Two weeks and counting. Ted and I are gearing up for media day. Are you? Here's what you should know.
When: July 26
Where: Sony Studios, Los Angeles
Who will be there (all times PT):
9 a.m. Larry Scott, Pac-12 commissioner
9:15 a.m. Washington State -- Coach Mike Leach, Elliott Bosch (OL), Deone Bucannon (DB)
9:30 a.m. California -- Coach Sonny Dykes, Bryce Treggs (WR), Nick Forbes (LB)
9:45 a.m. Washington -- Coach Steve Sarkisian, Keith Price (QB), Sean Parker (DB)
10 a.m. Oregon State -- Coach Mike Riley, Brandin Cooks (WR), Rashaad Reynolds (DB)
10:15 a.m. Oregon -- Coach Mark Helfrich, Marcus Mariota (QB), Ifo Ekpre-Olomu (CB)
10:30 a.m. Stanford -- Coach David Shaw, David Yankey (OL), Shayne Skov (LB)
10:45 a.m. Break
11 a.m. Colorado -- Coach Mike MacIntyre, Paul Richardson (WR), Chidera Uzo-Diribe(DE)
11:15 a.m. Utah -- Coach Kyle Whittingham, Jake Murphy (TE), Trevor Reilly (DE)
11:30 a.m. Arizona -- Coach Rich Rodriguez, Terrence Miller (WR), Jake Fischer (LB)
11:45 a.m. USC -- Coach Lane Kiffin, Marqise Lee (WR), Hayes Pullard (LB)
Noon Arizona State -- Coach Todd Graham, Taylor Kelly (QB), Will Sutton (DT)
12:15 p.m. UCLA -- Coach Jim Mora, Xavier Su’a Filo (OL), Anthony Barr (LB)
UPDATE: Arizona State informed me Friday morning that it has decided to bring Will Sutton instead of safety Alden Darby. This is a good thing because Sutton was the league's defensive player of the year last season, and his presence helps bolster his name -- and the program -- in the eyes of the national media.
Who won’t be there: The biggest name missing is Arizona running back Ka'Deem Carey, who led the nation in rushing last season. Coaches tend to bring veterans and guys with experience. Yankey is a great spokesman for Stanford and a good candidate, but I know others wouldn't mind hearing some thoughts from Cardinal QB Kevin Hogan.
Five storylines:
Hitting? Scott is expected to announce the league's health and safety initiative, which will limit how much hitting can be done in practice. This isn't a new concept, but the league jumped in front of it by being the first to make a conference-wide mandate.
Bowl updates? We know the status of the Rose, Alamo, Holiday, Kraft Fight Hunger and Sun bowls. Not sure if the rest of the lineup for beyond this season will be announced at media day. But one of us will ask.
New coaches: This is the meet-the-world opportunity for the new head coaches in the league: Dykes, MacIntyre and Helfrich. Expect the requisite questions on the difficulty of changing cultures and rebuilding programs.
Preseason poll: Is there any fodder better than preseason polls? Oregon or Stanford? Stanford or Oregon? ASU, UCLA or USC? Your Pac-12 bloggers will be submitting their ballots this weekend after a visit to the Oracle of Delphi, a seance channeling Nostradamus and a dartboard.
Quirky questions: With the access of media day comes the spectacle of media day. Granted, it's not as bad as some of the quirks at Super Bowl media day. But there's bound to be a couple of left-field questions -- and they'll probably be directed at Leach, who is great and usually has fun with them. Last year he was asked which Pac-12 coach he'd go hunting with and which Civil War generals he'd compare some of his players to.
Ted and I will be trying something new this year (we think). Instead of the on-the-stage posts, we'll be doing a live chat during the entire stage session and bringing you info real time. So take note of the times (in Pacific, to save you the math) and be ready to interact.