The 2015 Pac-12 Conference football season was the fifth season for the conference as a twelve-team league. The season began on September 3, 2015 with a trio of games,

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

hosting UTSA,

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

hosting

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

, and

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

hosting

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

. The final game was the

Pac-12 Championship Game The Pac-12 Football Championship Game is an annual college football game held by the Pac-12 Conference to determine the season's conference champion. The game from the 2011–2021 seasons had the champion of the North Division against the champi ...

Levi's Stadium Levi's Stadium is an American football stadium located in Santa Clara, California, just outside San Jose in the San Francisco Bay Area. It has served as the home venue for the National Football League (NFL)'s San Francisco 49ers since 2014. T ...

on December 5, 2015, with

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...

televising the game.

Previous season

Oregon, the North Division Champions, defeated Arizona, the South Division Champions, 51–13 to claim their second conference title and the chance to play in the

College Football Playoff The College Football Playoff (CFP) is an annual postseason knockout invitational tournament to determine a national champion for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the highest level ...

(CFP) semifinal game at the Rose Bowl, where they defeated Florida State 59–20, advancing to their second-ever national championship game (the first-ever

CFP National Championship Game The College Football Playoff National Championship is a post-season college football bowl game, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), which began play in the 2014 college football season. ...

), where they were defeated by the Ohio Buckeyes, 42–20. A record nine conference teams played in a post-season bowl game, with six winning. Arizona, the South Division Champion, was also a bowl game loser, losing to Boise State 38–30 in the

Fiesta Bowl The Fiesta Bowl is an American college football bowl game played annually in the Phoenix metropolitan area. From its beginning in 1971 until 2006, the game was hosted at the Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Since 2007, the game has been pla ...

. Bowl game winners were: Arizona State defeated Duke 36–31 in the Sun Bowl, Stanford defeated Maryland 45–21 in the Foster Farms Bowl, UCLA defeated Kansas State 40–35 in the

Alamo Bowl The Alamo Bowl is an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game played annually since 1993 in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Since 2010 it matches the second choice team from the Pac-12 Conference and the secon ...

, USC defeated Nebraska 45–42 in the

Holiday Bowl The Holiday Bowl is a post-season NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game that has been played in San Diego since 1978. San Diego County Credit Union has been the game's title sponsor since 2017, and the bowl has ...

, and Utah defeated Colorado State 45–10 in the

Las Vegas Bowl The Las Vegas Bowl is an NCAA Division I FBS annual post-season college football bowl game held in the Las Vegas area. First played in 1992, the bowl was originally held at the 40,000-seat Sam Boyd Stadium in Whitney, Nevada before moving to the ...

Pre-season

2015 Pac-12 Spring Football and number of signees on signing day: North Division * California: March 9 – April 18 with 24 signees * Oregon: March 31 – May 2 with 22 signees * Oregon State: March 3 – April 18 with 22 signees * Stanford: February 23 – April 11 with 22 signees * Washington: March 30 – April 25 with 24 signees * Washington State: March 12 – April 28 with 24 signees South Division * Arizona: March 4 – April 10 with 25 signees * Arizona State: March 16 – April 10 with 22 signees * Colorado: February 13 – March 15 with 19 signees * UCLA: March 31 – April 25, 2015 with 18 signees * USC: March 3 – April 11 with 24 signees * Utah: March 24 – April 25 with 20 signees

Pac-12 Media

2015 Pac-12 Media Day was held at

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

in Burbank, California on July 30–31, 2015.

Preseason polls

North Division *1.

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

(37), 262 pts *2. Stanford (8), 232 pts *3.

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, 174 pts *4.

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, 129 pts *5.

Washington State Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...

, 89 pts *6.

Oregon State Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering col ...

, 60 pts South Division *1. USC (32), 254 pts *2.

Arizona State Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

(7), 200 pts *3.

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

(6), 180 pts *4.

, 155 pts *5.

, 105 pts *6.

, 46 pts * Predicted Pac-12 Championship Game Winner: USC (21) was picked to win the Pac-12 Championship over Oregon (17) for the first time since 2012. Others receiving votes were ASU (3), UCLA (2), and Stanford (1).

Recruiting classes

Head coaches

Coaching changes

There were one coaching change following the 2015 season including

Gary Andersen Gary Lee Andersen (born February 19, 1964) is an American football coach who was most recently head football coach at Utah State University. Andersen has also been the head football coach of Southern Utah (2003), Wisconsin (2013–2014), and Or ...

with

Coaches

''Note:'' Stats shown are before the beginning of the season

Rankings

Schedule

All times Mountain time. Pac-12 teams in bold. Rankings reflect those of the AP poll for that week.

Week 1

Players of the Week - September 7

Week 2

Players of the Week- September 14

Week 3

Players of the Week - September 21

Week 4

Players of the Week - September 28

Week 5

Players of the Week - October 5

Week 6

Players of the Week - October 12

Week 7

Players of the Week - October 19

Week 8

Players of the Week - October 26

Week 9

Players of the Week - November 2

Week 10

Players of the Week - November 9

Week 11

Players of the Week - November 16

Week 12

Players of the Week - November 23

Week 13

Players of the Week - November 28

Championship game

The championship game was played on December 5, 2015. It featured the teams with the best conference records from each division, Stanford from the North and USC from the South. This was the fifth championship game (and the fifth win for the North), with Stanford appearing for the third time (and winning for the third time) and USC appearing for the first time.

Week 14 (Pac-12 Championship Game)

Bowl games

Pac-12 team is bolded.

Pac-12 vs Power Conference matchups

This is a list of the power conference teams ( ACC,

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

Big 12 The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its f ...

and SEC) the Pac-12 plays in the non-conference (''Rankings from the AP Poll''):

Records against other conferences

2015 records against non-conference foes: Regular Season Post Season

Awards and honors

AP College Football Player of the Year The Associated Press College Football Player of the Year award has been awarded annually since 1998 to the most outstanding collegiate football player in the country. The winner is chosen by a vote of AP sportswriters and sports editors from throu ...

Christian McCaffrey Christian Jackson McCaffrey (born June 7, 1996) is an American football running back for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Stanford and was drafted by the Carolina Panthers eighth overa ...

, Stanford

Lou Groza Award The Lou Groza Award is presented annually to the top college football placekicker in the United States by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission. The award is named after former Ohio State Buckeyes and Cleveland Browns player Lou Groza. It has be ...

* Ka'imi Fairbairn, UCLA

All-Americans

The following Pac-12 players were named to the

2015 College Football All-America Team The 2015 College Football All-America Team includes those players of American college football who have been honored by various selector organizations as the best players at their respective positions. The selector organizations award the "All-Am ...

by the

Walter Camp Football Foundation The Walter Camp Football Foundation (WCFF) is one of the organizations whose College Football All-America Team is recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The organization also presents various awards. It is named in honor of foo ...

(WCFF),

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

(AP), Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), '' Sporting News'' (SN), and

American Football Coaches Association The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) is an association of over 11,000 American football coaches and staff on all levels. According to its constitution, some of the main goals of the American Football Coaches Association are to "mainta ...

(AFCA): ;First team *

Joshua Garnett Joshua Samuel Garnett (born February 21, 1994) is a former American football guard. He played college football for the Stanford Cardinal and was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He has also been a memb ...

, OL, Stanford (WCFF, AP, FWAA, SN, AFCA) *

, RB, Stanford (SN, AFCA) * Ka'imi Fairbairn, K, UCLA (WCFF, AP, FWAA, AFCA) * Tom Hackett, P, Utah (WCFF, AP, FWAA, SN, AFCA) *Christian McCaffrey, All-purpose, Stanford (AP) *Christian McCaffrey, KR, Stanford (FWAA) ;Second team *Tyler Johnstone, OL, Oregon (FWAA) *Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford (WCFF) *

Royce Freeman Royce Deion Freeman (born February 24, 1996) is an American football running back for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oregon. High school career Freeman attended Imperial High School in I ...

, RB, Oregon (FWAA) *

JuJu Smith-Schuster John Sherman "JuJu" Smith-Schuster ( Smith; born November 22, 1996) is an American football wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at USC, and was drafted by the Pittsburgh ...

, WR, USC (AP, FWAA, SN) * DeForest Buckner, DE, Oregon (AP, FWAA) *Ka'imi Fairbairn, K, UCLA (SN) *Christian McCaffrey, KR, Stanford (WCFF) *Dante Pettis, PR, Washington (SN) ;Third team *Royce Freeman, RB, Oregon (AP) * Austin Hooper TE, Stanford (AP) * Kenny Clark, DT, UCLA (AP) * Su'a Cravens, LB, USC (AP) *Blake Martinez, LB, Stanford (AP) *Aidan Schneider, K, Oregon (AP) Academic All-America Team Member of the Year (

CoSIDA College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) is an organization that focuses on professional development and support for sports information directors at all levels. It offers awards, scholarships, and grants in support of SIDs and pro ...

) *

Conference awards

The following individuals won the conference's annual player and coach awards: *Offensive Player of the Year:

, Stanford *Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year: DeForest Buckner, Oregon *Offensive Freshman of the Year:

Josh Rosen Joshua Ballinger Lippincott Rosen (born February 10, 1997) is an American football quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCLA Bruins, receiving Freshman All-American and ...

, UCLA *Defensive Freshman of the Year:

Cameron Smith Cameron Smith may refer to: * Cameron Smith (rugby league, born 1983), Australian rugby league footballer * Cameron Smith (rugby league, born 1998), English rugby league footballer * Cameron Smith (golfer) (born 1993), Australian golfer * Cammy Smi ...

, USC *Coach of the Year: Mike Leach, Washington State; David Shaw, Stanford

All-Conference teams

The following players earned All-Pac-12 honors. Offense: Defense: Specialists:

All-Academic

First team

Home game attendance

Game played at

in Santa Clara, CA.
Game played at

CenturyLink Field Lumen Field is a multi-purpose stadium in Seattle, Washington, United States. Located in the city's SoDo neighborhood, it is the home field for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL), the Seattle Sea Dragons of the XFL, t ...

in Seattle, WA.
Bold – Exceed capacity
†Season High

Notes

* October 12, 2015 – USC terminated Steve Sarkisian as its head football coach * October 30, 2015 – USC Athletic Director

Pat Haden Patrick Capper Haden (born January 23, 1953) is the former athletic director at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles from August 2010 to June 2016. He played quarterback for the USC Trojans before playing professionally in ...

resigned from the

Selection Committee * November 30, 2015 –

Clay Helton Clay Charles Helton (born June 24, 1972) is an American college football coach and former player, who is currently the head coach at Georgia Southern. He was previously the head coach of USC from 2015 to 2021. Helton has also been an assistan ...

was named USC's permanent head coach.

References

{{2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season navbox