Pac-12: Building the Ultimate Player

CBSSports.com All-America First-Teamers Kenjon Barner of Oregon, Marqise Lee of USC and Jordan Poyer of Oregon State help construct our Ultimate Player of the Year for the Pac-12.

Brain: Oregon QB Marcus Mariota -- Mariota played well beyond his years, displaying a deftness in decision-making that bordered on veteran. It was easy to forget he came out of nowhere to seize the starting position as a redshirt freshman before embarking on a fantastic season. His maturation was a big reason Oregon slowed little from its breakneck pace over recent years.

Eyes: Oregon State DB Jordan Poyer -- The best talent on a defense that improved greatly this year, Poyer had the looks that could kill quarterbacks' confidence. He followed their eyes, and where the eyes went, so went the ball. And where the ball went, so went Poyer, who led the conference with seven interceptions.

Heart: UCLA LB Anthony Barr -- It took a lot of heart for Barr to stick with his school, as he resisted the urge to transfer despite being used out of position on offense for the Bruins in his first two years. Barr stuck with UCLA through a coaching change, then asked Jim Mora and Co. if he could try out linebacker. Good call. Barr led the conference in sacks and tackles-for-loss, and came from out of nowhere to become a possible first-round pick. Spare parts: Stanford LB Chase Thomas. 

Chest: ASU DL Will Sutton -- Sutton was so good and so strong that opposing offensive linemen had to pray they didn't get embarrassed. Guess what? They did. Sutton was utterly dominant at times, and just plain old dominant at others, finishing with a Pac-12 high 1.82 tackles for loss per game. What goes unrecorded, but not unnoticed, is how many double- and triple-teams he faced all year, freeing the Sun Devils' talented linebackers.

Arm: USC QB Matt Barkley -- Barkley did not have the magical season that was expected out of both him and his team, but he put up some great numbers. Barkley's 36 touchdowns were six more than anyone else in the conference, and he led the Pac-12 in passing yards per game with 297.5. With a little better protection, Barkley would've been even more prolific. Spare parts: UCLA QB Brett Hundley; Arizona QB Matt Scott.

Hips: Arizona RB Ka'Deem Carey -- Carey was neither the fleetest of foot nor the strongest, but boy, was he balanced. Carey could've crossed a tight-rope connecting skyscrapers while holding fine china in one arm and a newborn in the other and a bucket of water on his head. He deftly weaved his way through the defensive line, sometimes while stopping on a dime, often churning out extra yardage because he skirted danger at just the right time. That extra yardage added up -- he led the country with 1,757 yards on 275 carries and scored 20 touchdowns.

HandsMarqise Lee -- Perhaps the most valuable body part on this list is Lee's catcher's-mitt like hands. Everything Barkley threw in his direction, zip code or area code, Lee hauled in. Then, typically, Lee danced, pranced and pirouetted his way to paydirt. His 1,680 yards and 14 touchdowns were both tops in the Pac-12 and his 112 receptions led the country. In what was a dark and gloomy season for the Trojans, Lee was the brightest of bright spots. Spare parts: Oregon State WR Markus Wheaton; Arizona WR Austin Hill; Oregon State WR Brandin Cooks.

Legs: UCLA RB Johnathan Franklin -- After three years of running tentatively and thinking too much both behind and past the line of scrimmage -- his fumbling issues cost him playing time for three years -- Franklin was almost like the Bionic Man in 2012. It was as if he had a new set of legs. These were bigger, stronger and boy were they faster. Franklin's power running was a thing of beauty this year. Spare parts: Stanford RB Stepfan Taylor; UCLA P Jeff Locke, Arizona State P Josh Hubner.

Feet: Oregon RB Kenjon Barner -- We're going all the way to the bottom with who might be the top offensive player in the conference -- when Chip Kelly deemed it necessary for him to play. Unfortunately for Barner's stat line, the Ducks often flew past opponents in the first half, cutting Barner's second-half playing time drastically. Had Barner actually had the kind of carries that some other of the conference's top backs got, 2,000 yards would not have been out of the question. As it stands, Barner finished with 1,624 yards on 248 carries with 21 touchdowns, including a mammoth 321-yard, five-touchdown performance against USC.