ESPN: Phil Steele Picks Oregon Ducks to Win Pac 12 North, USC in the South

Nov 3, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; The mascot of the Oregon Ducks mascot during the game against the Southern California Trojans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Oregon defeated USC 62-51. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

We’re now less than two months before the official start of the 2013 College Football season at Autzen Stadium and College football guru Phil Steele has come out with his latest magazine and his pics for the Pac 12. Ted Miller from ESPN also seems excited about this news and gives the following breakdown:

"His(Phil Steele) North Division prediction goes like this:1. Oregon2. Stanford3. Oregon State4. Washington5. Washington State6. CaliforniaAnd his South Division projection looks like this:1. USC2. Arizona State3. UCLA4. Arizona5. Utah6. ColoradoSteele loves USC this year, ranking the Trojans sixth in the nation — he’s got Oregon at No. 5 and Stanford at No. 11 — and ranking them among the nation’s best at several position groups."

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Some other observations from Steele, among some of his odd breakdowns include breaking down position groups. At Quarterback Oregon ranks highest at #4, Running Back is #2 behind Arizona State. On Defense Oregon’s secondary is ranked at the top. The Ducks are in the middle at Linebacker and Defensive Line. Aside from Olumu Oregon doesn’t seem to have any household names on Defense, but of course there will be plenty of opportunities for players to step up early in the season and become household names by the time Pac 12 season begins.

Oregon Ducks This Week:

PAC-12 Football: Know The Opponent Kickoff  – Non Conference Edition