So is this the year someone besides USC wins the Pac-10 title and gains the automatic BCS bowl berth? If there is ever a year for USC to get chased from behind and caught, this is this year. The Trojans are breaking in a new quarterback in Aaron Corp and replacing several departed starters to the NFL draft.
So who's it going to be? Cal? Can the Golden Bears overcome early-season trap games and win the games they are supposed to and make it interesting? Can Oregon beat USC at home and win difficult road games and take the title? And how about Oregon State? Do Mike Riley teams always have to start 1-3 before getting into high gear?
And what about the rest of the field? Is this Stanford's breakout year? Is UCLA ready to become a Pac-10 factor again? And is Arizona really the third worst team in the conference as it was picked by the media? These are all intriguing questions that will be worked out in the coming weeks.
Our standings preview and records predictions are after the jump.
1. USC (10-2 overall, 8-1 conference). You have to knock out the champion to take the title and the Trojans are vulnerable but still strong enough to retain the crown. They may trip with an early season game at Ohio State. There are three difficult conference road games (at Cal, at Oregon and at Arizona State) and the Trojans will lose one of those, likely at Oregon.
2. Cal (10-2, 7-2). Cal tailback Jahvid Best said the team is ready for the opener at Maryland, but the question is whether the Bears will be prepared for the Oct. 4 matchup against USC followed by a road game at Oregon. The Bears still split those two games but will lose at Arizona State, a place where they have never played well. And the final two games at Stanford and Washington are trap games. The Bears will have to be careful.
3. Oregon (9-3, 6-3). The Ducks may be 0-1 before anybody else if they lose to Boise State in the opener. The good news is that all of their difficult conference games are at Autzen Stadium, a place they play extremely well. If you would ask any top-tier Pac-10 team, they would lose a road schedule of UCLA, Washington, Stanford and Arizona. So the Ducks, behind bruising quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, have a chance to grab the title.
4. Oregon State (8-4, 5-4). The Beavers have a chance to be 3-0 going into their conference opener at Arizona, but you know with Riley's team, matters won't be that easy. Oregon State plays at Arizona State, at USC and at Cal in a five-week span, all teams they were beaten at Reser Stadium last season and looking for payback. So it maybe rough for the Beavers to compete with the big boys, especially with an uncertain situation at quarterback between Lyle Moevao and Sean Canfield.
5. Stanford (6-6, 4-5). Cardinal coach Jim Harbaugh knows he's close to producing a winner and Stanford could be 4-1 heading into a two-game road stretch at Oregon State and Arizona. Stanford has to win the early conference games because the Cardinal ends with Arizona State, Oregon, USC and Cal back-to-back. So it will be Stanford's first trip to a bowl in years but with a .500 record. Can Andrew Luck withstand the brutality of the Pac-10 as a redshirt freshman? Harbaugh is banking on that.
6. Arizona State (6-6, 4-5). Danny Sullivan takes over at quarterback for Rudy Carpenter, but the Sun Devils were really average last season with a lot of talent, so someone is going to need to respond to prevent another disappointing season. They will get their chins checked in week 3 at Georgia but like Stanford, the Sun Devils don't face the meat of their conference schedule until the end. So Sullivan will get a chance to gain experience before the really rough games. Look out for receiver Kyle Williams, the son of Chicago White Sox general manager Ken Williams. Kyle could be a first-team Pac-10 selection this season.
Latest College Football Images
Nebraska's Kyler Reed (25), and J.T. Kerr work on blocking drills Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009, during the first day of fall football practice camp in Lincoln, Neb. (AP Photo/Dave Weaver)
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Nebraska's Menelik Holt catches a football on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009, during the first day of fall training camp in Lincoln, Neb. (AP Photo/Dave Weaver)
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Texas senior quarterback Colt McCoy speaks during a media availability Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)
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Nebraska quarterback Cody Green, a freshman from Dayton, Texas, throws a football on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009. during the first day of fall training camp in Lincoln, Neb. (AP Photo/Dave Weaver)
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Nebraska's Ndamukong Suh runs Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009, during the first day of fall football training camp in Lincoln, Neb. (AP Photo/Dave Weaver)
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Texas senior quarterback Colt McCoy speaks during a media availability Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)
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Nebraska's Brandon Kinnie catches a football on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009, during the first day of fall training camp in Lincoln, Neb. (AP Photo/Dave Weaver)
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Nebraska quarterback Zac Lee throws the ball on Saturday Aug 8, 2009, during the first day of fall football training camp. (AP Photo/Dave Weaver)
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Texas head football coach Mack Brown speaks during a news conference Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009, in Austin, Texas. The Texas football team reported to preseason training camp Saturday and received a message from coach Brown: Forget the BCS. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)
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Texas head football coach Mack Brown speaks during a news conference Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009, in Austin, Texas. The Texas football team reported to preseason training camp Saturday and received a message from coach Brown: Forget the BCS. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)
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7. Arizona (6-6, 3-6). It would be beneficial for Mike Stoops' team to nab early wins at Oregon State and Washington because the schedule gets no easier, and maybe that's why the media picks the Wildcats to finish eighth. Stoops has still not made a decision at quarterback – either Matt Scott or Nick Foles – and the Wildcats have never been a great offensive team, so there are some major questions. Arizona will have to rely on a tough decision and likely a ball-control offense.
8. UCLA (5-7, 3-6). The Bruins are getting closer but not quite ready yet for prime time. They have five conference road games, including four of their final six. Coach Rick Neuheisel named Kevin Prince as the starting quarterback, but the Bruins don't have any proven offensive compliments to help him out. They are still very young, so UCLA will take its lumps, but the pain is all means to an end. Look for the Bruins to pull off a Halloween Night stunner at Oregon State.
9. Washington (3-9, 2-7). We just don't know enough about Washington's talent to pick the Huskies in any games besides Washington State and Arizona at home. But that may change soon under Steve Sarkisian. The schedule starts with LSU and includes Notre Dame on the road. USC comes to Seattle in Week 3, so the theme may just to try to stay healthy in the early going to survive the season and make positive strides.
10. Washington State (3-9, 1-8). Second-year coach Paul Wulff has had to put out more fires off the field than on the field, which is a major issue in Pullman. Has he had enough time to concentrate on improving the Cougars or has he spent so much time ridding the program of bad guys? Who is the quarterback? Who replaces Brandon Gibson as their best offensive player? The Cougs have five road games in seven weeks, so their lone win may come in the opener against Stanford.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-12-2009 @ 2:08PM
ren said...
So in other words, no.
Reply
8-30-2009 @ 9:14PM
lee said...
i dont know who the predicters are or who it is that follows college football and gets to officially write or comment about it, but the same people that think the irish will make the bcs make no mention of washington at all and this article has them at 3-9. 7-5 is agood number and the dawgs will be back to national prestige within the next 5 years darn it!!!!!!!!!!!!
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