Every Sunday evening, a Pac-12 staffer named Jim Thornby sends out an email containing the ballot for the conference’s players of the week. The awards are for the Offensive, Defensive, Special Teams, and Freshman of the Week.
“Please select one student-athlete in each category,” he reminds voters.
Freshman of the Week, every week: Jesse Legree or Rasean Jones?
That’s how it goes.
Boise State beat Oregon State, 46-41, on Saturday. This week I’m going with Jones, who had 230 receiving yards and three touchdowns in the win. OSU couldn’t stop him. But Legree, who won the award seven straight weeks earlier this season, had 140 receiving yards and a touchdown himself.
Both are true freshmen. Both are dynamic players. Forget this week’s vote. I have bigger-picture questions. As in, how much fun are those two guys to watch? Will we get to see them mix it up head-to-head for multiple seasons? And is Boise State-Oregon State going to be a ‘thing’ in the Pac-12?
I also have questions about the league’s “flex” matchup strategy and how it might play out in Week 13. Will it protect Boise State? Or use it to maximize bowl eligibility? There’s a lot of strategy to unpack.
My thoughts: