Our countdown of the Pac-12's top 25 players in 2012 continues.
Most of this looks back, but, of course, there also is a good dose of projecting forward. A lot of good players, as it happens every year, won't make the preseason list. It is in their hands to make the postseason list.
You can review our 2011 postseason top 25 here.
7. Marquess Wilson, WR, Washington State
2011 numbers: Caught 82 passes for 1,388 yards with 12 touchdowns.
2011 postseason ranking: No. 13
Making the case for Wilson: Hey look, another receiver! Wilson, a 6-foot-4, 183-pound junior, earned second-team All-Pac-12 honors in 2011 behind USC's Robert Woods and Cal's Keenan Allen. Still, he ranked first in the Pac-12 and sixth in the nation with 115.7 yards receiving per game in 2011. His 12 touchdown receptions ranked second in the conference. His 16.9 yards per catch ranked third. We wrote this about him when ranking him 13th last year, "Everyone who played Washington State knew this: Wilson is the Cougars' most dangerous weapon. And yet Wilson just kept catching passes." We also observed, "In the Cougs' two conference wins -- over Colorado and Arizona State -- he came up particularly big. He hauled in the a 63-yard touchdown with 1:10 left to complete a 31-27 comeback win in Boulder. And he caught eight passes for 223 yards -- yeah, that's 27.9 yards per catch -- and three TDs against the Sun Devils." Yet part of this high ranking also is a projection forward. In Mike Leach's pass-happy offense, Wilson is likely to put up even bigger numbers and again lead the conference in receiving yards. With 2,394 career yards receiving, he could even make a run at 4,000 career yards by season's end. Of course, he'd need his first bowl game to make that happen.
No. 8: Keenan Allen, WR, California
No. 9: Marqise Lee, WR, USC
No. 10: T.J. McDonald, S, USC
No. 11: Dion Jordan, OLB/DE, Oregon
No. 12: Stepfan Taylor, RB, Stanford
No. 13: Kenjon Barner, RB, Oregon
No. 14: Nickell Robey, CB, USC
No. 15: John White IV, RB, Utah
No. 16: John Boyett, S, Oregon
No. 17: Jordan Poyer, CB, Oregon State
No. 18: Khaled Holmes, C, USC
No. 19: Cameron Marshall, RB, Arizona State
No. 20: Dion Bailey, LB, USC
No. 21: Shayne Skov, LB, Stanford
No. 22: Curtis McNeal, RB, USC
No. 23: Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE, Washington
No. 24: Isi Sofele, RB, California
No. 25: Jeff Tuel, QB, Washington State