Pac-12 preview: Tons of talent, star power and QBs galore
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Kyle Bonagura
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Kyle Bonagura
ESPN Staff Writer
- Covers the Pac-12.
- Joined ESPN in 2014.
- Attended Washington State University.
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Paolo Uggetti
While the Pac-12 was the talk of college football much of the past month for all the wrong reasons, don’t let the venerable conference’s demise overshadow the immediate future — this league is loaded with talent and set up for a marvelous swan song this season.
With defending Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams of USC leading the way, the Pac-12 has as much star power behind center as any conference in recent memory. And the biggest headline grabber might be on the Colorado sideline in Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders.
We’ll leave the realignment handwringing and odes to lost tradition for another day. For now, ESPN reporters Kyle Bonagura and Paolo Uggetti look forward to the brightest newcomers, biggest early-season games and predictions for the season to come.
Three transfers to know
WR/CB Travis Hunter, Colorado: Colorado went from having the least amount of talent in the Pac-12 — and among the worst in Power 5 — to being a fascinating wild card that added playmakers from all over the country. Hunter, the former five-star recruit, is the biggest addition. After a year at Jackson State, he’ll play both ways for the Buffs, and if they turn things around, he’ll play a big role. — Bonagura
QB DJ Uiagalelei, Oregon State: The former Clemson quarterback was once tabbed as one of the “next big things” in college football, but it didn’t work out for the Southern California native in the ACC. There’s no denying his natural ability, so perhaps a change of scenery and the chance to work with coach Jonathan Smith is what he needs to tap into that promising potential. — Bonagura
LB Mason Cobb, USC: The Trojans went into the offseason an improved defense away from being a true national title contender, making Cobb’s arrival from Oklahoma State maybe the most pivotal in the Pac-12. He was one of the best linebackers in the Big 12 last season and will provide a boost that could have playoff ramifications. — Bonagura
Three key positions to fill
UCLA QB: Among incoming Kent State transfer Collin Schlee, experienced backup Ethan Garbers, redshirt freshman Justyn Martin and potential star freshman Dante Moore, Chip Kelly has four quarterbacks to choose from this fall as he attempts to replace Dorian Thompson-Robinson. — Uggetti
USC DL: Tuli Tuipulotu was the best USC player last season not named Caleb Williams. His departure to the NFL leaves behind a void that needs to be filled if the Trojans’ defense is to make a necessary leap. Coach Lincoln Riley and defensive coordinator Alex Grinch utilized the transfer portal to bring in players such as Arizona’s Kyon Barrs and Bear Alexander from Georgia, both of whom should play key roles in the trenches. — Uggetti
Utah DB: The longtime stalwart of the Utes’ defense, Clark Phillips III will no longer be playing in Salt Lake City, and he leaves behind not just a spot to be filled at cornerback but a void in terms of leadership. All signs point to Zemaiah Vaughn or Miles Battle (or both) being the ones to attempt to maintain the Utes’ defense this season. — Uggetti
Three impact freshmen
UCLA QB Dante Moore: There’s some real boom-or-bust potential in picking a guy who has no guarantee to even see the field this season, but such is the world of preseason prognostication. If Moore does win the job, he’ll be without question the most impactful freshman, if for no other reason than the importance of the position. He’s the only true freshman quarterback who has a chance to start his team’s opener barring unforeseen injuries. — Bonagura
USC WR Zachariah Branch: The speedy Branch was ESPN’s top-ranked receiver in the class of 2023 and is expected to carve out a significant role right away for the Trojans. — Bonagura
Arizona S Genesis Smith: Smith has generated rave reviews since arriving on campus prior to spring practice and appears ready to immediately help improve Arizona’s secondary. — Bonagura
Three must-see September games
Utah at Baylor, Sept. 9: The Utes welcome Florida to Salt Lake City in late August in a rematch of last year’s fun opener in Gainesville, but early September brings perhaps a tougher test — a road game against a Baylor team that is flying under the radar. — Uggetti
Colorado at TCU, Sept. 2: It’s Colorado’s season opener, Deion Sanders’ first game as Buffs head coach, in Texas, against last year’s Cinderella team and national title runner-up. Need I say more? — Uggetti
USC at Colorado, Sept. 30: All eyes will be on the Buffaloes and Sanders the first month of the season, so it’s no surprise that the matchup in Boulder against the other team in the conference that’s an attention magnet will be a must-watch event. — Uggetti
2:23
Ranking the top QBs in the Pac-12
Dusty Dvoracek and Takeo Spikes break down the pecking order of Pac-12 quarterbacks, including Oregon’s Bo Nix.
MVP pick
Uggetti: Caleb Williams
It’s hard to go against the reigning Heisman winner, especially when he looks, feels and has said he’s even more comfortable at USC and in Lincoln Riley’s offense going into his junior year. It will be difficult for Williams to match his explosive production of more than 4,500 passing yards and 42 touchdowns in his first season at USC, but if anyone can do it on the way to being the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, it’s Williams.
Bonagura: Williams
Williams is the only pick here for obvious reasons, but I’ll offer up Michael Penix Jr. as a backup. It’s not inconceivable he could throw for 5,000 yards on a team that begins the season in the playoff conversation.
On the hot seat
Uggetti: Justin Wilcox
The coaching turnover in the Pac-12 has been such that most of the conference’s teams have switched coaches in recent years, which makes it hard to find one who could be in trouble should things go south this season. While longer-tenured coaches such as Chip Kelly and Kyle Whittingham are certainly safe from their seats getting hot anytime soon, Wilcox could be one to watch. He has been at Berkeley since 2017 and has not had a season at or above .500 since 2019. All that being said, Wilcox, who was one of the candidates to replace Mario Cristobal at Oregon, signed a six-year contract extension last year.
Bonagura: Wilcox
Going into his seventh season, Wilcox is the only coach who can be considered here, as Paolo pointed out. The other 11 are either brand new, have experienced some early success or are firmly entrenched. Wilcox, on the other hand, has yet to coach Cal to a winning conference record and won just two Pac-12 games a season ago.
Sleeper team
Uggetti: Oregon State
Under Jonathan Smith, the Beavers have had a remarkable ascent to the top half of the conference. After a 2022 season in which they finished 10-3, lost two games by three points and won their bowl game over Florida by 27, it’s tough to call Oregon State a sleeper team. But in the context of the Pac-12, in which much of the attention surrounds the likes of USC and Oregon, the Beavers are still flying under the radar. Adding quarterback DJ Uiagalelei from the transfer portal should only raise the ceiling for this team going into the season. Should DJU pan out, don’t be surprised to see Smith’s team compete for a spot in the conference title game.
Bonagura: Cal
While I just made the argument that Wilcox is on the hot seat, I’m actually cautiously optimistic the offseason Cal had — bringing back offensive coordinator Jake Spavital and bringing in several transfers — has a good chance to jump-start the program. It’s a tough year to make a leap considering how stacked the Pac-12 is, but the Bears will almost certainly be better than last year’s team and should be good enough to go to a bowl.
Conference title game prediction
Uggetti: USC 42, Washington 35
The two best quarterbacks in the conference propel their teams to the final Pac-12 championship game, in which a proper shootout ensues and the reigning Heisman winner leads the winning drive.
Bonagura: Utah 35, USC 31
If USC were coming off back-to-back conference titles with the same quarterback returning for Year 3, as Utah is, the Trojans would be a popular national title pick. Let’s not let big-brand bias treat the Utes any differently.
The 2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby is fast approaching — and the field is set.
Braves hometown hero Ronald Acuna Jr. became the first player to commit to the event, which will be held at Truist Park in Atlanta on July 14 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN). He was followed by MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, James Wood of the Washington Nationals, Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins, Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, Brent Rooker of the Athletics and Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the New York Yankees.
On Friday, however, Acuna was replaced by teammate Matt Olson.
With all the entrants announced, let’s break down their chances at taking home this year’s Derby prize.
Full All-Star Game coverage: How to watch, schedule, rosters, more
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 434 feet
Why he could win: Olson is a late replacement for Acuna as the home team’s representative at this year’s Derby. Apart from being the Braves’ first baseman, however, Olson also was born in Atlanta and grew up a Braves fan, giving him some extra motivation. The left-handed slugger led the majors in home runs in 2023 — his 54 round-trippers that season also set a franchise record — and he remains among the best in the game when it comes to exit velo and hard-hit rate.
Why he might not: The home-field advantage can also be a detriment if a player gets too hyped up in the first round. See Julio Rodriguez in Seattle in 2023, when he had a monster first round, with 41 home runs, but then tired out in the second round.
2025 home runs: 36 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: It’s the season of Cal! The Mariners’ catcher is having one of the greatest slugging first halves in MLB history, as he’s been crushing mistakes all season . His easy raw power might be tailor-made for the Derby — he ranks in the 87th percentile in average exit velocity and delivers the ball, on average, at the optimal home run launch angle of 23 degrees. His calm demeanor might also be perfect for the contest as he won’t get too amped up.
Why he might not: He’s a catcher — and one who has carried a heavy workload, playing in all but one game this season. This contest is as much about stamina as anything, and whether Raleigh can carry his power through three rounds would be a concern. No catcher has ever won the Derby, with only Ivan Rodriguez back in 2005 even reaching the finals.
2025 home runs: 24 | Longest: 451 feet
Why he could win: He’s big, he’s strong, he’s young, he’s awesome, he might or might not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. This is the perfect opportunity for Wood to show his talent on the national stage, and he wouldn’t be the first young player to star in the Derby. He ranks in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity and 99th percentile in hard-hit rate, so he can still muscle the ball out in BP even if he slightly mishits it. His long arms might be viewed as a detriment, but remember the similarly tall Aaron Judge won in 2017.
Why he might not: His natural swing isn’t a pure uppercut — he has a pretty low average launch angle of just 6.2 degrees — so we’ll see how that plays in a rapid-fire session. In real games, his power is primarily to the opposite field, but in a Home Run Derby you can get more cheapies pulling the ball down the line.
2025 home runs: 20 | Longest: 479 feet
Why he could win: Buxton’s raw power remains as impressive as nearly any hitter in the game. He crushed a 479-foot home run earlier this season and has four others of at least 425 feet. Indeed, his “no doubter” percentage — home runs that would be out of all 30 parks based on distance — is 75%, the highest in the majors among players with more than a dozen home runs. His bat speed ranks in the 89th percentile. In other words, two tools that could translate to a BP lightning show.
Why he might not: Buxton is 31 and the Home Run Derby feels a little more like a younger man’s competition. Teoscar Hernandez did win last year at age 31, but before that, the last winner older than 29 was David Ortiz in 2010, and that was under much different rules than are used now.
2025 home runs: 16 | Longest: 463 feet
Why he could win: If you drew up a short list of players everyone wants to see in the Home Run Derby, Cruz would be near the top. He has the hardest-hit ball of the 2025 season, and the hardest ever tracked by Statcast, a 432-foot missile of a home run with an exit velocity of 122.9 mph. He also crushed a 463-foot home run in Anaheim that soared way beyond the trees in center field. With his elite bat speed — 100th percentile — Cruz has the ability to awe the crowd with a potentially all-time performance.
Why he might not: Like all first-time contestants, can he stay within himself and not get too caught up in the moment? He has a long swing, which will result in some huge blasts, but might not be the most efficient for a contest like this one, where the more swings a hitter can get in before the clock expires, the better.
2025 home runs: 23 | Longest: 425 feet
Why he could win: Although Caminero was one of the most hyped prospects entering 2024, everyone kind of forgot about him heading into this season since he didn’t immediately rip apart the majors as a rookie. In his first full season, however, he has showed off his big-time raw power — giving him a chance to become just the third player to reach 40 home runs in his age-21 season. He has perhaps the quickest bat in the majors, ranking in the 100th percentile in bat speed, and his top exit velocity ranks in the top 15. That could translate to a barrage of home runs.
Why he might not: In game action, Caminero does hit the ball on the ground quite often — in fact, he’s on pace to break Jim Rice’s record for double plays grounded into in a season. If he gets out of rhythm, that could lead to a lot of low line drives during the Derby instead of fly balls that clear the fences.
2025 home runs: 19 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: The Athletics slugger has been one of the top power hitters in the majors for three seasons now and is on his way to a third straight 30-homer season. Rooker has plus bat speed and raw power, but his biggest strength is an optimal average launch angle (19 degrees in 2024, 15 degrees this season) that translates to home runs in game action. That natural swing could be picture perfect for the Home Run Derby. He also wasn’t shy about saying he wanted to participate — and maybe that bodes well for his chances.
Why he might not: Rooker might not have quite the same raw power as some of the other competitors, as he has just one home run longer than 425 feet in 2025. But that’s a little nitpicky, as 11 of his home runs have still gone 400-plus feet. He competed in the college home run derby in Omaha while at Mississippi State in 2016 and finished fourth.
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 442 feet
Why he could win: Chisholm might not be the most obvious name to participate, given his career high of 24 home runs, but he has belted 17 already in 2025 in his first 61 games after missing some time with an injury. He ranks among the MLB leaders in a couple of home run-related categories, ranking in the 96th percentile in expected slugging percentage and 98th percentile in barrel rate. His raw power might not match that of the other participants, but he’s a dead-pull hitter who has increased his launch angle this season, which might translate well to the Derby, even if he won’t be the guy hitting the longest home runs.
Why he might not: Most of the guys who have won this have been big, powerful sluggers. Chisholm is listed at 5-foot-11, 184 pounds, and you have to go back to Miguel Tejada in 2004 to find the last player under 6 foot to win.
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