Colorado head coach Jon Embree, junior offensive tackle David Bakhtiari and senior safety Ray Polk fielded questions at the Pac-12 Media Day event in Los Angeles on Tuesday morning.
young tight ends that are in that have done well in
summer workouts that we're excited about. Same
at receiver and tailback to add depth behind Tony.
So I feel good about the direction we're headed.
It's going to be young talent. You have probably
heard me say this before, we've upgraded our
team speed and it's just whether it goes in the right
direction.
I like what the kids have bought into and
with the kids coming back, the direction that this
program is heading."
David, it seems to be that the rivalry
between Utah [and Colorado] is a little forced
on you. I'm wondering if there is a specific
team that maybe you haven't talked about that
you could see having a great rivalry with in the
future?
David Bakhtiari: "Like Ray said, we're
shooting for the top. Everyone wants to aim for the
top dog and that's who we want to pinpoint as
being our rival. Utah, it is a media-forced thing, but
it's not 100 percent. They're a great team. We love
playing them, but at the end of the day, I see every
team as a rival and we want to be the best. You've
got to beat the best if you want to be the best.
We're going to try to beat all of them."
Question for both David and Ray,
after one year in the Conference, what have
you learned about the level of competition, the
caliber of athletes you see every week in the
Pac-12?
David Bakhtiari: "Got this question a
lot from being in the Big 12 to being in the Pac-12.
I was fortunate enough to play in both leagues. In
both leagues at the end of the day there are big,
strong guys in each division. Big 12 is a little more
bigger, stronger. Pac-12 is a little more faster.
There are still the 'freaks' in each league. You
have the big, strong fast guys at the end of the day
that are going to come out and play at the end of
the day, so that's the biggest difference in
competition I see."
I feel good about the direction we're headed. It's going to be young talent. You have probably heard me say this before, we've upgraded our team speed and it's just whether it goes in the right direction.
COACH JON EMBREE
Ray Polk: "I would have to agree. From
my standpoint, playing defense, there are just so
many threats in the Pac-12. You've got so many
good players in one conference that it's a different
ballgame. The Big 12 was great and it was a great
conference. For me, you would see, you know,
one great receiver on the team. Here, you know,
you have two or three.
It's just different. It's a different kind of
offense. We can all agree that Pac-12 football is a
great conference and the offensive schemes inside
of it, They're some of the best out there. It's
exciting to play and I'm happy to be in this
Conference."
Coach, we have been collecting fan
questions from Twitter and Facebook so we
have one for you. Which position or positions
do you expect the incoming freshmen to create
the most competition?
Coach Embree: "Defensive back, we
signed five very good players so they will all have