2015 PAC-12 XC Predictions

By: Garrett Zatlin

The PAC-12 in XC is like the SEC of football: They are loaded with powerhouse teams. Three of the top six teams (by Etrain rankings) come from the PAC-12 and have for years dominated not just the region, but the nation.

Ches is going to win. Good? Good. Let's move on... Sean McGorty showcased his talent at Wisconsin in a very tight race with Justyn Knight and looked excellent throughout it. McGorty just looks stronger in every aspect of his racing and I think that sophomore to junior year jump has really benefitted him. Behind him will be an entire Colorado squad in some order. They're pretty unpredictable when they run in the post-season. It always seem to change. They will stick together (for the most part) and crowd the top-10. As for the rest of the Stanford guys, I don't expect Jim Rosa to race. We haven't heard anything about him all year. We haven't even seen him race unattached. I'll say he's out for this one. On the flip side, I think we will see Fisher race. Stanford is too good this year. If they don't race him, then there is no hope of beating Colorado (or Syracuse for that matter) and I don't think Coach Milt is ready to make that sacrifice. Add Joe Rosa to Fisher and McGorty and then that trio could make an argument against Syracuse for who has the best top three. As for the rest of the guys, watch for Lane Werley and Chris Walden who are usually very good in the post-season.

Colorado is the clear favorite no matter how you turn it. I will agree that Stanford has the firepower to make them uncomfortable, but I highly doubt an upset will hapenn (and the Buffs won't let it happen). I'm taking Colorado for the win but by under 10 points*. Oregon is very deep, but doesn't have the low-sticks to keep up. They'll comfortably grab third, but most of their scorers will be around that 13-23 range. Washington and UCLA have both proven to be great post-season squad the past few years, but they aren't coming close to the three upfront.

*If you calculate the scoring in my predictions, I have Colorado winning by only 8 points

Individuals
1. Edward Cheserek, Junior, Oregon
2. Sean McGorty, Junior, Stanford
3. Ammar Moussa, Senior, Colorado
4. Pierce Murphy, Senior, Colorado
5. Grant Fisher, Freshman, Stanford
6. Joe Rosa, Rs. Senior, Stanford
7. Connor Winter, Senior, Colorado
8. Ben Saarel, Junior, Colorado
9. Morgan Pearson, Rs. Senior, Colorado
10. Lane Werley, Senior, UCLA
11. Chris Walden, Senior, California
12. Garrett Sweatt, Senior, Stanford
13. Jake Leingang, Junior, Oregon
14. Jack Keelan, Junior, Stanford
15. John Dressel, Freshman, Colorado
16. Sergey Sushchickh, Senior, UCLA
17. Matthew Melancon, Senior, Oregon
18. Izaic Yorks, Senior, Washington
19. John Whelan, Junior, Washington State
20. Matthew Maton, Freshman, Oregon

Teams
1. Colorado
2. Stanford
3. Oregon
4. UCLA
5. Washington