Who will win the Pac-12 player of the year?

The Pac-12 player of the year race appeared to be over earlier this season with Christian McCaffrey the clear front-runner. The Stanford running back is still having an outstanding season, but our own Luke Falk has stolen the spotlight and may have even pulled ahead. McCaffrey is still on pace to shatter Barry Sanders all-time NCAA total yardage mark, so it is amazing that Falk has worked his way into the conversation.

This is The Year of the Cougar though, so anything is possible. Falk is well on his way to shattering several Pac-12 passing records and has the narrative on his side, which we know is very important when it comes to award season. He's the underdog walk-on coming seemingly out of nowhere to lead maybe the most entertaining team in college football. Add in all the dramatic comeback victories and the video game numbers, you have a story that no sportswriter can resist.

McCaffrey does of course, play on the probable conference champion in a bigger media market which won't hurt his chances. He also has fantastic numbers and name recognition being the son of NFL wide receiver Ed. He's been considered the Heisman finalist all year long, while Falk is just now entering the conversation. However, I believe that Cougar momentum will be too much and Falk will ride it to the conference's top honor.

Football

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