Most Valuable Player for each team in the PAC-12

Arizona Wildcats- Finding a standout player after the long 2016 season the Wildcats had took some digging, but Samajie Grant stood out this season. And it is not just because of stats. The senior receiver may not have had the most impressive numbers through the air (247 yards), but when his team had injuries at the running back position, he made the switch to run for 461 yards and six touchdowns. While it seems like a minor switch, to move into one of the games most physical positions at 5’9”, 180 pounds is quite the act of bravery. He helped give his team stability when faced with injury and ended with nine total touchdowns. He also averaged 11.23 receiving yards a receptions and 6.23 yards per rush, both exemplary marks.

Arizona State Sun Devils - Kalen Ballage is another jack of all trades player who helped out a down team all over the field. While pure rushing stats will not make running back Ballage jump the page, he has 1,438 all-purpose yardage with 16 total touchdowns. He has recorded stats for rushing, receiving, passing and on kick returns. A big difference maker for the Sun Devils all season long.

California Golden Bears - Davis Webb had a crazy good year, throwing for 4,295 yards and 37 touchdowns with a bad offensive line and terrible defense that he had to constantly fight against. He was always in uphill shootouts but never let up, ending with a 357.9 yard per game average. He was a truly impressive player on a team that fought just to float in the area of a .500 season.

Colorado Buffaloes - En route to jumping from a four win season to a 10 win season, the Buffaloes had injuries at quarterback. During it all they had a stable running game in Phillip Lindsey, who also saw a jump in production over 600 yards last season to 1,189 yards and 17 total touchdowns this year. He was the most dangerous asset to a team that loves to run in the end zone but can catch out of the backfield and had 390 receiving yards. He made an impact all season long.

Oregon Ducks - Royce Freeman was not only the most valuable player on the team, he may have been one of the only consistently valuable player on the team. While he struggled with leg injuries most of the season, he still had 1,089 total yards and 10 total touchdowns. He was an instant big player maker when on the field and helped give the team a lot of diversity and power on the offense.

Oregon State Beavers - For a young roster trying to make their way up, Caleb Saulo was the veteran talent in the middle the defense needed at middle linebacker. The senior leader had 95 total tackles with 7.5 for loss and four sacks. He also had an interception, three passes defended, five quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles. He was a big play maker all over the field and was a huge impact both this year and in the development of this defensive roster.

Stanford Cardinal- Who else but Christian McCaffrey for the Cardinal. With 2,327 total yards this season and 16 touchdowns on the season, he was by far the most productive player on the team. He also helped make the offense far more dynamic with his ability to play everywhere, from receiver to quarterback in the wildcat. He is far and away the most important man on the roster.

USC Trojans - The team was 1-2, looking bad and in a mess. Then Sam Darnold stepped up and took over to get the team to a 8-1 season with him at the helm. The freshman had 2,633 yards and 28 touchdowns against only eight interceptions. He helped take this roster to the next level.

Utah Utes - There are a lot of great contenders on the defensive side for who could have been the most important player on the roster. However, running back Joe Williams has made the biggest impact for the Utes because of the running back injuries throughout the season. Williams had hung up the cleats until the team had multiple injuries at the position and coaches convinced him to come back. He then ran for 1,185 yards and nine touchdowns in eight games to balance the offense.

Washington Huskies - Jake Browning has been stellar all season long and has growing by leaps and bounds from last season. He threw for 3,280 yards with 42 touchdowns and only seven interceptions on the season. He also averaged 252.3 yards a game and this team won the conference while reaching the college football playoffs. While the team was stacked on both sides of the ball, he gave their offense an overwhelming air attack for the Huskies and did it as a sophomore.

Washington State Cougars- The toss up between the offensive line and Luke Falk is a close one, but Falk is coming off consecutive 4,000 plus yard seasons and each saw him topping 35 touchdowns. Having the great offensive line, solid defense and dangerous receivers is great, but a continually great quarterback is invaluable. He is ultimately what elevates the roster from good to great.

UCLA Bruins- Defense was big for this squad and while there were a lot of good contenders who really impacted this team despite their disappointing season. But the most accomplished player was Jayon Brown, a senior linebacker for the Bruins. He recorded five total turnovers, 2.5 sacks, seven tackles for loss and a stunning 120 tackles. He was a part of the defense that could play everywhere with an impact and averaged 10 tackles a game.

Follow us on Social Media:

facebook: facebook.com/RuleOfTree/

twitter: twitter.com/RuleofTree

Join the team!