2018 Pac-12 early conference primer: Biggest games, Heisman hopefuls and one big prediction

The Pac-12 will need to fight for respect in 2018 after a rough finish to the 2017 college football season. 

USC and Washington lost New Year's Day Six games after the conference was shut out of the College Football Playoff for the second time in four seasons. The Pac-12 finished 1-8 in bowl games, with Utah providing the only victory. The conference also hired five new coaches.

MORE: 18 early questions for 2018

The good news? Heisman Trophy finalist Bryce Love and Washington stars Jake Browning and Myles Gaskins return. Defending Pac-12 champion USC will open a new chapter in the UCLA rivalry with the arrival of Chip Kelly. There's always a reason to watch, and there are some interesting nonconference opportunities for the Pac-12 to climb back up the ladder. 

Sporting News takes an early look at the Pac-12 heading into 2018:

Way-too-early ranked teams 

14. Stanford
12. USC
11. Washington 

Top storyline 

Kelly's return to the Pac-12. The former Oregon coach is back in the conference, inheriting a UCLA program that underachieved through the Josh Rosen era. Kelly hasn't coached in college since 2012, so it will be interesting to see how long it takes for his patented offense to take flight again. But once it does, watch out. …

MORE: Way-too-early top 25

Impact freshmen 

JT Daniels and Amon-Ra St. Brown. USC landed both five-star commits from Mater Dei High in California, and there might be an opportunity for both to play early. Daniels could get in the mix at quarterback, and St. Brown should be able to work into the rotation at receiver. That should ease the loss of quarterback Sam Darnold, running back Ronald Jones II and receiver Deontay Burnett to the NFL Draft.

New Pac-12 coaches 

Kevin Sumlin, Arizona. Sumlin landed in Tucson after the departure of Rich Rodriguez, and he gets to work with star quarterback Khalil Tate. If that relationship works — and we think it will — the Wildcats are an intriguing Pac-12 South sleeper.

Herm Edwards, Arizona State. Edwards will be a good mentor for players and great in the news conferences, but he hasn't coached college football since 1989.

Mario Cristobal, Oregon. The Ducks have their third coach in three seasons. They stuck with Cristobal to keep some sense of continuity, but there's a reason Ducks players asked for him to be the head coach. 

Jonathan Smith, Oregon State. The former Oregon State quarterback comes off the Chris Petersen coaching tree and is tasked with rebuilding this Pac-12 bottom-feeder. He's a good fit for that task.

Chip Kelly, UCLA. One more reminder: Kelly was 46-7 at Oregon with a 33-3 record in Pac-12 play over four years. This is going to work out fine.

MORE: Ranking college football's coaching hires

Pac-12 Heisman hopefuls

Bryce Love, Stanford. Love rushed for 2,118 yards and 18 touchdowns last season. He'll be among the early Heisman Trophy favorites, and that's great news for David Shaw and the Cardinal.

Jake Browning, Washington. Browning's numbers took a severe dip in 2017, but he still has 62 touchdowns and just 14 interceptions over his last two seasons. He made the right move by staying for his senior season.

Khalil Tate, Arizona. Tate burst on to the scene with 1,591 passing yards, 1,411 rushing yards and 26 total touchdowns in 2017; that includes four consecutive Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week honors over the month of October. Paired with Sumlin, Tate is sure to have better numbers.

Best nonconference games 

Auburn vs. Washington, Sept. 1 (Atlanta). This is a huge perception-driver for the conference. If the Huskies can beat the Tigers in Atlanta, that could have a ripple effect with the College Football Playoff committee later in November.

Michigan State at Arizona State, Sept. 8. Edwards' first big game with the Sun Devils comes against a seasoned Spartans team under Mark Dantonio. This will be an interesting early measuring stick against a playoff contender.

UCLA at Oklahoma, Sept. 8. The Bruins travel to Norman in Kelly's first big test at UCLA. Will the Bruins make it interesting?

USC at Texas, Sept. 15. The Trojans and Longhorns played a thriller in 2017, and this one is a big springboard game for both programs. Expect it to play out like that.

2018 LOOKAHEAD: ACC | SEC | B10 | B12 

Team to watch 

Washington State. The Cougars are 26-13 the past three seasons, but the last two years ended with losses to Washington in the Apple Cup, followed by losses to Big Ten teams in bowls. Mike Leach was briefly in the hunt for the Tennessee job this offseason, but stayed in Pullman. What direction will he take the program next?

Bold early prediction 

Stanford, Washington and USC will create a two-loss mess for the committee to sort out. It will endanger the conference from being left out once again.

Three-year trends: Overall record

Three-year trends: Pac-12 record