The blueprint behind the San Jose Mercury News’ predictions is easy to spot if you’ve scrutinized each team’s coaching staff and depth chart.
For those who haven’t plunged into the Pac-12 roster weeds, we say 1) good for you and 2) the selections below lean heavily on continuity.
With all the disruption over the past seven months, continuity is king.
It’s always significant, of course, but this year, the importance has doubled.
We generally favored teams that possess one of two golden triangles:
— Returning head coach, returning offensive coordinator and proven quarterback
— Returning offensive coordinator, proven quarterback and veteran offensive line
Other factors were considered, including the full starting lineup and the schedules.