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Washington State And Utah The Most Disappointing Midseason Pac-12 Teams

The Washington State Cougars and the Utah Utes have brought nothing to the table so far in 2012. USC and Arizona have also had their fair share of struggles.

James Snook-US PRESSWIRE - Presswire

Most disappointing team overall and why?

Avinash Kunnath, California Golden Blogs (Cal) & Pacific Takes: Washington State. I mean, I knew they wouldn't go gangbusters from the outset, but they're such a tough watch. Those wide receivers drop so many passes that it's impossible for their offense to move with any regularity, and it doesn't take long for the opposition to overwhelm them.

Jack Follman, Pacific Takes: USC. I suspected that the Trojans were a little overrated and unbalanced going into the season, but I still figured that they would be undefeated at this point. It's not so much that the Trojans have dropped a game either, it's that they haven't looked very impressive in the games they have won over middling opposition, and even their passing offense hasn't looked as deadly as it was near the end of last season.

Justin Karp, Bold Saguaros (ASU) and Pacific Takes: I'm going to put my homer hat on and actually say that I'm quite disheartened by the debut of RIch Rodriguez at Arizona, and it's based on how good of a start they got off to. The Wildcats won three straight to start the year, including that dramatic home victory over Oklahoma State, but all of that momentum has dissipated in three losses to start Pac-12 play and essentialy eliminate them in the Pac-12 South already. The problems started when Oregon demolished them, which led to them blowing a late lead to Oregon State, which ultimately brought about a heinous defensive performance at Stanford. I didn't expect greatness from Tucson, but perhaps a little more maturity in conference. It's not there yet.

Josh Schlichter, FishDuck (Oregon) and Pacific Takes: Although Southern Cal has performed way below their expectations, the biggest disappointment in my book has been Washington State (The Barkley Boys are still in conference contention, remember?). I'm still in shock that Mike Leach has had so much trouble whipping up a coherent offensive performance for four quarters (heck, even a classic Leach comeback would be good enough), despite getting a few great skill players on their offense back. Even if it is fairly late in the season, it would do Leach wonders to have one of his characteristic point/yard outbursts at some point in this season.

Sean Reynolds, Block U (Utah): Utah. I bought the hype and the Utes are now staring down their second straight 0-4 start in Pac-12 play. I think this season is definitely sobering, which is good in the long run, since we shouldn't let preseason buzz inflate our expectations.

Ute Football Central: Utah. They were voted to finish third in the Pac-12 in the media's preseason poll, and have been terrible. The offense is one of the worst in the country (not being a drama queen here) with some of the worst offensive rankings in the country and the defense is average. I thought that 8-4 was absolutely realistic for this team and now 6-6 looks like a miracle finish. Consolation Prize: USC. Seriously, how are the Trojans not great, like national championship great. Coaching? Players who think they can just show up and not just win, but dominate? Boggles my mind.

Trevor Wong, Conquest Chronicles (USC): I am pretty close to saying USC, but the Trojans are still in contention for a BCS berth. Sure, they've been underwhelming, but their record indicates this season is not lost. So, I'm going with Washington State. Who gives up a 17-point lead at home and loses to Colorado? The Cougars did it, and their lone wins have come against Eastern Washington (FCS school) and UNLV (who is 1-6 at the moment).