1.) Rick Neuheisel, Norm Chow, and whoever survives being named starting QB - UCLA: Neither of the most-discussed new faces in the Pac 10 are actually new faces at all. The return of Neuheisel and Chow gives UCLA fans hopes of returning to regular college football relevance after the roller-coaster that was the Karl Dorrell era. But after an offseason that saw the Bruin quarterback spot turn into the most dangerous place this side of a Madden cover or Spinal Tap drum kit -- hobbling the two UCLA QBs with any game experience, Ben Olson and Patrick Cowan -- Neuheisel and Chow's baby blue debuts hinge largely on the ability of either Kevin Craft, a junior college transfer and/or redshirt freshman Chris Forcier to step in and lead the offense.2.) Nate Costa, QB - Oregon: Out of any of the shoes to fill, those of departing Oregon QB Dennis Dixon may loom the most ominous. While those of Sedrick Ellis and Keith Rivers may technically be larger, USC has had the good fortune of grooming blue-chip talent like Everson Griffen and Chris Galippo and probably won't lose more than a step -- if they don't in fact wind up with younger, faster upgrades. But as evidenced after an injury prematurely ended what was looking like a possible Heisman season, Dixon's versatility and Randall Cunningham-in-Madden '92-level athleticism is not going to be easy to replace for in Eugene. After spending much of last season as serious National Championship contenders, reports are that Oregon coach Mike Bellotti will send Costa -- as opposed the one Duck QB with 2007 playing time, Justin Roper -- into battle at the helm of a team that seems destined for a hangover year. How the 6'1" sophomore (who technically took a few game snaps for Oregon in 2006) responds under those unenviable circumstances promises to have a lot to do with just how far off the '07 pace the Ducks fall.
3.) Spencer Gasu, DT - Arizona State: With Rudy Carpenter, Keegan Herring, and a fleet of capable wideouts returning, the ASU offense is almost surely going to be one of the conference's most prolific. But it's the less-experienced defense who has an opportunity to make or break the Sun Devils season. At 6'2"/325 lbs, Gasu is a beast, one of the most highly-touted Pac 10's 2008 JUCO imports, and a new face that could step up big to help the Sun Devils finish stronger than they did in '07.
4.) Chris Polk, RB - Washington: If you're looking for stud freshmen who could have a breakout rookie season in the Pac, look no further than the newest Husky backfield import from SoCal. After initially committing to USC, Polk, a speedy running back/kick returner from Redlands, decided to avoid the tailback logjam at Southern Cal and head north to join Ty Willingham, Jake Locker and the inexperienced yet potential-laden U-Dub O. If Willingham and his offensive coaching staff can figure out a way to get him integrated into the offense, Polk could definitely be the new face making the most appearances on the highlight reels.
5.) Mitch Mustain, QB - USC: Mustain is the biggest wild card in this mix -- partially because of his own mercurial performances in practices and games, but more due to the uncertainty surrounding starting Trojan quarterback Mark Sanchez's knee. Sanchez may very well recover in time for the opener, miss no time, and relegate Mustain to the sidelines and/or trying to get invited back into Metallica. But if the knee problems persist and Mustain manages to beat out redshirt freshman Aaron Corp for the role of substitute starting QB, you can count on the transfer from Arkansas's performance to have the single-largest impact of any new face on Pac 10 results.
Honorable Mention
- LeGarrette Blount, RB - Oregon
- Matt Kalil, OT - USC
- Michael Calvin, WR - Cal
- Simi Kuli, DE - Oregon St.
- Justin Thompson, DT - Oregon
- T.J. Bryant, CB - USC
- Paul Wulff, Head Coach - Washington St.
