LOS ANGELES — Lights, camera, action.

Well, there isn’t going to be any real action here during the Pac-12 football media days at Paramount Studios.

The event — which begins today with six teams (including Oregon) and wraps up Thursday with the other six teams (including Oregon State) gathering for interview sessions — still marks the unofficial start of the 2014 season.

Here are 12 story lines to keep an eye on as the hype machine begins to whir:

1. Another Duck hunting season

Oregon will likely be picked to win the North Division over Stanford when the media poll is released today.

With the return of Marcus Mariota on offense and Ifo Ekpre-Olomu on defense, the talented Ducks are also the favorite to win the Pac-12 championship and perhaps represent the conference in the new College Football Playoff.

Mark Helfrich should be used to handling great expectations. Despite an 11-2 debut as head coach, the post-Chip Kelly pressure is on to deliver before Mariota moves on to the NFL.

2. Hundley for Heisman

UCLA, not Stanford, figures to be the Ducks’ biggest hurdle to clear this season. The Bruins are well coached and welcome back their own Heisman Trophy candidate in quarterback Brett Hundley.

After last season’s 10-3 finish, coach Jim Mora said the Bruins “need to win Pac-12 championships and Rose Bowls. We need to be in the national title picture.”

Oregon plays UCLA on Oct. 11 at the Rose Bowl. If the Bruins and Ducks are the division winners, they should both be in the national title picture entering a rematch in the conference championship game on Dec. 5 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

3. The Stanford problem

The Cardinal crushed Oregon’s national title hopes in 2012 and 2013. Many of the players from Stanford’s 26-20 win last year — running back Tyler Gaffney, linebackers Trent Murphy and Shayne Skov — have moved on to NFL training camps.

David Shaw has recruited well and continues to keep Stanford in contention for championships. Quarterback Kevin Hogan is capable of leading the team to wins while the defense retools.

After appearing in BCS bowls the previous four seasons, Stanford also has its sight set on the College Football Playoff. The Cardinal will visit Autzen Stadium on Nov. 1.

4. Sark at ‘SC

Steve Sarkisian, who turned Washington around but was 0-5 against rival Oregon, has left Seattle for Southern California.

The Trojans are still recovering from four years of scholarship limitations imposed by the NCAA, but the players on the roster are capable of competing for a South Division championship.

Fans don’t have to wait long to see “Sark” coach a big game. USC will visit Stanford on Sept. 6.

5. Petersen back in the Pac-12

After compiling a 92-12 record with two Fiesta Bowl victories in eight seasons at Boise State, Chris Petersen finally made the jump to a power conference to replace Sarkisian at Washington.

Petersen isn’t being paid $3.6 million per year to take the Huskies to the Fight Hunger Bowl.

The former Oregon assistant will be expected to get the Dawgs back on top after a decade of losing to the Ducks.

Washington will try to turn the series back around 20 years after “The Pick” when Petersen’s team visits Autzen Stadium on Oct. 18.

6. Mannion the man

Oregon State is a difficult team to predict. With a favorable nonconference schedule (Portland State, Hawaii, San Diego State) and the return of standout quarterback Sean Mannion, this could be a big year for the Beavers.

Mike Riley’s team, which lost dynamic wide receiver and return man Brandin Cooks early to the NFL, will have to play better in Corvallis where Stanford, USC, Washington and even Eastern Washington left with victories in 2013.

If Oregon State’s offensive line can be patched up during camp, Mannion could be in the Heisman Trophy race with Mariota and Hundley.

7. Forks (still) up?

Arizona State is coming off a 10-win season that included victories over Wisconsin, USC and UCLA en route to the South Division title. The Sun Devils hosted the Pac-12 championship but were defeated by Stanford (38-14) and then again by Texas Tech in the Holiday Bowl (37-23).

The team returns star quarterback Taylor Kelly but loses nine starters from last season’s vicious defense.

Todd Graham, the reigning Pac-12 coach of the year, will have to retool quickly in Tempe to keep up with the Los Angeles schools.

8. Rich-Rod reloading

Rich Rodriguez got his signature win at Oregon’s expense last season when Arizona toasted the Ducks in Tucson and went on to win a bowl game for the second consecutive season.

Entering his third year with the Wildcats, Rodriguez is breaking in a new starting quarterback and searching for the next Ka’Deem Carey.

There are also holes to fill on defense, but expectations at Arizona are only lofty for basketball right now. The fans will be happy if the Wildcats win another entertaining bowl game and continue to build a foundation capable of competing for the College Football Playoff in a couple of years.

9. Albuquerque blues on the Palouse

Is there such a thing as a New Mexico Bowl hangover? Washington State will find out.

Mike Leach’s second season was considered a success after a 6-6 regular season ended the program’s postseason drought.

Then the Cougars blew a 45-30 lead with less than three minutes remaining in a stunning 48-45 loss to Colorado State to finish with a losing record.

Connor Halliday adds to the impressive list of returning Pac-12 quarterbacks. Washington State also opened up a new $61 million football facility that will help Leach keep the ship sailing in the right direction.

10. Buffaloes may rumble again

Colorado is another once-proud program that is finally competing in the facility arms race while slowly improving on the field.

The Buffs improved from 1-11 under Jon Embree in 2012 to 4-8 under Mike MacIntyre in 2013. CU, which returns sophomore quarterback Sefo Liufau and a promising running game, is trying to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2007.

Another tough schedule and poor defense will probably add up to another losing season in Boulder. However, the athletic department is serious about helping MacIntyre, with construction on a $143 million upgrade in and around Folsom Field underway.

11. Utes gone mild

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, who was 57-20 before the move from the Mountain West to the Pac-12 and 18-19 since, is on the hot seat entering his 10th season.

With the return of quarterback Travis Wilson from a health scare and the addition of Dave Christensen as the new offensive coordinator, the Utes believe that they can compete with their new peers in the South Division.

Remember, Utah did beat Stanford last season at home. Oregon will visit Salt Lake City for a dangerous trap game on Nov. 8, one week after hosting the Cardinal.

12. An un-Bear-able situation

California may have hit rock bottom last season with a 1-11 debut under Sonny Dykes. That doesn’t mean the Bears — who have lost 14 consecutive Pac-12 games and 16 straight games against FBS competition — are ready to climb out of the basement.

Dykes has replaced defensive coordinator Andy Buh with Art Kaufman after Cal allowed 529.6 yards and 45.9 points per game in 2013.

Not only do the Bears lack talent, Dykes is facing another brutal schedule that includes a road opener at Northwestern, back-to-back games against UCLA and Oregon in October and USC and Stanford at the end of the conference slate.