Defensive player of the year
Bonagura: USC LB Cam Smith takes a big step after an impressive debut season as a freshman.
Gemmell: Utah defensive tackle Lowell Lotulelei isn’t going to have huge, premium stats. But his presence alone alters the way people attack the Utes. He is quietly one of the best defensive players in the nation.
Jennings: Utah DL Kylie Fitts. Even without Lowell Lotulelei demanding so much attention on the interior of the Utah line, Fitts found ways to get to the opposing quarterback.
Lombardi: There’s talk of a refocused Eddie Vanderdoes — a version 2.0 — coming out of UCLA following last year’s knee injury, and he can be the difference between shoddy run defense and a serious Pac-12 South title run for the Bruins.
Miller: Eddie Vanderdoes. He flashed his All-America potential in Game 1 last year. If he stays healthy, he’ll do that all season.
Pac-12 South winner
Bonagura: USC earned the right to start on top with its convincing win against UCLA last year.
Gemmell: UCLA. The Bruins have a deep and veteran defense. The only question is whether the playmakers around Josh Rosen can meet expectations.
Jennings: UCLA. Josh Rosen’s clean play will get the Bruins through a relatively low-risk schedule with minimal bruises.
Lombardi: UCLA. Aside from returning quarterback Josh Rosen, the Bruins should be much sturdier against the run with Eddie Vanderdoes back from injury. UCLA’s secondary is already strong, so this projects to be a well-rounded team.
Miller: Utah. Perhaps this is off the grid some, but the Utes have the best collection of offensive and defensive linemen in the conference.
Read the Rest of ESPN’s Pac-12 Blog Predictions Here
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