USC Trojans

LOS ANGELES -- With no postseason bowl to prepare for and finals just about over, the USC players can take a deep breath and relax as they physically and mentally recover from a long season. However, with spring ball just months away, the Trojans will soon have to mentally shift from holiday season to the offseason.

During the season, players play for each other and the overall good of their team. When the offseason and winter workouts come around, the mentality of each player switches a little from a team approach to more of an individual one.

Because of different class schedules during the day, players are allowed to work out at different times during the day. With the different workout times, players will sometimes not see each other for days or even weeks and the team dynamic is lost for those couple of months.

With no job being safe, players understand that the best way to get the starting job going into fall camp is to perform well in the spring. The only way to do that is in the weight room.

During the season, players work out two to three times a week. With the long season and the physical beating that the players’ bodies take during this time, their workouts are designed more for maintaining what they’ve worked toward during the winter and summer rather than gaining. With no meetings or games to think about in the offseason, the only thing on a player’s mind is getting bigger, stronger and faster.

Every player is at a different level when it comes to how much they can lift. At the beginning of the offseason, individual goals are set so the players have something to shoot for. Because of the quality of coaches Lane Kiffin has hired, players are able to maximize their potential in the weight room.

However, this individual mentality during the offseason benefits the team going into the next season. The competition with one another in the weight room directly carries on to the football field, thus making the team better. This has been the Trojans mentality for the past 10 years. With the teams USC has put out during that time, it’s easy to see that path to the Rose Bowl starts not with the first game, but with the first workout.

We love freshmen who contribute. They are the present, but perhaps even more important, they are the future.

The theory is that if a freshman plays well today, he's going to be a star tomorrow.

So who were the standout freshmen -- true and redshirt -- this year? Read on.

True freshmen of the year

Offense: Oregon's versatile De'Anthony Thomas rushed 53 times for 440 yards with five touchdowns. He led the Ducks with 42 receptions for 571 yards and nine touchdowns. He ranked 13th in the nation in kick returns, returning two for touchdowns. That's 16 total touchdowns. He ranked 17th in the nation in all-purpose yards.

Defense: Utah safety Eric Rowe, a 12-game starter, recorded nine pass breakups and 10 passes defended, which both rank in the top-10 in the conference. He is Utah's fourth-leading tackler with 66 stops and also has 1.5 tackles for loss, a sack and an interception.

Offense

QB: None.

RB: Arizona's Ka'Deem Carey was the Wildcats second-leading rusher with 449 yards. He averaged 4.7 yards per carry and led the team with six rushing touchdowns.

WR: USC's Marqise Lee caught 73 passes for 1,142 yards with 11 touchdowns. In USC's final two games, Lee caught 21 passes for 411 yards and three touchdowns, outplaying sophomore All-American Robert Woods. Lee also had an 88-yard kick return for a TD.

OL: USC's Marcus Martin, a 340 pounder, started 10 games for the Trojans at left guard.

TE: Washington's Austin Seferian-Jenkins caught 36 passes for 479 yards with six touchdowns. He averaged 13.3 yards per reception.

Defense

LB: California's Chris McCain, a 6-foot-6, 233 pounder, had 26 tackles, including five for a loss and 1.5 sacks, for the Bears in five starts. His numbers would have been better if not for a concussion that knocked him out of the final three games. McCain, by the way, is a grayshirt as a member of the 2010 recruiting class, but he's still a true freshman.

DB: Arizona's Tra'Mayne Bondurant started six games and recorded 45 tackles for the Wildcats, including 3.5 for a loss and a sack. He also had an interception and six pass breakups.

DL: Oregon State DE Dylan Wynn recorded 44 tackles with 5.5 tackles for a loss and a stunning five fumble recoveries.

Redshirt freshmen of the year

Offense: Oregon State QB Sean Mannion completed 64.5 percent of his passes for 3,332 yards with 16 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. His 277 yards passing per game ranked fourth in the conference. His numbers suffered because he got no support from the Beavers running game, which ranked last in the Pac-12.

Defense: Oregon State DE Scott Crichton ranked second in the conference with 14.5 tackles for a loss. He ranked fourth on his team with 74 tackles, six of which were sacks. He also forced six fumbles.

Offense

QB: Washington State's Connor Halliday only started one game -- a tough loss to Utah -- but the game before against Arizona State, he threw for a Pac-12 freshman-record 494 yards and four touchdowns in the upset victory. He missed the Apple Cup against Washington due to a lacerated liver suffered against the Utes.

RB: Washington State's Rickey Galvin was the Cougars leading rusher with 619 yards and five touchdowns. He averaged 5.3 yards per carry.

WR: Utah's Dres Anderson ranked second on the Utes with 23 catches for 355 yards with three touchdowns. He averaged 15.4 yards per reception.

OL: Stanford OG David Yankey was a starter for the conference's most consistent line, one that averaged 208 yards rushing and gave up just nine sacks. He earned honorable mention All-Pac-12 honors.

TE: USC's Randall Telfer caught 26 passes for 273 yards with five touchdowns. He was the Trojans third-leading receiver and earned honorable mention All-Pac-12.

Defense

LB: USC's Dion Bailey and Hayes Pullard were both so good this year, they share the honors at the position. They tied for the team lead with 81 tackles. Pullard had 6.5 tackles for a loss and four sacks. Bailey had two sacks and two interceptions.

DB: UCLA safety Tevin McDonald ranked fourth on the Bruins with 52 tackles. He also had 2.5 tackles for a loss, three interceptions, 10 pass breakups and a forced fumble.

DL: Washington DE Josh Shirley had nine tackles for a loss and 5.5 sacks -- both numbers led the team -- to go along with 23 total tackles. He also forced two fumbles.

At this time last year, no one saw Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck as a top 2011 Heisman Trophy candidate, mostly because everyone thought he'd already be in the NFL.

Instead, he opted to return for his redshirt junior year, spent much of the season as the prohibitive Heisman favorite but finished second to Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III on Saturday.

If any of you are worried about Luck being crushed by disappointment, we'd like to reassure you that things will likely be OK for him. Something is sure to come up in terms of career options, we suspect. We hear he's got some real talent as an architect.

Anyhow, our short list of potential 2012 Pac-12 Heisman candidates includes three that we suspect are headed into the NFL draft this spring. But we trust that you will be able to swipe them off your own list if they should make such an announcement before the Jan. 15 deadline.

Matt Barkley, QB, USC: If Barkley returns for his senior year, he will be on everyone's preseason shortlist. He might even be considered the favorite. He'd have a high-profile team that should win, plenty of name recognition, and a supporting cast that could help him put up big numbers.

LaMichael James, RB, Oregon: Most would project James entering the NFL draft. But perhaps this will intrigue him: If he returns for his senior year and produces a fourth consecutive 1,500-yard season, he'd become the conference's all-time leading rusher, easily breaking USC's Charles White's 6,245 mark, set from 1976-79. That also, of course, would probably get him another invitation to New York for the Heisman ceremony.

Robert Woods, WR, USC: Woods will be a consensus preseason All-American. If Barkley comes back, Woods likely would play second fiddle. But if Barkley leaves, Woods still figures to put up good numbers, even with a first-year starter at quarterback. On the downside -- which is really an upside -- fellow receiver, sophomore Marqise Lee, is also an All-American candidate.

De'Anthony Thomas, WR/RB, Oregon: Thomas was just freak-show good in so many different ways in 2011 as a true freshman that he seems almost certain to become a Heisman candidate. In fact, he might be the most likely player on this list to get invited to New York because he's definitely coming back and a lot of folks already know who he is.

Chris Polk, RB, Washington: Polk is likely off to the NFL, but if he opts to return he and quarterback Keith Price would make plenty of preseason Heisman lists. Polk should put up big numbers as a rusher but his ability as a receiver would also give him a chance to put up big numbers. The Huskies will need to take another step in terms of win-loss record, though, for his candidacy to gain any momentum.

Marquess Wilson, WR, Washington State: Wilson has been highly productive for two seasons. But what if new coach Mike Leach helps him put up ludicrous numbers and the Cougars start winning? Hey, you never know.