The Pac-12 season begins with Cal's matchup against Hawaii on Friday in Australia. The rest of the league will follow suit next week.
Here's how the Pac-12 blog sees the 2016 season shaping up:
Pac-12 North winner
Kyle Bonagura: There are four real options, but David Shaw's track record makes the Cardinal the pick.
Kevin Gemmell: Stanford has its share of question marks, but David Shaw has proven that he can rebuild with few transitional hiccups. Having Christian McCaffrey doesn't hurt, either.
Chantel Jennings: Washington. The Huskies' offense, powered by Jake Browning and Myles Gaskin, will show improvement, while its stout defense will be characteristically excellent.
David Lombardi: Washington. While Stanford and Oregon must replace starting quarterbacks, the Huskies return theirs along with a stud running back, four offensive linemen and the league's top defense. That all pairs well with a relatively favorable schedule.
Ted Miller: Stanford. The Cardinal have won three of the past four Pac-12 titles, and in an uncertain preseason, that is the closest thing to a good bet -- at least until Washington proves itself.
Pac-12 South winner
Bonagura: USC earned the right to start on top with its convincing win against UCLA last year.
Gemmell: UCLA. The Bruins have a deep and veteran defense. The only question is whether the playmakers around Josh Rosen can meet expectations.
Jennings: UCLA. Josh Rosen's clean play will get the Bruins through a relatively low-risk schedule with minimal bruises.
Lombardi: UCLA. Aside from returning quarterback Josh Rosen, the Bruins should be much sturdier against the run with Eddie Vanderdoes back from injury. UCLA's secondary is already strong, so this projects to be a well-rounded team.
Miller: Utah. Perhaps this is off the grid some, but the Utes have the best collection of offensive and defensive linemen in the conference.
Pac-12 championship game
Bonagura: Stanford. No one in the South appears ready to dethrone the Cardinal.
Gemmell: Stanford has won three of the past four league titles, and the Cardinal have one of the best players in the country paving the way in 2016. Until someone steps up and stops them, they've earned the benefit of the doubt for lofty preseason expectations.
Jennings: UCLA. Sophomore QBs will square off in Santa Clara, California, with Rosen propelling his team to its first league title since 1998.
Lombardi: Washington. The "defense wins championships" cliche didn't apply to the Pac-12 last season, but because the Huskies' offense has matured a year, this team will have enough on both sides of the ball to finally break through.
Miller: Stanford. David Shaw and Christian McCaffrey make up for any questions, though it will be a physical battle with Utah.
Offensive player of the year
Bonagura: It'll be a nice award for Christian McCaffrey to win again, but the real question is: Will he win the Heisman?
Gemmell: Washington State quarterback Luke Falk is going to put up outstanding, record-setting numbers. He brings an efficient and cerebral approach to the Air Raid, which, along with a great stable of receivers, should produce huge stats.
Jennings: Wazzu QB Luke Falk. The redshirt junior will lead the conference in total offense for the second season in a row and push Washington State to a nine-win season.
Lombardi: Christian McCaffrey posted an unprecedented 2,000-yard rushing, 1,000-yard receiving campaign in 2015. He's faster and stronger as a 20-year-old entering 2016, so he'll once again be the Pac-12's best player.
Miller: Christian McCaffrey. Can he break through in the Heisman race? Stanford players tend to end up bridesmaids in New York.
Defensive player of the year
Bonagura: USC LB Cam Smith takes a big step after an impressive debut season as a freshman.
Gemmell: Utah defensive tackle Lowell Lotulelei isn't going to have huge, premium stats. But his presence alone alters the way people attack the Utes. He is quietly one of the best defensive players in the nation.
Jennings: Utah DL Kylie Fitts. Even without Lowell Lotulelei demanding so much attention on the interior of the Utah line, Fitts found ways to get to the opposing quarterback.
Lombardi: There's talk of a refocused Eddie Vanderdoes -- a version 2.0 -- coming out of UCLA following last year's knee injury, and he can be the difference between shoddy run defense and a serious Pac-12 South title run for the Bruins.
Miller: Eddie Vanderdoes. He flashed his All-America potential in Game 1 last year. If he stays healthy, he'll do that all season.
Coach of the year
Bonagura: Mike Leach will deserve it after keeping Wazzu in the title hunt.
Gemmell: If he can navigate a brutal schedule and lead the Cardinal to another conference championship, David Shaw should get the nod.
Jennings: Jim Mora. It's not the toughest schedule in the conference, but getting the Bruins on track for the College Football Playoff will be enough of a statement.
Lombardi: Chris Petersen. If this is the year the Huskies wrap it all together to reach the top of the Pac-12, Petersen will get his due credit as the leader of that effort.
Miller: David Shaw. He is the best coach in the Pac-12 and just behind Saban and Meyer in the national pecking order.
Freshman of the year
Bonagura: UCLA WR Theo Howard should have the opportunity to carve out a key role.
Gemmell: Freshman of the year: ASU's N'Keal Harry has been dubbed one of the top receiving recruits in the country. He'll make an immediate impact on a team looking for some more offensive explosion.
Jennings: UCLA's Theo Howard. The Bruins need players to step up at wide receiver, and the early enrolled Howard is in a prime position to pick up a lot of receptions from Rosen.
Lombardi: Cal WR Melquise Stovall. The Bears lost almost all of their production at receiver, but based on his performance in the spring game, Stovall will become a favorite target of Davis Webb's.
Miller: UCLA WR Theo Howard. It should help that a pretty good QB lines up behind center for the Bruins.