Pac-12 Spotlight: Reviewing the conference's 2021 season

The college football regular season and conference championships are in the books. What happened that we expected? Didn’t expect? Here’s a wrap up of the Pac-12's season.

*****

THIS SERIES: Reviewing the Big Ten's 2021 season | SEC | ACC

CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State | JUCO

CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State

TRANSFER PORTAL: Stories/coverage | Message board

RIVALS CAMP SERIES: Info/coverage on 2021 camp series

*****

Kayvon Thibodeaux dominates - I picked him as my preseason Defensive Player of the Year for the conference and he lived up to the billing, dominating opposing offenses despite being double-teamed on nearly every single play. The first-team All-American was a terror for anyone who went against him.

UCLA breaks through - I was one of the few people who saw UCLA coming on strong this season, picking the Bruins to finish 8-4 behind an improved rushing attack, and they did just that. Zach Charbonnet ended up being one of the best transfers in the country, leading a strong rushing attack that had the Bruins competing in every game. Were it not for an unfortunately timed injury to Dorian Thompson-Robinson in the Oregon game, they easily could have won that one as well.

Utah is strong once again - I had the Utes finishing 9-3 in the South behind a strong defense led by Devin Lloyd and Nephi Sewell, and that's what happened. Lloyd was one of the best linebackers in the country all season, and Utah's rushing attack really got going during the second half of the season.

Arizona and Colorado struggle - Jedd Fisch undertook one of the biggest rebuilds in the country, and it's going to be a while before the Wildcats are ready to compete again in the division. It's the same story in Boulder, where the Buffaloes have very little talent and are struggling to keep up with the rest of the conference. But I certainly didn’t expect either program to be so bad.

Kedon Slovis falls off - Slovis had been really strong during both of his freshman and sophomore campaigns, and a lot of people (myself included) expected him to take the next step forward as a junior and potentially be in the mix for the Heisman trophy. That did not happen. Even before he was injured, all of his numbers had regressed and now he's heading to Pittsburgh to take over for Kenny Pickett.

Oregon State and Washington State near the top of the North - Like most people, I picked the Beavers and the Cougars to finish fifth and sixth respectively in the North but both teams put in really strong performances as they finished second and third. Oregon State really has something with Jonathan Smith at the helm, and after the whole Nick Rolovich fiasco, Washington State rallied around interim-turned-permanent head coach Jake Dickert to be still in it for the North crown in the last week of the season.

Offensive Player of the Year: Drake London, USC - Despite having to play with multiple quarterbacks under multiple coaches and being injured during the Trojans' eighth game of the season, London still put up absolutely monstrous numbers and is highly deserving of this award. In eight games, he had 88 catches for 1,084 yards, both of which led the entire conference. He's a lock to be a first-round pick, and at 6-foot-5 is going to be a menace at the next level.

Defensive Player of the Year: Devin Lloyd, Utah - It's a two-man race between Lloyd and Thibodeaux, but I'll take Lloyd on the back of him not missing any games and being on the defense that dominated Thibodeaux's Oregon twice. The junior linebacker finished with 107 tackles including 22 TFL's, seven sacks, and four INTs (including a pair of pick-sixes). Just a phenomenal season from arguably the best linebacker in the country.

Freshman of the Year: Eric Gentry, Arizona State - Not a ton of true freshmen got a lot of playing time in the Pac-12, but Gentry was one of the few who did, and he shined for a Sun Devil team that was disappointed with where it finished. The lanky 6-foot-6 Gentry really came on in the second half at the outside linebacker position, proving himself equally adept in pass coverage as he was at getting after the quarterback. Calen Bullock at USC gets more attention but I’m giving Gentry the love here.

Transfer of the Year: Zach Charbonnet, UCLA - Charbonnet returned home to Southern California and was simply fantastic for the Bruins, finishing with 1,137 yards and 13 TDs for a revived UCLA rushing attack. Despite splitting time with Brittain Brown early in the year before Brown's injury, he was one of the most impactful players every week for the Bruins.

Coach of the Year: Kyle Whittingham, Utah - This could have easily gone to Jonathan Smith at Oregon State or Jake Dickert at Washington State as well, but Whittingham continues to do more with less than just about any coach in the country. The team rallied behind Whittingham after the tragic deaths of Ty Jordan in the offseason and DB Aaron Lowe early in the season to win the conference title. Another remarkable season from one of the most underrated coaches in the country.

NFL Draft Stock Up (Offense): TE Greg Dulcich, UCLA — He’s not a household name but he continues to emerge as one of the best pass-catching tight ends in the country and his 17.3 yards-per-catch average showcases that.

NFL Draft Stock Up (Defense): LB Devin Lloyd, Utah — He’s the No. 1 linebacker on my board now and that wasn’t the case heading into the season. He has those coverage skills from his days as a safety and his snap anticipation is amazing.