Pac-12 guru Jon Wilner of The Mercury News will continue to follow Pac teams off to the ACC, B1G, and B12.  Jon is an AP Voter who is not afraid to dance to a different ratings drumer. For example, in his preseason CFB top 25, Jon has Texas ranked No. 12, far lower than any other preseason poll I have seen. In his preseason B1G ratings, below, Jon goes against conventional wisdom with Michigan No. 3 and Penn State No. 5.

 

1. Ohio State - 'Kelly - The former UCLA coach will serve as OC and implement a scheme for Ohio State's running game that should maximize the not-quite-elite talent on the O Line.'

 

2. OREGON - 'The Ducks are well equipped to challenge Ohio State for the B1G title and will host the head-to-head showdown on October 12th. Anything short of a playoff appearance would be a major disappointment.'

 

3, Michigan/ 4. Wisconsin. 'QB VanDyke will receive better coaching than he did in Coral Gables.' DUH! Note, that OREGON will play both teams on the road.

 

5. Penn State/ 6. Nebraska/ 7. Iowa/ 8. USC - 'a comically difficult schedule.' Ranked No. 2 in the nation by SP+.

 

9. Rutgers - No OREGON, Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State./ 10. Michigan State/ 11. Washington - '6-6 is a possibility.' A November schedule so tough it should be outlawed.'

 

12. Maryland / 13. Minnesota / 14. UCLA / 15. NW / 16. Illinois / 17. Purdue / 18. Indiana.

 

Ducks play Wilner's Nos. 1, 3, 4, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16 and 17.

Edited February 16, 20241 yr by Jon Joseph

Good stuff.
 

Michigan will have to see what happens with the spring portal and potentially significant sanctions. Their transition was a little late in the academic-calendar and created an incentive for players to potentially wait.