Editor’s note: Saturday Out West’s annual Top 25 preview week continues with a look at the Pac-12’s best of the best.

LOS ANGELES — Last year, there were at least some question marks in my ranking of the league’s top 25 players.

Even though Caleb Williams is the constant as the best player in the conference, guys like Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix were nowhere to be found.

What a difference a year — and a thrilling rehabilitation tour — will do for a guy’s perception.

Here’s my take for the 25 best players in the Pac-12 heading into the 2023 season.

25. Utah S Cole Bishop

Like his teammate Junior Tafuna, Bishop comes from a long line of Utes greats, only he mans the defensive backfield. He takes over top billing from the departed Clark Phillips III, blossoming into a team leader in Year 3. An honorable mention all-league pick as a true freshman and as a sophomore the past 2 years, Bishop ranks 2nd in the league among active Pac-12 secondary players with 5.7 tackles per game.

24. Washington State DL Brennan Jackson

An all-conference selection for going on 4 years now, Jackson is a rare combination of brains and brawn. He was a NFF William V. Campbell Trophy semifinalist as the country’s best football scholar-athlete and a 2nd-team all-conference selection after racking up 12 tackles for loss and 6 sacks. He’ll team with Ron Stone Jr., maybe the 26th name on this list, to form perhaps the best edge-rushing duo in the league.

23. USC OL Justin Dedich

Among the most veteran players in the Pac-12, Dedich has started 20 games and appeared in 35 in his long USC career. He was one of the emotional lynchpins in the Trojans’ turnaround under Lincoln Riley last year, earning PFF All-American 3rd-team honors. He’ll play a particularly important role this year, shifting inside to play center and handle line communication for USC.

22. Oregon State RB Damien Martinez

As a true freshman in 2022, Martinez fell just 18 yards short of the 1,000-yard mark, which would have put him in some rare company. He still is, really, as the league’s 2nd-highest returning rusher. Martinez was slow out of the gate with just 145 rushing yards in OSU’s first 5 games, but he turned on the jets with 6 consecutive 100-yard games to end the regular season.

21. Oregon DL Brandon Dorlus

One of the most versatile players in the Pac-12, Dorlus has been a stout presence on Oregon’s line for years. But his ability to play inside and outside has been significant. Last year, he had 39 total tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and 2 sacks, but his impact went far greater than the stat sheet. Quite frankly, the 2-time all-league pick might be a little low on this list.

20. Utah DL Junior Tafuna

Like Dorlus, he’s probably a little too low on this list. Tafuna has continued in the strong lineage of Utah defensive line stars, but this year he’ll be asked to do a lot. The 2021 Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year and a 2022 Pac-12 All-Conference 2nd-team member, Tafuna is a physical presence on the field, even if his stats don’t jump off the page. He has 5.5 career sacks, but he’ll threaten to double that this year.

19. Washington WR Jalen McMillan

Despite playing 2nd fiddle — or at least co-fiddle — to the league’s most productive wideout in Rome Odunze, McMillan has already started to make a name for himself in Seattle. He followed a solid 39-catch, 470-yard, 3-score season in 2021 with 1,098 yards and 9 scores, teaming with Odunze to become the first pair of 1,000-yard receivers in Washington history.

18. Washington OL Troy Fautanu

Fautanu is a classic Huskies success story. He redshirted as a freshman in 2019 and played sparingly in 2020. After starting 3 games in 2021, he primarily started at left tackle in 2022, earning a 2nd-team all-conference nod. He is a preseason 1st-team selection charged with keeping Michael Penix Jr. upright and healthy.

17. Utah OL Sataoa Laumea

Utah’s offensive line was surprisingly underrated last year, overshadowed by the units at Oregon and USC. But Laumea was not overlooked, earning first-team All-Pac-12 honors for a Utah offense that ranked 2nd in the conference and 11th nationally with 217.6 rushing yards per game. That was his 3rd consecutive postseason all-league nod, joining a 2nd-team selection in 2020 and honorable mention honors in 2021.

16. Utah QB Cam Rising

Based on courage, swagger and fortitude, Rising deserves to be higher on this list. But in a somewhat quarterback unfriendly system and with a 2nd-tier receiver corps, Rising ranks as the league’s 4th-best quarterback, despite back-to-back Pac-12 titles. Rising upped his game in 2022 after a 1st-team all-conference nod in 2021, when he passed for 2,493 yards and 20 touchdowns with 5 interceptions. He threw for 3,034 yards and 26 scores with 8 picks last year but watched as a trio of Pac-12 passers surpassed him, at least statistically. He had the last laugh, though.

15. Arizona WR Jacob Cowing

Given the otherworldly expectations on him after being a high-profile transfer from UTEP following a 1,300-yard season in 2021, it’s fair to say Cowing wasn’t quite the game-breaking performer he was with the Miners. He fell from a 19.6-yard per catch average to 12.2. But with Dorian Singer moved on to USC, Cowing has a chance to snag a bit more of the limelight.

14. Cal LB Jackson Sirmon

Sirmon returns as the league’s leading tackler after picking up 104, including 49 solo, last year in his first season in Berkeley. The son of Cal defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon, Jackson transferred from Washington and thrived with the Bears from the moment he stepped foot on campus.

13. Oregon State OL Taliese Fuaga

A PFF darling who earned 1st-team all-conference honors and an honorable mention All-America nod from the publication, Fuaga has become a mainstay on the Beavers’ talented line. He started all 13 games and earned an 80.8 overall grade by Pro Football Focus, with a 79.6 score for run blocking, helping Oregon State average nearly 200 rushing yards per game.

12. USC S Calen Bullock

A safety in the mold of a Ken Griffey Jr., Bullock was Johnny on the spot for the Trojans last year, picking off 5 passes while playing 1st-rate center field. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him line up in the box every so often this year. They should look to get him as active in the defense as possible. He’s that good. With Utah stud Clark Phillips III off to the NFL, Bullock could be the league’s best new pick-off artist.

11. Arizona OL Jordan Morgan

While still not 100% after suffering a torn ACL last year, Morgan is rounding into form and expected to start Week 1 for the Wildcats. That’s a good thing, because he just might be the best offensive lineman in the league. I’m a bit higher on him than all-conference voters, who tabbed him for the 2nd team, but I’m not the only one big on the big man. He registered a 82.0 pass-blocking rating last year, 33rd in the nation per Pro Football Focus, while ranking 21st in the nation in offensive blocking with a rating of 83.1 and 36th nationally in run-blocking with a rating of 78.6. The dude allowed 1 sack in 670 total snaps and 443 passing snaps. That kind of versatility speaks to me.

10. Oregon RB Bucky Irving

What can I say? I’m a bit plucky for Bucky. He is the league’s leading returning rusher, and while Oregon’s backfield is deep, Irving is good enough to carve out the role of primary ball carrier. Irving ran for 1,058 yards on just 156 carries, with a season long rush of 66 yards. That was after racking up nearly 700 yards in his freshman season at Minnesota in 2021. He’ll need to get into the end zone more often (just 9 total touchdowns in 2 years, 5 in 2022) to get some postseason hardware.

9. USC WR Dorian Singer

A fascinating tale of perseverance, Singer was a preferred walk-on at Arizona after playing just his senior year in the state after moving from Minnesota. He had 301 receiving yards as a true freshman in Jedd Fisch’s disastrous 1-11 debut season, earning a scholarship, then he balled out last year as a sophomore, ranking 2nd in the Pac-12 with 1,105 yards on 66 receptions, before transferring to USC. He’ll attempt to fill Jordan Addison’s shoes, though that won’t be an easy task.

8. UCLA edge Laiatu Latu

Without question the best story in the Pac-12, Latu also might be its best player. The UCLA pass-rushing specialist was once told by doctors he would never play again, so he moved from Washington to Westwood and he thrived last year. Latu led the Bruins with 12.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks, ranking 8th nationally and 2nd in the Pac-12 with a 0.81 sacks per game.

7. Washington WR Rome Odunze

Odunze flashed as a sophomore, catching 41 passes for 415 yards and 4 scores, but that was in a stagnant offense that failed to connect downfield. With Michael Penix Jr. tossing him the rock in 2022 — and Jalen McMillan and Ja’Lynn Polk drawing some attention from defensive backs — Odunze blossomed as a deep threat and emerged as a top-3 target in the league last year. He caught 8 passes that covered at least 30 yards, ranking 3rd in the league.

USC’s Addison is gone, leaving the top of the totem pole up for grabs between Odunze, Addison’s replacement Singer, and Singer’s former teammate Cowing.

6. Colorado WR/DB Travis Hunter

Too high? Sorry, just watch him play. There’s a reason the two-way freak was the top-ranked cornerback and receiver in his class. He’s just that good. It’ll be interesting to see how the Colorado coaches deploy him in 2023, though. Reports out of Boulder are that he’ll focus much of his practice time on the offensive side, but he is sure to see plenty of time on defense, too.

5. Oregon QB Bo Nix

Nix may be a little low on this list, but I want to see him take one more step in the passing game before I crown him. Nix had an incredible 2022 campaign under the guidance of Kenny Dillingham, now at Arizona State, and his bond with upstart new offensive coordinator Will Stein will be one of the stories of the season. Much will depend on Nix relying more on his arm and decision-making and less on his legs, which should cut down on his 14 rushing touchdowns from a year ago.

4. Utah TE Brant Kuithe

Perhaps the biggest surprise on this list, I just can’t help but remember that Kuithe was maybe the conference’s top player heading into last year. Then he tore his right ACL on Sept. 25 against Arizona State, Dalton Kincaid stepped in and blossomed into a 1st-rounder, Utah moved on swimmingly and Kuithe seemed to be the forgotten man. But his return this season is key once more for a team with championship aspirations, and he’ll be asked to match his stellar 2021 production, when he caught 50 passes for 611 yards with 6 touchdowns en route to 2nd-team all-conference honors.

3. Washington DL Bralen Trice

In a conference loaded with as much offensive talent as the Pac-12, it’s a bit of a surprise to see a defensive lineman this high on this list. He must be mighty impressive, and Trice is just that. The Huskies disruptor is a 2023 preseason All-America 1st-team pick by several top publications, including Athlon, Walter Camp and Phil Steele.

Trice blew up last season after starting just 2 games in 2021, starting 12 games and finishing 3rd in the Pac-12 with 9 sacks. The Defensive MVP of the Valero Alamo Bowl after totaling 5 tackles and a sack vs. Texas, Trice should blow past the double-digit mark in sacks this year.

2. Washington QB Michael Penix Jr.

Unlike the No. 1 player on this list, Penix did not arrive with all that much fanfare. The Indiana transfer was coming off a injury-plagued career with the Hoosiers, but the hope was that his reunion with former Indiana offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer might turn out fruitful. Well, Washington tasted the rainbow with a bountiful harvest, as Penix delivered one of the best seasons by a Huskies quarterback ever. Penix had more than 4,600 passing yards to go with 31 touchdowns, leading the country in passing yards per game. With the league’s top trio of targets returning — including a pair on this list — Penix could put up gonzo numbers in 2023.

1. USC QB Caleb Williams

Who else but the returning Heisman Trophy winner could be at the top of this list? Williams came into last year as one of the most touted transfers in college football history, fresh off a fantastic freshman season at Oklahoma, where he teamed with Lincoln Riley to lead the Sooners to a 6-2 record after seizing the starting gig from similarly highly touted Spencer Rattler. Including a key Alamo Bowl win over Oregon, Williams passed for 1,912 yards and 21 touchdowns with only 4 interceptions on 136-of-211 attempts.

He arrived at Heritage Hall with the weight of the world on his shoulders but surpassed anyone’s wildest dreams: 4,537 yards, 52 total touchdowns (42 passing) with only 5 interceptions and a 66.6 completion percentage. The scary thing is he could be even better this year with the arrival of offensive analyst Kliff Kingsbury as well as a loaded receiver corps.