According to Rivals, the Pac-12 pecking order in 2015 recruiting:
1. USC (1)
2. UCLA (13)
3. Oregon (17)
4. Stanford (18)
5. ASU (20)
6. Cal (29)
7. UW (30)
Ask yourself if this is ever going to materially change. The top four generally take most of the oxygen out of the room and leave fumes for everyone else in the conference because they have such strong brands. Frankly, it's surprising Cal is able to stay up with Washington. The top five have all won 10+ games in a season, won their division at least once, and/or been ranked in the Top 10 in the last three years.
People keep complaining about Dykes being unable to recruit, but honestly, how much more room is there to improve? Cal has to be more concerned staying ahead of Arizona and Washington than getting into the Top 20, IMO. It has to build a contending roster over 3-4 years not 1-2 years.
If any move is to be made up the pecking order, 2015 will have to be a great year for Cal. No fewer than 8 regular season wins for sure, but I'm guessing Cal's ceiling is probably around #20, even with a very good season record in 2015. For those who say "but we've been Top 10 before," this is true, but the coaching quality in the conference was rather weak when that happened. It's much stronger now.
1. USC (1)
2. UCLA (13)
3. Oregon (17)
4. Stanford (18)
5. ASU (20)
6. Cal (29)
7. UW (30)
Ask yourself if this is ever going to materially change. The top four generally take most of the oxygen out of the room and leave fumes for everyone else in the conference because they have such strong brands. Frankly, it's surprising Cal is able to stay up with Washington. The top five have all won 10+ games in a season, won their division at least once, and/or been ranked in the Top 10 in the last three years.
People keep complaining about Dykes being unable to recruit, but honestly, how much more room is there to improve? Cal has to be more concerned staying ahead of Arizona and Washington than getting into the Top 20, IMO. It has to build a contending roster over 3-4 years not 1-2 years.
If any move is to be made up the pecking order, 2015 will have to be a great year for Cal. No fewer than 8 regular season wins for sure, but I'm guessing Cal's ceiling is probably around #20, even with a very good season record in 2015. For those who say "but we've been Top 10 before," this is true, but the coaching quality in the conference was rather weak when that happened. It's much stronger now.
