Five questions in this season’s Pac-12

Oregon last season carried the Pac-12 banner all the way to the national championship game. This season, that road might not be so easy.

Six Pac-12 teams made the preseason AP Top 25. Even without Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota, Oregon isn’t expected to experience much of a drop off. After a subpar season (for its standard), Stanford expects to bounce back. As for the Pac-12 South, it’s loaded.

In short, the Pac-12 this season should be extremely competitive. Five questions to ponder:

Will the South finally rise?

Since the conference expanded to 12 teams in 2011, the Pac-12 North has won the conference title every year. But with four South teams in most preseason polls, it’s reasonable to wonder if that’s about to change.

“We’re seeing a shift overall in power, but you still have that anvil of Oregon and Stanford,” Pac-12 Networks analyst Glenn Parker said. “It’s kind of like a presidential election. You can talk all you want about the East Coast and going across the Midwest, but there’s that anvil called California out there. It’s the behemoth, and whoever wins that most likely gets it. This is the same way.

“Right now, the South can beat itself up and have a really super strong team, but they still have that anvil they have to hit. I don’t care who’s running that Oregon offense, they’re good.”

Is USC back?

The Trojans have a Heisman Trophy candidate in quarterback Cody Kessler, perhaps the Pac-12’s best offensive line and elite playmakers in cornerback Adoree’ Jackson, linebacker Su’a Cravens and receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.

But are they legit title contenders?

“The feeling is back, but they have to go out and perform,” said Fox Sports and Pac-12 Networks analyst Matt Leinart, who won the Heisman Trophy at USC in 2004. “They have the star power back, finally. They have a full allotment of players. They have the No. 1 recruiting class coming in, so certainly the feeling is back, the expectations have been raised.”

Perhaps the team’s biggest hurdle: Coach Steve Sarkisian. Through six Pac-12 seasons, he has yet to prove he can win at a high level, and last week’s drinking incident didn’t help.

Nearly everyone agrees: UCLA is loaded — everywhere but quarterback, where freshman Josh Rosen takes over for three-year starter Brett Hundley.

Is the freshman QB for real?

Rosen — considered the best pro-style quarterback in the 2015 high school recruiting class — has high credentials, but navigating the Pac-12 South, perhaps the toughest division in college football, won’t be easy for a fifth-year senior, let alone a true freshman.

“I would hate that responsibility (as a coach),” Parker said. “I think UCLA has talent across the board, but when it comes to quarterback, we just don’t know. That’s the great unknown right now.”

Does Arizona deserve more respect?

Something you don’t often see: UA last season won the South and returns most of its skill players, including quarterback Anu Solomon and All-America linebacker Scooby Wright III.

Yet, Pac-12 media picked the Wildcats fourth in the preseason poll.

Explanation: “Last year, they won six toss-up games,” Parker said. “What are the odds they can close out those tight games again? And on top of that, they have a schedule without a bye. It’s going to be a grind for them.”

Key to success: “To me, Anu Solomon has to make a major leap for them to repeat,” CBS Sports analyst Rick Neuheisel said.

Who’s the dark horse?

The South is so top heavy, any team but Colorado could win and it wouldn’t be much of a surprise. So, look to the North for a dark horse. Look at California.

The Golden Bears last season finished 5-7, but they return the Pac-12’s top NFL prospect in junior quarterback Jared Goff. Given Cal’s defensive concerns, Goff may have to out-shoot opponents every week, but he’s proven that he’s capable.

Breaking down AP Top 25 poll: