Roundtable: The National Perception of the “Pass Happy” Pac-12

I sat down with Kyle Kensing of SaturdayBlitz.com, Tony Orlando of BamaHammer.com, and Trenise Ferreira of ReignofTroy.com to get a circular discussion on the Pac-12 and the SEC. Here’s the first part of our roundtable, pertaining to the Pac-12’s national appearance.

For years, the national perception of the Pac-12 is that it’s a defenseless, pass-first league. Has the running games of Oregon, Stanford and USC done anything to change that?

Kyle: USC made a lot of headway changing the perception of the Pac-10/12 style, but since the end of Carroll era I would say perception’s regressed. While Oregon-Auburn was a wildly competitive game, largely because what was an underrated UO defense did as well against Cam & Co. as AU fared against the Duck offense, perception was that UO was dominated because the game was played at more of an SEC pace. Furthermore, Oregon isn’t the style team to carry the banner because it’s gimmicky. Stanford plays a more straightforward style, but with overachieving talent. Cal has put together a very nice defense in the last few years, and the Golden Bears always run well (JJ Arrington, Jahvid Best, Shane Vereen, Justin Forsett, Marshawn Lynch, Isi Sofele). But the Golden Bears need a more adequate passing attack for balance to regain some national respect.

Tony: With my SEC homer hat on, not at all. Oregon was shut down by LSU, the only SEC team any of them faced this year. USC looks to be an improving team, whereas Stanford will be losing Andrew Luck to the draft. Oregon is a team built on small, fleet players making catches in space. That’s fine until you run up against bigger players who are just as fast.

Trenise:  Yes, I think Oregon, USC, and Stanford have helped to change the perception of the Pac-12’s offense. I feel like USC was a leader in this, because for as long as I can remember, USC has been known for its pro style, Power-I running game. They don’t call the school “Running back U” for nothing. Oregon and Stanford have followed suit, adding more versatility to the conference. And, I would disagree with the notion that the Pac12 is defenseless–USC has been hailed for the defenses that it fields year in and year out, and Stanford’s D was at times just as dominant as its offense. Of the three, Oregon is the only one to me that doesn’t have that strong of a defense. Maybe it’s just their secondary, but Oregon’s DB’s can’t stop a nosebleed, especially when matched with an offense as menacing as their own. If you want to find a conference that doesn’t believe in defense though, look no further than the Big 12.

Michael: Internally, I think the running style of those three teams has helped immensely in turning the conference into a more balanced league. Washington State had Jerome Harrison a few years back, and Arizona State has always had talented backs, whether it was Ryan Torain or Keegan Herring. Plus, you cannot forget Cal, who done nothing but replace elite back after elite back. J.J. Arrington, Marshawn Lynch, Justin Forsett, Javad Best, Shane Vereen, it just hasn’t ended with Cal’s assembly line of backs. But is that internal perception affecting the national perception? Absolutely not. Oregon is seen as a system offense, and the national perception is that Stanford is all about Andrew Luck and the passing attack, ignoring how dominant their running game and defense has been the last four years.

…What do you think? Leave your opinion in the comment box below.

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