The guys over at The Saturday Edge recently conducted a Q & A with several Pac-12 blogs in preparation for the 2012 season. Tuesday, the talk centered on breakout players or more specifically, "unknown players that could become stars this season."
Marquess Wilson and Jeff Tuel were very popular responses, being named in three of the five answers. To me neither fit the role of a breakout player as Tuel is already known around the conference and Wilson is already a star.
I also took part in the Q & A and to little surprise, I chose Bobby Ratliff as one of my breakout players. As president of the Bobby Ratliff fan club, this was an easy question. Beyond Ratliff, there are a number of breakout candidates just from WSU. Andrei Lintz and Eric Oertel are two that come to mind, but they are hardly the only two.
Who do you think will have the biggest breakout season in 2012?
Football
Ranking the Pac-12 coaching jobs - Pac-12 Blog - ESPN Hide Notes
Mike Leach would obviously disagree with this ranking -- "Why Washington State? Well, that's a stupid question," he said during his first news conference as Cougars coach -- but Martin Stadium is the smallest in the conference (32,248 capacity), and Pullman is the most isolated town in the conference. Of course, Leach's $2.25 million salary and some Martin Stadium upgrades have the Cougs moving in the right direction.
PAC 12 Football: 2012's Breakout Stars
Today we will take a look at some of the unknown players in the league who could become stars this season.
Basketball
Abe Lodwick Named to NABC Honors Court - The Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Washington State University men's basketball graduate, Abe Lodwick, has been named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court, recognizing those collegiate basketball student-athletes who excelled in academics during the 2011-12 season, the organization announced Tuesday.
Baseball
Cougar Alumni Spotlight: Jared Prince - The Washington State University Official Athletic Site
FRISCO, Texas - Former Washington State outfielder Jared Prince is currently playing professionally in the Texas League. He is a member of the Frisco RoughRiders, the AA affiliate of the Texas Rangers.