and huge football fan. You have probably seen us doing #TheWifevsTheExpert. When she initially saw the Final Power Ranking she flipped a lid. She had just got out of the shower and was walking around fussing at me in a towel about where Oregon was ranked. I had to explain to her the difference between standings and power rankings. Power rankings say who are the best teams at this moment. Standings indicate your record without taking injury or circumstance into account. The Ducks finished the last two games of the season on fire after their quarterback Justin Herbert returned from injury. They could go out and beat anyone in the conference now. She did not want to hear it, but it is nearly impossible to argue with the Power Rankings.
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Preseason
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Final
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12
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California
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Oregon State
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11
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Oregon State
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California
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10
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Arizona
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Colorado
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9
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Arizona State
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Utah
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8
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Colorado
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UCLA
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7
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UCLA
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Arizona
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6
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Oregon
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Arizona State
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5
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Stanford
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Washington State
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4
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Utah
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Oregon
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3
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Washington State
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Washington
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2
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Washington
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Stanford
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1
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USC
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USC
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Final Thoughts: Stanford plays USC in the conference championship on Friday at 5pm. As much as some fans have rooting interests for other teams, it would be a great idea if everyone teamed up to root for USC. The Trojans are the only hope for the conference to make the College Football Playoffs. I know it may hurt your pride or offend your sensibilities, but it’s the right thing for the perception of the conference. WWJD.
I hope you enjoyed the Pac-12 season as much as I did. Can’t wait for these bowl games and recruiting wars!
Send all emails to: unafraidshow@gmail.com
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