The Pac-12 congregated under the blistering desert sun last Friday for what will be the conference’s final media day as the Pac-12 currently stands. After Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders announced he would be going into surgery, the Pac-12’s media deal and realignment took center stage but DNVR was still able to properly evaluate each team’s V.I.B.E.S. heading into the 2023 season.
V.I.B.E.S. stands for value, interesting, belief, expectations and swag and each team will be assigned a 1-10 rating for each category. Value; how much their presence contributed to media day. Interesting; how quotable they were at media day. Belief; how believable they were they when they spoke. Expectations: a combination of how the college football community views their 2023 season unfolding and their chances of matching or exceeding those expectations. Swag; not just how they dressed but the level of conviction and confidence they had when speaking.
12. Cal
V – 1 | I – 3 | B – 5 | E – 2 | S – 1
V.I.B.E.S. score: 12
Apparently, the Cal Golden Bears were present at Pac-12 media day with head coach Justin Wilcox, linebacker Jackson Sirmon and offensive lineman Matthew Cindric representing the University of California. The Golden Bears were the lone team that Colorado was able to beat last year and they face a variety of challenges entering the 2023 season. Will Justin Wilcox make it through the season? Will Sam Jackson be able to live up to his recruiting hype and break out as one of the better young quarterbacks in the Pac-12? Is Jeremiah Hunter enough at wide receiver for the Bears to be explosive with J. Michael Sturdivant heading south to play for UCLA?
As the program currently stands, Cal doesn’t move the needle for the Pac-12 in terms of public interest and was an afterthought when it came to Pac-12 media day.
11. Stanford
V – 1 | I – 8 | B – 8 | E – 2 | S – 5
V.I.B.E.S. score: 24
David Shaw has stepped away and now former Sacramento State head coach Troy Taylor leads the way for a Cardinal program that has not won more than four games since 2019. While expectations are low, Taylor walked and talked like a head coach who will be afforded plenty of time to reset the standard. Wide receiver John Humphreys and linebacker Tristan Sinclair spoke like guys from Stanford and emphasized the team’s commitment to Taylor’s vision. All three Stanford representatives were smart, insightful and fascinating people to talk to.
Stanford’s place in the college football world is as uncertain as any team in the country at this point. The Cardinal has called the Pac-12 home since 1968 but after Colorado’s move, it seems as if the conference is on the verge of collapsing. Stanford has a spot in the college football landscape, but last-place expectations and conference stability could spell the end of Stanford’s time as a conference title contender for some time.
10. Arizona
V – 3 | I – 6 | B – 7 | E – 6 | S – 3
V.I.B.E.S. score: 25
While the media deal and Coach Prime’s health were the main storylines, Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch and quarterback Jayden de Laura had to face the media and address the allegations surrounding de Laura of sexual assault. Jedd Fisch bought himself sometime in his press conference by taking the podium and generally addressing the media. Beyond that, Treydan Stukes was a joy to talk to and has become Arizona’s defensive captain after joining the team as a walk-on.
However, when it comes to the V.I.B.E.S. scale, the Wildcats failed to make a great impact other than Fisch’s valid optimism about Arizona’s chances in 2023. de Laura and Arizona’s supremely talented group of wide receivers will make them one of the most explosive teams in the country once again but will the defense be able to hold up their end?
9. UCLA
V – 4 | I – 8 | B – 7 | E – 6 | S – 4
V.I.B.E.S. score: 29
Chip Kelly finds himself between quarterback eras at UCLA after Dorian Thompson-Robinson’s reign has ended and incoming five-star freshman Dante Moore patiently waits for his time. While both Southern California schools are headed to the Big 10 next season, Kelly has given Bruins fans their best two-season stretch since 2014 and 2015. While the former Oregon and NFL head coach is always a great interview, UCLA lacks star power when it comes to their players thus dragging down their overall V.I.B.E.S. score.
Moore’s ability to develop and pick up coach Kelly’s offense will greatly determine the Bruins’ success this season. While former Kent State quarterback Collin Schlee has the veteran experience, UCLA’s momentum when it comes to recruiting and future success lands on the five-star freshman’s shoulders.
8. Oregon
V – 7 | I – 3 | B – 3 | E – 9 | S – 8
V.I.B.E.S. score: 30
Oregon is Oregon. They showed up looking sharp and acted like they were the class of the Pac-12 despite missing last year’s Pac-12 title game and not having won the conference since the COVID shortened 2020 season. Dan Lanning hit the jackpot with his new extension and expectations are that he will deliver a Pac-12 title in 2023. While Bo Nix had a fantastic season and proved many doubters wrong last year, he has to do it again without Kenny Dillingham.
The Ducks certainly have the talent, swag and confidence of a championship team but will need to prove it on the field. Not many media members showed up to talk exclusively to the Oregon representatives and their words in front of the microphone were forgettable at best.
7. Utah
V – 6 | I – 5 | B – 6 | E – 8 | S – 6
V.I.B.E.S. score: 31
Following a loss in week one to Florida last season, the Utes rebounded to win their second consecutive Pac-12 title but it came at a cost. Quarterback Cam Rising suffered a torn ACL in the Rose Bowl loss to Penn State, but everything we heard from him and head coach Kyle Whittingham was beyond optimistic. While the level of competition is fierce in the Pac-12 this season, Rising and Whittingham boasted their usual confidence that has come from years of contending at the top of the conference.
Rising and Whittingham are media day veterans at this point, safety Cole Bishop brings down Utah’s score slightly for not trying Shedeur’s #2 BBQ sauce when offered. It’s business as usual for the Utes entering 2023. Utah will continue to have a say in how the top of the Pac-12 shakes out in what could be the final year of the conference as we know it.
6. Arizona State
V – 4 | I – 8 | B – 9 | E – 4 | S – 7
V.I.B.E.S. score: 32
The Sun Devils brought in former ASU graduate and Phoenix native Kenny Dillingham to be their head coach and there’s a confident yet humble attitude radiating out of Tempe. Dillingham gets these kids and has shown the ability to recruit at a competitive level in the portal and with incoming freshmen. Tight end Jalin Conyers is a natural when it comes to speaking into a microphone and so is defensive back Jordan Clark, the son of former Pittsburgh Steelers safety, Ryan Clark.
The Sun Devils players are bought into Kenny Dillingham and success could be on the horizon but as for this season, ASU ranks toward the bottom of the Pac-12. The blueprint is there and following Dillingham’s journey as a head coach and if he can turn 2023 five-star quarterback Jaden Rashada into a star will be crucial to the Sun Devil’s long-term success.
5. Oregon State
V – 5 | I – 7 | B – 7 | E – 8 | S – 6
V.I.B.E.S. score: 33
Head coach Jonathan Smith has turned around Oregon State’s program from a laughing stock to dark horse Pac-12 contenders. The Beavers prized transfer and former Clemson quarterback, DJ Uiagalelei, did not make the trip to Las Vegas. Safety Kitan Oladapo and wide receiver Anthony Gould filled their roles nicely as player representatives and were fun to talk to while displaying a quiet confidence that was echoed by their head coach. While I may have found them interesting and enjoyed their insight on the game, program building and what Colorado is doing; not many people tuned in to media day to hear what Oregon State had to say.
The Beavers return talent all over the field and have an upgrade at quarterback so expectations are set fairly high but I’m confident we will see them deliver this fall.
4. Washington
V – 6 | I – 7 | B – 7 | E – 8 | S – 6
V.I.B.E.S. score: 34
In their first season as Washington Huskies, head coach Kalen DeBoer and quarterback Michael Penix experienced an elevated level of success after already proving themselves before the two linked up in Seattle. Washington took back-to-back losses to Arizona State and UCLA that ruined the Huskies’ chances of going back to the Pac-12 title game for the first time since 2018. While Penix and DeBoer offered great insight into their program and possessed understandably high optimism about their chances in 2023.
Sixth-year linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio suitably filled his role as the Huskies’ defensive selection for media day while star EDGE defenders Bralen Trice and Zion Tupuola-Fetui stayed back in Seattle. Either of Washington’s bookends along their front seven would have boosted their star power and presence at media day.
3. USC
V – 8 | I – 7 | B – 6 | E – 10 | S – 7
V.I.B.E.S. score: 38
They would never say it at media day, but USC clearly has bigger fish to fry than the Pac-12 media day. After winning the Heisman Trophy last season, USC quarterback Caleb Williams has his eyes set on getting the Trojans to the CFP and the NFL awaits shortly after that. Head coach Lincoln Riley will be leading USC’s charge into the Big 10 next season where they hope to cement themselves as perennial national championship contenders. Linebacker Mason Cobb was a standout player for Oklahoma State last season and is also hoping that a big season under the Southern California sun will catapult him into a day one or two draft pick next April.
All that being said, it’s still USC with Lincoln Riley and Caleb Williams meaning they certainly drew a decent amount of attention to media day. Given the Pac-12’s one-day schedule for media day this season, it was merely a box to check for the Trojans as they abandon the Pac-12 for the Big 10 next season.
2. Washington State
V – 7 | I – 9 | B – 8 | E – 6 | S – 9
V.I.B.E.S. score: 39
Washington State was the only team to bring back all three media day representatives from last year to this year’s Pac-12 media day. Quarterback Cam Ward and EDGE Ron Stone Jr. made the long trip from Pullman to Las Vegas with head coach Jake Dickert. Stone and Ward were the two most authentic, hilarious and down-to-earth duo at media day besides the team above them in the V.I.B.E.S. rankings. Coach Dickert responded well when asked about Coach Prime’s rebuild at CU and the process of building a team via the transfer portal.
The parallels between Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders are glaring and make sense once you look into their background, where they came from and the transition both will have had to make coming from the FCS to the Pac-12. Ward was by far the most knowledgeable, supportive and positive player to speak about Shedeur and Colorado’s odds this season. He even went as far as to say that Shedeur will lead CU to a winning record in 2023. Washington State’s 2023 media day performance did not go unnoticed by Buff Nation who noted the respect given to Coach Prime.
1. Colorado
V – 10 | I – 10 | B – 10 | E – 10 | S –10
V.I.B.E.S. score: 50
Even without Coach Prime, the numbers don’t lie, Colorado dominated media day. Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter and Charles Kelly brought in 200,000 views to the Pac-12’s YouTube channel with their press conferences. The next closest was the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and USC quarterback, Caleb Williams, with only 6,300 views. The boys in Boulder have been building something special under Coach Prime’s lead and despite his absence, the public tuned into the Pac-12 media day to see his players and defensive coordinator preach the truth about Colorado football.
The optimism is overflowing out of Boulder and it’s because of the confidence and swag the Buffs have with their head coach. Shedeur and Travis have been put under a microscope by the national media but both have proven that they prefer to do their talking on the field. That being said, both were funny, insightful and fascinating to speak to on DNVR Buffs live Pac-12 media day show. Only Buff Nation and those who cover the team closely understand what’s being built in Boulder meaning national expectations are insultingly low. Coach Prime’s Buffs are going to be one of the most fun stories of this season and have the exact mental makeup, attitude and physical talent to shock the world.
Now that Colorado has been accepted back to the Big 12, it’s hard to believe any team in the country feels as good about the present and future as Coach Prime and the Buffs.
