Ducks Wire Roundtable: Predicting the Pac-12 awards for the 2023 season
The 2023 college football season officially begins for the Pac-12 later this week, when coaches and select players all convene in Las Vegas for the annual Pac-12 Media Day.
Dan Lanning will be in attendance alongside QB Bo Nix and LB Jeffrey Bassa, talking to media members around the league and previewing the upcoming season, where the Ducks hope to make it back to Las Vegas for the conference title game in December.
One of the best things that come out of the Pac-12 Media Day is award predictions from the top media members in the conference. A select group of reporters is asked to predict who they think will win the year-end awards, such as Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, and Coach of the Year.
Here at Ducks Wire, we wanted to do the same, so we brought together our first roundtable of the year to give a preview of the Pac-12 as a whole and see if we could predict who some of the biggest award-winners would be in 2023.
Award Prediction: Offensive Player of the Year
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Zachary Neel (@ZacharyCNeel): USC QB Caleb Williams
Yes, I am taking the boring answer with Caleb Williams. You don’t just win the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore while playing for Lincoln Riley and come back worse as a junior. I think there’s a good chance that Williams has one of the all-time great seasons as a college QB in 2023. The Trojans are set up for major success.
Don Smalley (@Donald_Smalley): USC QB Caleb Williams
It’s hard to imagine Williams not winning this award considering he’s the reigning Heisman winner and with all the weapons he has around him, including Dorian Singer, the transfer from Arizona.
Miles Dwyer (@DwyerMiles15): USC QB Caleb Williams
As the almost certain No. 1 draft pick, and the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, Caleb Williams might be a safe pick. Still, it is hard to imagine the leader of the likely most potent offense in the Pac-12 won’t be the best offensive player in the conference.
Award Prediction: Defensive Player of the Year
Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Zachary Neel (@ZacharyCNeel): Oregon EDGE Jordan Burch
This may seem like wishful thinking, but I think that South Carolina transfer Jordan Burch can be the biggest difference-maker for Oregon in 2023. With the presence of a potentially dominant edge rusher, it will be fascinating to see how good Dan Lanning’s defense can finally be. I see a world in which Burch has double-digit sacks and leads the Pac-12 this season.
Don Smalley (@Donald_Smalley): Washington EDGE Bralen Trice
He’s a first-team pre-season All-American and he actually could improve on a season where he had 52 tackles, 17 TFL’s and 12 sacks.
Miles Dwyer (@DwyerMiles15): USC S Calen Bullock
Calen Bullock brings hard hits to the gridiron, but where he excels is as a free-roaming, ball-hawking safety. In 2022, he snagged five picks, and with USC’s bolstered defense, he could have even more this season.
Award Prediction: Offensive Rookie of the Year
Zachary Neel (@ZacharyCNeel): USC WR Zachariah Branch
I know that USC has a loaded WR room, but the things that 5-star freshman Zachariah Branch showed he was capable of in high school have me incredibly excited to see what he can do at the college level. He very easily could break onto the scene in Los Angeles this season.
Don Smalley (@Donald_Smalley): UCLA QB Dante Moore
Chip has never had the top QB recruit at his disposal and Moore should flourish in that system. He’s going to be fun to watch.
Miles Dwyer (@DwyerMiles15): Oregon WR Jurrion Dickey
It’s hard to predict how much volume Jurrion Dickey will see in his rookie year, but so far he’s given every inclination that he is college ready, and hopefully can have an early impact on the Ducks’ offense.
Award Prediction: Defensive Rookie of the Year
Zachary Neel (@ZacharyCNeel): Colorado CB Cormani McClain
If you take the No. 1 ranked CB (No. 13 player overall) in the 2023 class and let him learn under one of the most dynamic cornerbacks in football history, Deion Sanders, I like what the result will likely be. Give me Cormani McClain as the winner of this award every day of the week.
Don Smalley (@Donald_Smalley): Oregon EDGE Matayo Uiagalelei
Dan Lanning found his next great pass rusher for the next three seasons and Uiagalelei will be a complete nightmare for opposing QBs.
Miles Dwyer (@DwyerMiles15): Oregon EDGE Matayo Uiagalelei
Matayo Uiagalelei should offer a breath of fresh air to a Ducks’ front seven that struggled to sack the QB in 2022. The additions of Uiagalelei and Jordan Burch, as well as the return of Brand Dorlus, should create more pressure opportunities for everyone, especially Uiagalelei.
Award Prediction: Coach of the Year
(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Zachary Neel (@ZacharyCNeel): Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith
The Beavers are going to look different than they did a year ago, but I don’t think that means that they will be worse. No longer will they rely so heavily on a dominant defense and an offense that could tread water. This year they have DJ Uiagalelei looking to turn around his career under a great QB coach, and I think that Jonathan Smith will get Oregon State into a place where they are in the running for the Pac-12 title game.
Don Smalley (@Donald_Smalley): UCLA coach Chip Kelly
Going a different way here. I think the Bruins are going to be a lot better than predicted. Yes, they lose DTR, but Moore will be a nice replacement and the defense will be good, but not great. They also have a manageable schedule.
Miles Dwyer (@DwyerMiles15): Oregon coach Dan Lanning
While he and Lincoln Riley both enter their second year in the Pac-12, I’m giving the edge to Dan in 2023. I think with the additions Oregon has made and with the return of nearly all of Oregon’s best players, the Ducks exceed their already-high expectations, and a lot of that credit will and should go to Dan Lanning.
Best Game of the Year
Zachary Neel (@ZacharyCNeel): Oregon vs. Oregon State
After the way that last year ended for the Ducks against the Beavers, there will be no shortage of revenge on the mind in Eugene. With a winner of this game likely having a good chance at making the Pac-12 title game, plus the additional bonus of potentially getting to watch DJ Uiagalelei vs. Matayo Uiagalelei, I think this will be my game of the year.
Don Smalley (@Donald_Smalley): Oregon vs. USC
USC at Oregon: Hopefully this will be Game 1 of 2 between these two teams. There hasn’t been a classic game at Autzen for a while, but this should be one of them.
Miles Dwyer (@DwyerMiles15): Oregon vs. USC
On paper, they’re the two best teams in Pac-12, both added key pieces this off-season, and both have elite returning QBs, all of which should make for a stellar head-to-head matchup.
Final Pac-12 Standings Prediction
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Zachary Neel (@ZacharyCNeel):
USC
Oregon
Oregon State
Washington
Utah
WSU
UCLA
Arizona
Cal
Colorado
Arizona State
Stanford
Don Smalley (@Donald_Smalley):
USC
Oregon
Utah
UCLA
Washington
OSU
Arizona
Colorado
ASU
Cal
ASU
Stanford
Miles Dwyer (@DwyerMiles15):
Oregon
USC
Oregon State
Washington
UCLA
Washington State
Utah
Colorado
Arizona
Arizona State
Stanford
