In a number of ways, it's been an exciting week in the football world. The NFL draft, a now three-day event, begins tonight in New York City. The annual BCS meetings are taking place in Hollywood, Fla., where commissioners are discussing a four-team playoff and a move away from the status quo. No, that wasn't a typo. So with the draft on the horizon and with other Pac-12-related news circulating throughout the blogosphere, here are a few things to check out today.

• It looks more and more like we're going to see a college football playoff in the near future. Yahoo! Sports' Pat Forde breaks it down following yesterday's meetings.
• But will a post-BCS world result in less controversy around the sport? ESPN.com Pac-12 blogger Ted Miller cautions.
• ESPN Stats & Info takes a look at why Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck is worthy of the No. 1 overall pick. The Indianapolis Colts confirmed on Tuesday that they will select Luck.
• Indianapolis Star columnist Bob Kravitz says Luck is ready for his new job with the Colts. What do you think?
• High school teammates Matt Kalil, Chris Galippo and D.J. Shoemate all lived their dream of playing college football together at USC. Since, they have gone in different directions. Kalil projects to be a top-10 selection on tonight's NFL draft -- possibly as high as No. 3 overall to the Minnesota Vikings.
• Speaking of Kalil, Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune in Minneapolis, says the Vikings' "safest bet" is take the Trojans' left tackle.
• ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. calls Oregon running back LaMichael James the second best running back in this year's draft behind Alabama's Trent Richardson.
• Got an appetite for one last mock draft? Here it goes: SB Nation breaks it down. It has five Pac-12 players going in the first round in Luck (No. 1), Kalil (No. 6), Stanford guard David DeCastro (No. 13), USC defensive end Nick Perry (No. 19), Stanford tight end Coby Fleener (No. 25) and Stanford offensive tackle Jonathan Martin (No. 32).
• Spring practice is still ongoing in some places, including UCLA. The Bruins are still looking for a quarterback. Surprise, surprise.

In recent weeks, we've been talking about starting one of these. You know, links! That way you don't have to scour the Internet for Pac-12-related content. We'll do it for you. Eventually, we'll come up with a more routine posting schedule (i.e. early morning or around lunch). So if you have a preference, feel free to let us know below.

Anyway, we have a few more topics for today, thanks to the fine folks from Eugene, so let's get started.

• Is Rich Rodriguez a better fit at Arizona?
• Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal took a look at California's ongoing renovations to Memorial Stadium, highlighting the fact that the university had only collected $31 million in the sale of seats as of last December. Earlier, the school had held the goal of $270 million. With that said, here's the response from Cal's assistant director of athletic communications, Doug Drabik.
• What does ESPN The Magazine's story about Oregon players' marijuana use mean for the program? First and foremost, it means its "image just took another hit," according to the Register-Guard columnist George Schroeder.
• How did most University of Oregon students respond to ESPN's estimate that half the football team smokes marijuana? In short, not too many were surprised.
• An interesting audio clip from John Canzano talking with David Yusko, a Pennsylvania psychologist, about the effects of marijuana on athletes.
• So who replaces Andrew Luck? CBS Sports' Bruce Feldman takes a look at junior Josh Nunes and sophomore Brett Nottingham -- the leading candidates to take over under center for the Cardinal.
• It's a bit of an awkward situation at UCLA for Jerry Neuheisel, a freshman quarterback and son of former head coach Rick Neuheisel. The Daily Bruin profiles the younger Neuheisel, who greyshirted last season.
• One lingering question for USC remains its offensive line following the departure of left tackle Matt Kalil, who could very well be the third player to be selected in next weekend's NFL draft. But after this spring, it appears as if the Trojans have found their replacement for Kalil in sophomore Aundrey Walker.
• Following a shoulder injury that sidelined him for much of last season, Utah quarterback Jordan Wynn says he's ready to continue with his "rollercoaster ride" of a career." The Utes have a new offensive coordinator this spring in Brian Johnson.

Larry Scott is looking to Asia to open up the conference. Pete Thamel of the New York Times has a great feature on the initiatives Scott is taking, and I highly encourage any Pac-12 fan to take a look and ponder the possibilities of China and how it can help the conference move forward in a prosperous direction. Considering how invested both China and the Pac-12 are invested in the Olympic sports, you have to figure there would be mutual interest in promoting sports the nation would be interested in and finding a way to encourage more Chinese athletes to perform at top Pac-12 universities. It'd be mutually beneficial to all involved.

Of course, what most of you are probably concerned about is the idea of an excuse to spend a weekend applying for a visa and a week-long trip out to our new overlords. Looks like the Stanford Cardinal get first pick.

Notre Dame and Stanford have discussed playing their 2013 football game in China instead of in California. Oregon, with its strong Nike ties through the company’s chairman, Phil Knight, also has a strong interest in China, a focal point for Nike.

I can see a lot of reasons for the Pac-12 to be enthusiastic about this opportunity. If the game is played, it'll certainly happen somewhere outside the normal college football regular season schedule; no way could the game be contested in-season, since it'd almost certainly require both teams to have bye weeks before and after the game. I'd imagine the game would be played the week before the regular college football season starts, with both teams getting a bye week afterwards.

If played on its own, it would immediately become a marquee matchup that would be interesting to the majority of the country starving for competitive football coming out of the doldrums of summer. The contest (whether it be Notre Dame-Stanford or any other Pac-12 teams) would probably be picked up by a national carrier or the Pac-12 Network, and there'd be high demand for the game. It could be a huge draw for recruits who would love the chance to go overseas and showcase their abilities on an international stage. And it could further bolster the reputation of the conference in terms of being on the cutting edge of college athletics.

Additionally, it'll probably be a greater home field advantage then anything Stanford can offer in Palo Alto, since all the ambitious Tiger Moms will want to send their kids across the sea to California and ensure very highly prosperous futures or the family. The Chinese know how to chant in unison, and I'm sure they'll get right behind Stanford and conjure ballads heralding the great Herbert Hoover. It makes sense with the Cardinal, who would probably be the least reticent in surrendering a home matchup and trying out this bold new experiment. l

Also, Mike Leach facing off with Chip Kelly in Beijing on international television? Those two could make Pac-12 football an international sport overnight!

Only one more day dealing with depth charts, TV stuff, expansion rumors and stuff that don't involve actual football games. (Oh wait, I guess two. That's less than three, so that's a good sign.)

David Shaw is the American Dream. This New York Times profile by Pete Thamel on Shaw is the stuff that Lifetime movies are made of. Does it get more romantic than going into Jack in the Box and ordering tacoes and fries, then lounging on the Stanford campus? I'm looking forward to "The David Shaw Story", starring Cuba Gooding Jr., to debut on Pac-12 Northern California in 2014.

(Also, I'm not sure if Shaw is more in love with his wife or his school. The Lifetime love triangle in work!)

Kevin Prince and Richard Brehaut are one and the same. Oh sure, Kevin Prince is the starter for UCLA, but it's only because someone has to go first. Brehaut should be all the ones back. Prince and Brehaut were pretty much mirrors in fall camp, which means you'll see no difference when one leaves the field and the other takes it against Houston. You'll be like, "Wow that Kevin Prince threw a pretty inconsistent game", then you'll look at the box score, see that Brehaut played half the snaps, and then be like "Wow that Kevin Prince threw a pretty inconsistent game".

My dump is your dump. USC seems committed to the Coliseum, ready to keep themselves in a stadium that is probably viewable from the International Space Station. The Trojans are looking to renovate things, which probably means "tearing the whole damn thing down and starting from scratch".

We can be just as patriotic as you. Pac-12 basketball teams will be staying on the court for the national anthem this year as suggested by personnel from ASU and Stanford.

Your thesis makes Bill Simmons nod his head, and isn't that all that matters. Michael Kruse of Grantland concludes in his college football dissertation that Oregon wins because of their uniforms, because really, who would choose to play football in small town Eugene rather than football paradisos like Norman, Oklahoma or Tuscaloosa, Alabama, WHERE WINNERS ARE MADE.

Oregon and LSU have the Willie Lyles Bowl. Cal and Fresno State have the Tracy Slocum Bowl! I haven't been there often, but I hear that in Fresno, pimping is considered a career opportunity. 

Already questioning Jon Embree's coaching acumen. "That may be the strength of their team, the Hawaii defense" are words that have never been uttered before, and should never be uttered again. 

Wilbur the Wildcat is involved in the worst romantic comedy ever. At least that's what I think this is.

WILBUR (via CapitalOne)

Darren Rovell on WhoSay

QUACK QUACK DARK SIDE QUACK QUACK. Oregon's newest jerseys for their opener against LSU are probably their best since their old-school 90s duds, and its symbolically Imperial black to signify the first stirrings of empire. After years of trying to gain acceptance as the feel-good story of college football, Phil Knight has finally released a Revenge of the Sith-type set to get rid of all the Attack of the Clone-Shirts. Dark and downbeat, strong with the dark side they are.

Now, if only Knight could get George Lucas to rerelease the original series in HD and acknowledge Greedo shot first, we could all move on. We all know you have the clout Phil. It is your destiny.

Oh yeah football news. Hroniss Grasu won the starting spot at center to replace Jordan Holmes. Although he's been given high praise from the dean of Pac-12 O-line coaches Steve Greatwood, expect the frequency of outside passing plays and outside zone run plays to increase next Saturday until Grasu proves he can hold the line.

Or Chip Kelly will just order four straight quarterback sneaks. To prove a point, that's all.

It's the Willie Lyles Bowl again! And someone who had nothing to do with Willie Lyles is getting punished! The NCAA could win Nobel Prizes for Obfuscation a hundred years in a row, which is probably why the award doesn't exist.

Arizona, the Purdue of the West. Everytime you think the Wildcats are ready to turn a corner, someone has to go and manually rip out their ACL, this time perhaps the best defender in all of fall camp. Jonathan McKnight is the fifth Wildcat to go down to a torn ACL since spring. What I'm trying to figure out is how Mike Stoops hasn't torn any of his ACLs yelling at everyone ingame.

UCLA might have a quarterback soon. And by soon, I mean real soon! Like maybe tomorrow! Until it changes because it always changes! I'm thrilled to be reporting on this story every day for the rest of my life.

Texas, you can't have everything you want. There have been "bridge too far" moments for the Longhorns this past year, particularly when it comes to the Pac-12. Nevertheless, trying to take away the Notre Dame-USC game from Thanksgiving weekend is their Arnhem, and the counteroffensive from the Trojan/Irish faithful will not be easy to handle. Hopefully the Longhorns have enough bags of parsohns to throw around, or they're going to have to consider option 2: Rice.

Around SB Nation

• Addicted to Quack talks about Oregon's offensive line, and how they're not quite ready to concede the edge to LSU in the trenches quite yet. Looks like one of the Oregon guard spots will be the big question mark with Ramsen Golpashin and Ryan Clanton rotating.
• Block U talks about how Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham has grown up right before their eyes. No word yet on whether they'll get him a cake.
• Building the Dam has the new Oregon State depth chart. The theme of the offense is HOLES, because there are a lot of new faces.
• California Golden Blogs discusses how much they love the Cal defensive line, because this part of California football has been good when few other things have been.
• CougCenter is putting up Craigslist ads for tight ends in the local Pullman area. This might be your time to shine, random 18-23 year old!
• The Ralphie Report likes Colorado's defensive flexibility, despite losing their top two corners.
• Reintroduce yourself to the UCLA veer play at Bruins Nation.

Welcome to the first edition of Opening The 12 Pac! This will be your daily linkdump of all the pertinent Pac-12 news, and your daily discussion stop for anything Pac-12 related. If you find anything interesting, intriguing, or relevant to the Pac-12 in any way, this is the place to post it and talk about it!

"Are six wide receiver sets legal?" Two Trojans are out of the picture. Tight end Junior Pomee is gone for USC this season after breaking his foot. With Rhett Ellison back at fullback, USC might have no real tight ends with experience come opening day. Lane Kiffin better hope Matt Barkley can master shotgun spreads, because there won't be a tight end to give USC versatility in their offensiv esets.

Markeith Ambles is transferring, although it's rumored he was simply an apparition at Heritage Hall. USC is now down to 40 or so five star offensive receivers, so the damage could be significant. Marc Tyler's future is still in doubt. Get those empty shotgun sets ready.

Famous last words that have been uttered over and over. "I'm thinking of starting both of our quarterbacks."

What is Esperanto for "Meet me in my penthouse?" Tiger Woods and David Shaw took a class in Portuguese studies together, providing another of the many great "tourist guide classes" we all wish we took looking back at our checkered undergraduate lives.

Also, Shaw talked with John Madden today. That David Shaw, dropping names like its prom night.

Geography is a funny thing. Fresno State fans are well on their way to outnumbering Cal fans at this year's season opener at Candlestick Park. The Bears are now in a slightly embarrassing position where they might not be able to garner their revenue guarantee from the game because they couldn't sell enough tickets. It's hard to figure out the culprit, but it looks like the Cal ticket office and the Athletic Department are popular targets in this one.

Wingstop. Seriously, stop. Oregon kicker Rob Beard set a campus record by eating 48 wings at the Campus Chicken Shack. In unrelated news, Rob Beard missed all of his field goals from 40 yards and beyond in conference play last season. In related news to the unrelated news, Rob Beard attempted only one field goal outside from 40 yards and beyond in conference play last season. One can safely pretend to conjecture that less placekicking means more time to brush up on wing-eating.

Jeff Locke for quarterback. UCLA already has Locke handling punts and kickoffs. Are placekicks next?

Wow, our third kicker story? Alex Zendejas has lost his starting job with the Wildcats because he kicks the ball like the uprights are buried underneath the stadium. JuCo transfer Jamie Salazar is now in front.

This is currently Zendejas's legacy at Arizona.

Colorado running backs are so tiny. And we're not even talking about Speedy Stewart!

(via JediASU)

(via JediASU)

Sad stories. Brandon Magee, one of the first casualties of the Summer in Tempe madness. Here's to next season.