Oregon carries conference banner into Fiesta Bowl

#Commentary on #Pac-12 developments on and off the field …

#Rising: #Oregon

#An opportunity awaits the #Ducks — and, by extension, the #Pac-12 — that should not and cannot be missed.

#At least, not if the conference hopes to end the season with a show of quarter-force.

#It’s not full force unless the victory comes in the #College #Football #Playoff.

#It’s not semi-force unless the victory comes in a #New #Year’s #Six bowl over a powerhouse program, like #Georgia or #Oklahoma.

#But a victory over #Iowa #State in the #Fiesta #Bowl this weekend — #Oregon is a mere four-point underdog — would qualify as the highlight of the season for the conference, with nothing else close.

The #Pac-12 started later, and experienced more disruption (by percentage of games canceled), than its peers.

#It produced no #Heisman #Trophy candidates, playoff contenders or top-10 teams.

#It has just two bowl participants, and the other, #Colorado, was run off the field by #Texas last night in the #Alamo #Bowl.

#To this point, the #Pac-12 has nothing to display on the national stage in 2020, save its late-arriving presence.

#But an #Oregon victory over the #Big 12 runner-up in the #Fiesta would be something tangible — a noteworthy final impression as it heads into the offseason.

The #Ducks could use a victory.

The #Pac-12 is desperate for one.

#Rising: UCLA

The #Bruins are an early winner in what should be an offseason of unprecedented player movement and roster tumult.

The transfer portal is overflowing, the recruiting cycle is ongoing, and the 2020 season didn’t count against the players’ eligibility clocks.

#We could have redshirt sophomores entering the 2021 draft and fifth-year seniors returning for the 2021 season.

#Since their season ended with an overtime loss to #Stanford, the #Bruins have won more than they’ve lost.

#Tailback #Demetric #Felton and defensive tackle #Osu #Odighizuwa were quick to declare for the draft, but quarterback #Dorian #Thompson-Robinson and safety #Quentin #Lake announced their intentions to return.

#Tuesday brought more good news for the #Bruins, with starting guard #Paul #Grattan, nickel corner #Qwuantrezz #Knight and tailback #Brittain #Brown (the heir to #Felton’s starting spot) all stating their intentions to return.

UCLA also landed a significant transfer:

#Ethan #Garbers, the former four-start recruit who signed with #Washington and spent this year on the bench in #Seattle, announced he’s headed to #Westwood.

#Garbers will assuredly compete with #Chase #Griffin for the starting job once #Thompson-Robinson departs.

#All of which is to say:

UCLA’s roster has stabilized for ’21, while the quarterback options now appear sufficient for ’22 and, perhaps, beyond.

#Rising: #Washington

#For the moment, we’ll slot the #Huskies as the frontrunner in the #North for 2021.

They, too, have been on the right side of the draft declaration game.

#On a memorable #Montlake #Monday, three first-team all-conference players announced they would return for 2021: tight end #Cade #Otton, offensive tackle #Jaxson #Kirkland and edge rusher #Zion #Tupuola-Fetui.

#Tupuola-Fetui’s return will assist a defense that’s losing star nickel back #Elijah #Molden.

#Otton’s return ensures quarterback #Dylan #Morris will have his favorite target for another season.

#And #Kirkland’s decision likely means UW will return all five starters along the offensive line.

#If the #Huskies get reasonable production from their wide receivers — that’s hardly a guarantee — they should have all the pieces in place to contend for the division, regardless of the decisions made in #Eugene over the next few weeks.

#Falling; #Colorado

#It was ugly #Tuesday night in #San #Antonio, far uglier than we imagined — and we suspected trouble for the #Buffaloes as soon as the matchup with #Texas was announced.

The COVID-depleted #Buffs were overmatched, overpowered and every other ‘over’ you can name in their 55-23 loss to the COVID-depleted #Longhorns.

#Texas, which went a mere 5-3 in the #Big 12, averaged more than nine yards per play against CU and scored more points with its backup quarterback in the game than its starter.

#Colorado — and by extension, the #Pac-12 — played the role of cupcake.

The #Buffaloes could have been #Colorado #State or #Colorado #College, such was the lack of resistance offered.

A valuable recruiting opportunity was missed.

The chance to back up their regular-season success was squandered.

#All in all, it was dreadful.

#How should we remember CU in 2020 … in the entirety of 2020?

#It began with the departure of coach #Mel #Tucker and ended with the blowout loss to #Texas.

#In between, there was change, chaos and, ultimately, a glimmer of hope for the program:

The #Buffaloes showed enough promise, enough competency, to suggest they won’t cycle back to the bottom of the #South.

They have a first-rate young tailback in #Jarek #Broussard; they’re scheduled to return the bulk of their starting lineup; and they might have found their quarterback of the future #Tuesday night in #Brendon #Lewis.

#Because of the limited amount of top-tier talent within the state … because its pipelines must stretch to #Dallas and  #Southern #California … #Colorado is closer to the bottom of the #Pac-12 than the top when it comes to margin for error:

#Recruiting misses and player attrition cut deeper, last longer.

The climb often requires years; the fall can take mere weeks.

#What we saw #Tuesday night was a team not ready for the medium stage.

#What we witnessed this season was a program that just might get there soon enough.

#Falling: #Arizona basketball

The #Wildcats have exited the NCAA tournament earlier than expected several times during #Sean #Miller’s tenure.

Their announcement #Tuesday reframed that existence:

#Arizona self-imposed a postseason ban for 2021 in the wake of findings by the NCAA and what the school called “serious lapses in judgment” by former staff members.

#Meaning, the #Wildcats won’t participate in the #Pac-12 tournament or #March #Madness this spring.

#Meaning, the season is effectively over in #Tucson … unless the players muster the urgency and execution required to win the #Pac-12 regular-season title.

#With the decision to willingly remove itself from the postseason, #Arizona is taking a well-traveled path to (theoretically) avoiding harsher penalties when the NCAA eventually rules on the misdeeds uncovered in the FBI investigation.