Rondae Hollis-Jefferson(USATSI)
Arizona sophomore forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson will be a key for the Wildcats this season. (USATSI)

The college hoops offseason is painfully long. But we're almost through it! And now it's time to get ready/informed for 2014-15 with our month-long worth of ample preseason content here at CBSSports.com. We'll be previewing all of the major conferences in addition to giving you a bevy of other features. Today's lookahead examines the Pac-12. And be sure to head here for our hub of preseason goodies.

This is going to be a bit of a rebuilding year for the Pac-12. After seeing three teams reach the Sweet 16 last year and six teams overall get into the NCAA Tournament, the conference may be lucky to get four teams in this season.

UCLA? Three first round NBA draft picks gone. Stanford? Two of their three best players were drafted into the NBA. Arizona State? Two seniors graduated and one point guard made a bad decision to declare for the draft. Oregon? Uhh. Well. Let's just not talk about this program until we have to.

The conference is represented by only one team in the first Coaches Poll of the season, and that team is the singular constant that this conference can count on to make sure it stays relevant in 2014-15. The Arizona Wildcats were two points away from making a Final Four appearance under Sean Miller last season, and they return an awful lot of talent to Tucson this season. I would imagine anything less than the Final Four for them would be a disappointing season.

Beyond them, the conference is completely up for grabs. Non-traditional Pac-12 schools like Utah and Colorado have high hopes this year compared to the rest of the conference, but will that be enough to vault them into the top three of the league? What do we make of UCLA's new roster? Can Stanford retool enough on the fly to help out Chasson Randle?

There are many more questions than answers this season in the Pac-12. Let's preview:

Coach's Take

On the league's strength this year:

"I don't think the league is quite as strong this year. We lost a fair amount, be it to the NBA draft or graduation. Overall, it's more up for grabs after Arizona. A lot of question marks. What did we get last year, six teams in the tournament? This year my guess is it'll be more in the four bid range."

On the best team in the league after Arizona:

"I would probably put Utah and Colorado as the two in that conversation and lean slightly towards Colorado. They've been a pretty regular Tournament team, and returned everyone except Spencer Dinwiddie, who they played the second half of the year without."

Best player in the league:

"I'd go with Delon Wright from Utah. In terms of not only importance to his team, but also in the impact he has in affecting the game in so many ways. He contributes to basically every statistical category and even does many of the things that don't show up in the stat columns."

Possible surprise team:

"If everything lined up the right way, Washington might be a candidate. Most people have them penciled in around sixth or seventh right now, but they have enough firepower and experience to possibly creep up to third or fourth. They have two experienced guards in Nigel Williams-Goss and Andrew Andrews, and they'll keep the ball in their hands the majority of the game."

On UCLA: 

"If I was picking the league, I wouldn't pick them in my top five. They lose most of their starting five, then they received the blows of not getting Jonah Bolden eligible and Jon Octeus not being admitted. Then, there's having Bryce Alford be the starter and that's going to be a challenging dynamic, just because of the culture and world we live in when you're the coach's kid and taking a lot of shots. There's just a lot that could go wrong."

Projected Order of Finish

1. Arizona

This might be the easiest prediction of the NCAA season. Arizona is going to win the Pac-12, and they're likely going to do it quite easily. Not many teams could lose Pac-12 player of the year Nick Johnson as well as fourth overall pick Aaron Gordon and continue to thrive, but Arizona is set up to just that this season. Forwards Brandon Ashley and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson will lead the way for the Wildcats this season, along with reliable center Kaleb Tarczewski and steady point guard T.J. McConnell. With those four around, the defense shouldn't skip a beat from last season's top-ranked unit in the nation, according to KenPom. The offense naturally may miss the springy athleticism that Nick Johnson could provide from the guard position, but they've reloaded by adding Stanley Johnson. Johnson is probably the most offensively ready freshman in the NCAA this season, and he should add an immediate consistent scoring presence that the Wildcats lacked on the wing at times last season. Putting him next to shooters like Gabe York and Elliott Pitts should give the Wildcats interior players like Tarczewski and Hollis-Jefferson more room to operate, and should give Ashley more space in the midrange. Even if the defense doesn't reach the lofty heights that it did last season, the more balanced offensive skill should lead to a more well-rounded team that is one of the preseason favorites to cut down the nets in Indianapolis

2. Colorado

After Arizona, there isn't another team that seems to be guaranteed to make the NCAA Tournament. The closest team to that lock status though is probably Colorado. Entering their fifth season under coach Tad Boyle, the Buffaloes have never won fewer than 21 games or had a conference record below .500 with him in charge. That shouldn't change this year, as the program returns all of its contributors outside of lead guard Dinwiddie, who went down with a torn ACL in January anyway, meaning the Buffs know how to play without him. Leading the charge will be the triumvirate of big man Josh Scott, wing Xavier Johnson, and guard Askia Booker. Scott is the toughest matchup of the three as an absolute load inside that rebounds well on both sides of the ball, blocks shots, and finishes efficiently around the rim and into the midrange. Booker is the antithesis of Scott, in that he's a frenetic, unpredictable player who is prone to turnovers and bad shot selection. However, he makes things happen on the floor for the Buffs, and can at least be counted on to create offense. Finally, Johnson is a big, solid two-way wing that can knock down shots both inside and out. This is the best threesome in the conference outside of Arizona, and they'll be joined by role players Wesley Gordon, Xavier Talton, and Jaron Hopkins. Things would have to go pretty south for this team to not win 20 games and head back to the NCAA Tournament, but crazier things have happened.

3. Stanford

The Cardinal may have gotten coach Johnny Dawkins off of the hot seat by reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time under his watch, but it was their performance in knocking off Kansas to make the Sweet 16 that got the nation's attention. Last year, they received contributions from many sources, including recent NBA draft picks Josh Huestis and Dwight Powell. This season they'll be more reliant on the scoring of one man, their scoring jitterbug point guard Chasson Randle. Randle is one of the more complete scorers you'll come across this season in college basketball, able to get his shot off from anywhere inside of 25 feet, get past almost any defender, and make just about every shot in the book. Returning with him will be fellow senior Stefan Nastic, an efficient offensive center who will be a solid weapon for him in the half-court. Another rising senior, Anthony Brown, returns on Randle's wing as a knockdown spot-up shooter that made 45 percent of his 3-pointers last year. The big addition here is that of Reid Travis, a tough, physical power forward who was a McDonald's All-American last season. He'll pair nicely with Nastic and give the Cardinal an added edge down low. Overall, they probably won't be making a return trip to the Sweet 16, but a second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance should be in line for Dawkins.

4. Utah

The Utes certainly haven't had the best recent basketball history, as last year was their first winning season since 2009. The program has come under some duress since Rick Majerus left back in 2004, but this should be the season that gets them back to the NCAA Tournament. The reason for their relevance is pretty simple: Delon Wright is one of the best players in college basketball. Do you want a scorer? Well, he averaged nearly 16 points per game last year on a 63.3 true-shooting percentage, which is the best returning mark in the conference. Maybe a passer? Wright's 5.3 assists per game last season are the tied for the best returning mark in the conference with Arizona's McConnell. What about an all-around performer? Well, Wright defends the opposition's best perimeter player every night, pulled down 6.3 rebounds per contest and snatched 2.5 steals in addition to blocking over a shot per game. To say he's the Utes' entire team is an overstatement, but it's only a slight one. There is no team in this conference -- or possibly in America -- whose hopes are so closely tied to one player. Yeah, Jordan Loveridge will get some points, and Brandon Taylor and Dakarai Tucker will knock down outside shots. But this is Wright's team, and he's good enough by himself to potentially lead the Utes back to the NCAAs. 

5. California

The big story for Cal this offseason was the retirement of coach Mike Montgomery, who will be replaced by Cuonzo Martin. Martin led Tennessee to the Sweet 16 last year as an 11 seed (in a pretty weak part of the bracket, but still), and should be an excellent coach to move forward with into the future. And while the Golden Bears lose Justin Cobbs and Richard Solomon to graduation, they still have an excellent roster with which to build around. The strength of this team undoubtedly lies on the wing, with Tyrone Wallace and Jabari Bird returning to the program. Wallace is a solid two-way slasher that will likely be a great complementary scoring threat, but the real breakout candidate is Bird. Bird is a former McDonald's All-American who suffered through injury problems last season, but should be healthy for this go-around and take his place as one of the leading scorers in the conference. David Kravish also returns to man the front court as a big man with good back to the basket skills. He also provides excellent rim protection for the Golden Bears, and he'll replace much of what they lost with Richard Solomon. With some luck, they could easily make a return to the NCAA Tournament.

6. UCLA

There might not be a team in America who lost as much talent as UCLA did this offseason. Point guard/forward Kyle Anderson and guard Jordan Adams depart after leading UCLA to a well-fought Sweet 16 matchup with Florida. Potential star guard Zach LaVine also left for the NBA after being unhappy with his role last season. Then, the Bruins got more bad news when they found out top recruit Jonah Bolden is ineligible for the season academically (although he will practice with the team). The cherry on top was when potential point guard Jon Octeus was denied admission to the university. That leaves the Bruins somewhat short-handed this season, but it doesn't mean they'll fall off of a cliff. Freshman forward Kevon Looney had an excellent summer this off-season, and is expected to step into the role vacated by the aforementioned departures. Last year's glue guy Norman Powell also returns and will be forced to take on a heavier offensive burden. And of course, there's the Alford situation that the coach mentioned in the section above. The talent level here is high, but it involves a lot of players who have never played these roles on the collegiate level. Calling UCLA the second-most talented team in the conference isn't an exaggeration, but there is a real lack of experience and a lot of potential pitfalls that could make this team stumble. If the Bruins finished anywhere from second to seventh in the conference, it wouldn't surprise me. 

7. Washington

Lorenzo Romar is an excellent coach entering his 13th season in Seattle, and the program is in the midst of its most successful stretch of seasons since the 1950s. He won the regular season conference title just two seasons ago in 2012 -- even though they inexplicably missed the NCAA Tournament -- and has made three Sweet 16 appearances. It's crazy to me that some have wondered if he could be on the hot seat with another middling season. Washington had made the NCAA Tournament six times in the 49 years before Romar took over. He's equaled that total in his 12 years at the helm, and he could make a seventh appearance if things fall right for the Huskies this season. They have a budding star in point guard Nigel Williams-Goss, a poised-beyond-his-years player that any program in the country would love to have. He'll likely be an all-Pac-12 player this season. Next to him will be Andrew Andrews, a solid complementary scorer that will have adjusted to playing off-ball a bit more in the off-season. With Mike Anderson and Darin Johnson waiting in the wings as well, this is one of the deepest backcourts in the conference despite losing C.J. Wilcox to the draft. The biggest question will be whether or not Shawn Kemp can provide enough of an interior presence to keep them afloat inside. They're definitely a step below the top six teams in the league right now, but if Williams-Goss takes a huge step forward they might be able to challenge for an NCAA berth.

8. Arizona State

Coach Herb Sendek finally got the Sun Devils into the NCAA Tournament last season for the first time since 2009, but I wouldn't expect a return appearance. The Sun Devils lost Jahii Carson after he declared for the NBA draft, as well as seniors Jordan Bachynski and Jermaine Marshall to graduation and Egor Koulechov to a transfer. Those four players accounted for 64 percent of Arizona State's scoring last season. Forward Shaq McKissic will be asked to take a step forward this season in their absence after averaging nine points per contest last season, but he's more of a role player than a major piece. They went the junior college route to replace much of that production. Willie Atwood will likely be a key piece as a bruising forward, Roosevelt Scott will fill in as a lead guard, and Gerry Barnes will likely provide offense on the wing. If Sendek can bring all of these pieces together quickly, they might be able to scratch together .500 in the league. However, my guess is that they fall just short. 

9. Oregon

No program in the country had a worse offseason than Oregon. Period. First, they lost Jason Calliste (one of the most underrated players in the country last season), Mike Moser, Jonathan Loyd, Richard Amardi and Waverly Austin to graduation. Then, the program dismissed Damyean Dotson, Dominic Artis, and Brandon Austin following their involvement in a rape investigation. Ben Carter and A.J. Lapray, two young players that could have helped following these losses, transferred out of the program. Even JaQuan Lyle, the team's recruiting coup from the offseason, was unable to join the Oregon program this summer and will instead attend IMG Academy. Finally, the crowning jewel happened two weeks ago when Elgin Cook and Jalil Abdul-Bassit were cited for shoplifting. There's no word on whether the pair will be suspended, but they will need to play an integral part on this roster that has already lost ten contributors from last season. There is only one player keeping this team afloat, and his name is Joseph Young, a 6-foot-2 shooting guard that may have been the most efficient high volume shooter in the country last season. His 62.7 percent true-shooting rate is the highest in the country among returning players who had a 26 percent usage rate last season. To put that into perspective, only three other major conference players were able to accomplish that last season and one of them was Doug McDermott. He and coach Dana Altman will likely propel Oregon to a few victories by themselves, but it won't be enough to get the Ducks into the postseason.

10. Washington State

The Cougars made an excellent head coaching hire this off-season with Ernie Kent. The coach knows the northwest region well as the former head man at Oregon and Saint Mary's, plus has a good track record of success. He returns a lot from last season's team. DaVonte Lacy is one of the best returning players in the conference, a shooter that can knock down jump shots from all over the floor. But after a 3-15 year in conference where they went 1-10 on the road, it's pretty tough to get excited about this particular group of players. They've made the NCAA Tournament five times in the past 73 years, and that likely won't end this season. But maybe Kent can turn it around in the next couple of years and make it a cyclical program that can get to the tournament more often. That's probably the best case scenario here.

11. USC

Andy Enfield's maiden voyage into the Pac-12 wasn't easy, as he only won two games in conference on his way to an 11-21 record overall. He loses seniors PeShon Howard, J.T. Terrell, and Omar Oraby to graduation, and to make matters worse leading scorer Byron Wesley decided to transfer to Gonzaga. That's 71 percent of their scoring gone from last season, meaning it'll be a very young team in Los Angeles. Luckily that youth does have a lot of talent, as Enfield brought in a top-20 recruiting class to make up for his losses, with the leading talent being scoring guard Jordan McLaughlin. Plus, UNLV transfer Katin Reinhardt is going to be eligible to play this season after sitting out last year. He'll likely be the leading scorer for a USC team that struggles, but ultimately makes strides in its second year under the new regime. They're basically one year ahead in the rebuilding process of the next team on the list... 

12. Oregon State

Since the Ralph Miller era ended in 1989, no Oregon State men's basketball coach has left the school with a winning record. That's six different coaches in those 25 years who have a combined .425 winning percentage with ZERO NCAA tournament appearances. New head man Wayne Tinkle appears well on his way to bucking that trend in the future, but it won't be this season. The Beavers lose starters Roberto Nelson and Devon Collier to graduation, Eric Moreland to the NBA draft, and Hallice Cooke to Iowa State. Tinkle will take his lumps this season in order to prepare for next year, when the Beavers have a consensus top-20 recruiting class coming in that includes Tinkle's son Tres, as well as two other four-star prospects. But this season will be a rough one in Corvallis, given that their leading returning scorer is Langston Morris-Walker at 4 points per game. But hey, at least Oregon State legend Gary Payton will probably turn up a few times this season to see his son play.

Our Preseason All-Pac-12 Team

G: Delon Wright, Utah

G: Chasson Randle, Stanford

G/F: Stanley Johnson, Arizona

F: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Arizona

F: Josh Scott, Colorado

Our Preseason Pac-12 Player of the Year

Delon Wright, Utah

For all of the reasons mentioned above in the Utah section. He's the best player in the conference on a team with NCAA Tournament aspirations. That team will rely on him to do everything to reach its goal, and if they make the postseason it'll be on his back. His biggest competition for the award is probably Randle from Stanford. There's just so much balance on Arizona this season that I think Johnson, Hollis-Jefferson, Ashley, and even potentially McConnell will cancel each other out -- but then again, that didn't happen with Nick Johnson last season.

Our Preseason Pac-12 Newcomer of the Year

Stanley Johnson, Arizona

Bonus "Coach's Take" on the best newcomer in the league this year:

"It's Stanley Johnson at Arizona. His ability to score and create matchup problems at his size is really tough to handle. Physically, he's a load for guards becuase of his strength and his explosiveness. But he's also so fast that he causes mismatches the other way (on forwards). He's continually forcing action and is very aggressive, which makes him a very tough matchup."

This is a pretty easy choice. Kevon Looney could potentially sneak up and take this if he leads UCLA to a top three finish, but that would be more a product of circumstance than of talent. Johnson is the clear top new player in the league, and should immediately contribute to one of the top teams in the country.

Our Preseason Pac-12 Coach of the Year

Tad Boyle, Colorado

This is a really tough award to hand out. Larry Krystkowiak could win it for leading the Utes back to the tournament after some struggles. If either Lorenzo Romar or Steve Alford can get their squads to play to its peak potential, they could easily win the award. Or maybe Sean Miller simply deserves it for being one of the top coaches in the country. Instead, I've given it to Boyle, whose Buffaloes have a schedule that sets up really nicely for them to put up a ton of wins this season. They only have one (potential, given that it's a tournament) marquee out-of-conference game against either Nebraska or Wichita State in the finals of the Diamond Head Classic. Plus, they only get Cal and Stanford once each, and get to play them at home. If the Buffaloes roll off something like a 23-7 or even 24-6 record before the Pac-12 tournament, that could get Boyle the award. 

Three Numbers to Know

+.120: Colorado's luck factor, according to KenPom. Even though I've given the Buffaloes a lot of love in this preview, it's worth mentioning that I paused when I saw they were the beneficiaries of heavy luck in their favor last season. That +.120 luck number was good enough for third in his entire database in 2013-14. It's a cause for concern.

42.3: Arizona's effective field-goal percentage against last season, which was best in the country. Effective field-goal percentage accounts for the fact that a 3-point shot is worth more than a 2-point one. Particularly, Arizona did an excellent job of limiting those 3-point field goal attempts on defense and then forcing teams into tough 2-point attempts. 

10: Oregon's listed roster right now consists of 10 players. That's it. If a couple of guys go down, this could get really ugly for the Ducks. However, if Young goes down, they might go winless in conference. 

CBSSports.com Experts Predict the Pac 12
 

Gary
Parrish

@GaryParrishCBS

Matt
Norlander

@MattNorlander

Chip
Patterson

@Chip_Patterson

Jerry
Palm

@jppalmCBS

Jon
Rothstein

@JonRothstein

Doug
Gottlieb

@GottliebShow
1.
Arizona

Arizona

Arizona

Arizona

Arizona

Arizona
2.
Stanford

Stanford

Colorado

Colorado

Utah

Colorado
3.
Utah

Colorado

Utah

Utah

Colorado

Utah
4.
UCLA

Utah

Stanford

Stanford

Stanford

UCLA
5.
Colorado

UCLA

California

California

UCLA

Stanford
6.
California

California

UCLA

UCLA

Washington

California
7.
Washington

Washington

Washington

Oregon

Arizona St.

Washington
8.
Oregon

USC

Arizona St.

Washington

California

Oregon
9.
USC

Oregon

Oregon

Arizona St.

Oregon

USC
10.
Arizona St.

Oregon St.

Washington St.

USC

USC

Arizona St.
11.
Washington St.

Arizona St.

USC

Washington St.

Washington St.

Washington St.
12.
Oregon St.

Washington St.

Oregon St.

Oregon St.

Oregon St.

Oregon St.