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Eugene, Ore, • The quick out pass is just a little behind Oregon's LaMichael James coming out of the backfield during spring drills, so the star running back simply spins back to his right while still running left, performing an effortless pirouette that allows him to catch the ball in unbroken stride and use his perfectly rotating momentum to explode upfield in a flash.
Yeah, that's the guy whose explosive talent is going to dictate a lot about how the University of Utah's historic first football season in the Pac-12 Conference unfolds.
The Utes won't play Oregon in their inaugural season, by virtue of the league's new schedule rotation that will force each team to miss two of its 11 conference rivals each year.
But James and the defending national runner-up Ducks are the early favorites to emerge as champions from the expanded conference that features a new format — two divisions of six teams each — a new championship game, a fleet of experienced quarterbacks and a guaranteed path into the Bowl Championship Series to accompany a much more alluring bowl lineup than the one in the old Mountain West Conference.
"We got the bull's-eye on us," quarterback Darron Thomas said. "Everybody's working for Oregon right now, so we got to work for the whole Pac-12. Everybody's working to beat us, so we have to be ready."
Most analysts expect Stanford — the other team the Utes fortuitously won't play — and possibly Arizona State to challenge the Ducks for the Pac-12 title next season.
But the Cardinal are working with a new head coach in former offensive coordinator David Shaw, who took over after Jim Harbaugh left for the NFL's San Francisco 49ers following a 12-1 season capped by a victory in the Orange Bowl. And the Sun Devils have yet to prove they can hang with the top teams, though they do have 19 starters returning from a team that was nine points away from a 10-win season.
"We're all tired of where we've been the last couple of years," coach Dennis Erickson said, "and it's time for everybody to step up."
And the Utes?
There's not a coach in the league who says they aren't ready to compete, given their big-game success and national accomplishments in recent years. "I don't see how you could," Oregon State's Mike Riley said. But at the same time, the Utes have yet to endure the rigorous conference schedule, or perhaps had their depth tested as severely as some of their new rivals.
"The Pac-10 is not like the Mountain West," said USC's John Martinez, an offensive lineman from Cottonwood High School who could wind up as the starting center for the Trojans.
No kidding.
No longer are the Utes in a league whose best teams simply hope to beat the long odds and finish undefeated in order to reach a Bowl Championship Series game, and whose worst teams … well, whose worst teams are among the worst in the country.
Now, they're among an elite group that aspires to win a national title every season, and also has a traditional postseason home in the glamorous Rose Bowl on Jan. 2.
"We know it's a competitive conference with a lot of good football teams," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. "It's a big challenge and opportunity and that is why the players and coaches are working hard. But we feel we recruited well the last several years and we are excited to see where we are."
Both Oregon and Stanford figure to rank among the national championship contenders, after dueling last year with quarterbacks Thomas and Andrew Luck — both back, and both probable Heisman Trophy candidates, along with James — who led two of the most innovative and dynamic offenses in the country.
The next six teams in the standings last season all finished within two games of each other, and only Cal, UCLA and Washington will be starting new quarterbacks. Coaches and players from one end of the league to the other maintained that nobody, not even cellar-dweller Washington State, is a pushover.
"It's deep," Stanford linebacker Shayne Skov said. "Every year, no matter what, independent of records. Every week you come in, every team is gunning for you — especially if you are on top. It's very competitive, and much grittier than people give it credit for. … I know it's kind of viewed across the country as an offensive-minded league, but I think a lot of the teams in this league did a great job of playing defense."
The Ducks would have won the BCS national title last season if they just could have played the slightest bit more.
But they couldn't stop Auburn's Michael Dyer on a dramatic and controversial 37-yard run — most defenders and many fans thought Dyer was down early in the play — that set up a game-winning field goal for the Tigers in a 22-19 victory.
Yet that shortcoming, as well as a disappointing 26-17 loss to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl the previous season, has given the Ducks a source of motivation that could prove lethal to the rest of the teams in the league.
"I don't think we need no other motivation," Thomas said. "We lost. That's like losing the whole season. We have to come back and do big things. We have to get back to that national championship, so we can compete and get a win."
James and his spinning, whirling, dashing talent will be crucial to the effort, having led the nation in rushing last season with 1,731 yards and 21 touchdowns.
"We fell a little bit short," he said. "Nobody wants to stay the same. Last year, we made it to the national championship, so this year, the only thing we have to do is win the national championship. That's the highest you can get. So we don't want to stay the same, we want to keep coming out here and working hard."
Title game
The inaugural Pac-12 championship game will be played Dec. 3 between the winners of the two new divisions. The game will take place at the home of the team with the best conference record. —
Pac-12 bowl lineup
No. 1 team • BCS National Championship game in New Orleans on Jan. 9 or Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Jan. 2.
No. 2 • Alamo Bowl vs. Big 12 No. 3, San Antonio, Dec. 29.
No. 3 • Holiday Bowl vs. Big 12 No. 5, San Diego, Dec. 28.
No. 4 • Sun Bowl vs. ACC No. 4, El Paso, Dec. 31.
No. 5 • Las Vegas Bowl vs. Mountain West No. 1, Las Vegas, Dec. 22
No. 6 • Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl vs. Army*, San Francisco, TBA
* If eligible —
Five players to watch
LaMichael James, Oregon • The junior running back was the nation's leading rusher last season, and he spearheaded a powerful offense that led the country by averaging 46.8 points per game. A record 43,468 fans watched him play in the Oregon spring game.
Andrew Luck, Stanford • The record-setting quarterback and Heisman Trophy runner-up decided to stay in school for his junior season rather than leave for the NFL, giving the Cardinal a great chance to keep alive their stunning resurgence.
Chris Polk, Washington • The junior is the first Husky running back to rush for 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons, and his decision to stay in school rather than head to the NFL will be a big boost to a team that lost star quarterback Jake Locker.
Brock Osweiler, Arizona State • The towering junior quarterback shredded UCLA last year and led the Sun Devils to back-to-back wins to finish the season. His promise eases worries about the retirement of former starter Steven Threet due to concussions.
James Rodgers, Oregon State • The senior receiver was granted an extra year of eligibility after tearing up his knee last season as one of the nation's top all-purpose athletes. He has vowed to return after two surgeries, which would be huge for the Beavers. —
What are they saying about the Utes?
Cal coach Jeff Tedford • "Utah will be fine. They play very physical, they're very skilled, they have a lot of speed, talent. So it's not like they have to make up the talent level to compete in the Pac-12. They have the talent level. I don't know what their depth is … because as you get through a long season, depth becomes an issue."
Washington linebacker Cort Dennison, former Judge Memorial standout • "The Utes will do just fine. … One of the things that makes Utah good is team speed. They're a pretty fast football team, and I think the Pac-12 is one of the faster conferences, with more spread-out offenses with offenses like Oregon and Arizona. So I think the Utes will fit in just fine. I'm excited to see what they'll do."
Stanford coach David Shaw • "I spent nine years in the NFL. And we always looked at Utah as one of those teams that's going to have a couple of kids on it that are quicker than you think, faster than you think, and make plays. It's just always been that way. They're always one of those teams you look back during the course of the year, and they'll be underdogs in four or five games, and they'll win all four or five. And that's just the history. You cannot go into a game not expecting their best game."
Arizona State defensive lineman Bo Moos • "I'm sure they're really excited about this jump, and they know they have something to prove. But it's a week-to-week deal, it really is, in this conference. You have to be prepared for every opponent, no matter who it is. I'd say that's the one adjustment they will have to make, but it shouldn't be a problem, because they've played in big games."