Breaking down the worst case scenario for every Pac-12 team in 2023

The Pac-12 is full of teams with lofty goals and expectations

Author:
Kevin Borba
Publish date:
May 9, 2023 3:14 PM EDT

In this story:

Stanford Cardinal

With excitement and hype around a program, comes major expectations.

The Pac-12, while it has been abysmal off the field in fighting the PR nightmare that has been their media rights deal and expansion discussions, on the field, the conference is set to have what could end up being one of its best seasons in years. There are five, maybe even six teams that have a chance to win the conference, and four of the top teams in the conference have some sort of a chance at ending the conference's playoff drought.

Not to mention, there may be some extra added tension between the 10 remaining schools and USC and UCLA who are set to leave for the Big Ten after this next season. If you are a fan of college football the storylines around the conference are just fascinating in any way you put them. However, while the conference is at its strongest and does have some really good teams that have the potential to be great, that doesn't mean those same teams cannot fall flat on their face.

As we have all learned as fans of college football fans, things don't always work out in our favorite team's favor. Whether it be being upset earlier in the season, getting caught up by a trap game, or simply losing a must-win game every team in the conference has a worst case scenario in mind. Let's take a look at what could go wrong for each and every team in the Pac-12 come 2023.

Colorado

Worst Case Scenario: Their transfer additions don't produce and they struggle again

While most sane people didn't remotely have any expectations for the Buffs in 2023, the major moves being made by Deion Sanders in the portal have changed that for some. The Buffs are receiving an absurd amount of bets from people to win it all, when their goal should be to make a bowl game. Sanders has brought in over 40 transfers and sent over 50 packing, but a lot of the transfers are limited on experience. So, if the bulk of the transfers don't live up to expectations this Buffs team could be below .500 again.

Stanford

Worst Case Scenario: The Cardinal go "defeated"

While confidence is high in what Troy Taylor brings to the program, Stanford is projected to be one of the worst teams in college football in 2023. The team is flat out inexperienced, and they also have a very tough schedule. Some sites have projected just two wins in 2023 for Stanford over Hawaii and Sacramento State, but in this exercise losing every game would be the worst case scenario. Again, doing so doesn't really say much about Taylor and what he can do, but it says more about the previous regime and the efforts towards the latter part of their tenure.

Cal

California Bears running back Jadyn Ott (6) carries the ball as Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Marist Liufau (8) attempts to tackle in the first quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. — Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Worst Case Scenario: The offense falls flat again, miss a bowl

The biggest criticism of Cal under Justin Wilcox has been the offense. They brought back Jake Spavital as the offensive coordinator, landed a couple transfer weapons, and also have one of the best running backs in the country. If the offense is unable to be at least above average and they fail to make it to a bowl game, Wilcox could be out.

Arizona State

Worst Case Scenario: Tough start to the Dillingham era

Kenny Dillingham is in a similar boat as both Troy Taylor and Deion Sanders. A new coach that inherited a rough situation, but is trying to make the best out of it. Like Taylor, the Sun Devils don't have many expectations, but more similar to Sanders he has hit the portal hard. Arizona State has a very friendly schedule in terms of how many home games they get to play (8), but in this scenario they could very well lose seven of them. For a program that got virtually no support at the spring game despite hoping for a strong crowd, it would be a tough first season.

Arizona

Worst Case Scenario: There is no next step

Just a couple years ago Arizona was one of the worst teams in college football, but Jedd Fisch led the team to major improvements a year ago. Realistically 2023 should be a bowl season for them, but in the worst case scenario they are unable to take the next step and come up short of a bowl game for what would be the sixth straight season.

Washington State

Worst Case Scenario: They take a step back

Last season the Cougars picked up some momentum and almost found themselves ascending up the top-25. It was the first year Cam Ward had played at the FBS level, and it was also the first full season of the Jake Dickert era which theoretically means that they should be trending up in 2023. However, what they cannot have is Ward not becoming the quarterback everyone thinks he can be and this team not only stays in the middle of the pack, but falls towards the bottom.

UCLA

Worst Case Scenario: Quarterback situation doesn't pan out

This could also be an overreaction, but the Bruins are coming off their best season of the Chip Kelly era. However, they did lose star quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson to the NFL, leaving Kent State transfer Collin Schlee and five-star Dante Moore fighting for the job. After a few years of really good play from Thompson-Robinson, the last thing the Bruins want in their final Pac-12 season is lackluster quarterback play. If neither Schlee, Moore, or even Ethan Garbers are able to provide a steady hand this team will struggle mightily in a Pac-12 conference that has the best quarterback play in the country.

Oregon State

Worst Case Scenario: Cannot live up the hype

Last season we saw the Beavers be a competent quarterback away from possibly winning the Pac-12. Now that they have that in DJ Uiagalelei, some people around the country including myself, expect the Beavers to make a Pac-12 Championship appearance. They also have potential to crash the playoff if everything goes their way, but if it doesn't they could very well miss out on a dream season for the program.

Oregon

Worst Case Scenario: They cannot assert themselves among the top

While no one is really saying it, there is certainly animosity towards USC and UCLA. The last thing the remaining Pac-12 teams want is for one of those schools to win the conference before they leave, and one of the teams that should be able to prevent that is Oregon. However, if their offense doesn't look as strong as last season and their defense doesn't take that next step, they may be watching the Pac-12 Championship at home like the rest of us.

Washington

Worst Case Scenario: Running it back doesn't work out

The most infamous case of a team running it back was the USC Matt Barkley team. The Trojans had key players return, and were expected to contend for all the marbles. Let's just say that didn't happen. Something similar could happen to Washington who returns their star quarterback, three best receivers, and offensive coordinator. Anything short of a Pac-12 Championship appearance would be a disappointment, and this team would go down as one of the biggest "what ifs" in program history.

Utah

Worst Case Scenario: A fall from grace

The Utes are attempting to win their third straight conference title, but Cam Rising's injury situation continues to loom over the team. A fully healthy Utah team could make a playoff push and get over the hump, but if they aren't healthy it could be a tough fall from the top of the conference. The Utes beat USC twice last season including in the Pac-12 Championship, and were the only Pac-12 team to beat the Trojans. If they cannot take down the evil empire down in Los Angeles there are few teams who can.

USC

Jan 2, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams (13) in action during the game between the USC Trojans and the Tulane Green Wave in the 2023 Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports — Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Worst Case Scenario: A Lincoln Riley let down

Trojan fans quickly emerged out of the woodwork once USC began looking like the program they once were in the early 2000s, but they were quickly treated to the Lincoln Riley defensive experience. For years at Oklahoma his teams had prolific offenses complimented by terrible defenses, and USC was the same a year ago. All three of their losses saw them leading by double digits, and had they gotten a couple stops along the way would have made the playoff. This is make or break for defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, and if the defense struggles again, Riley will face heavy criticism for not moving on from Grinch. For USC, if they cannot win the conference in 2023 it would be a massive let down when you consider they have one of the most talented rosters in the country, led by the best quarterback in the country.