The PAC-10 Preview
1. USC Trojans: “Duh” is the first word that comes to mind when picking the PAC-10 winner. USC has so much depth and so many NFL caliber players that the BCS title game should be changed for a year to the “Who’s going to get pounded by SC?” Game. QB John David Booty is a Heisman front runner, and C.J. Gable is expected to be the starter at running back, where the depth is simply insane. The PAC-10 preseason first team defense is almost identical to the USC first team defense. DL Sedrick Ellis, DL Lawrence Jackson, LB Rey Maualuga, LB Keith Rivers, CB Terrell Thomas and S Taylor Mays are all high impact players. Don’t bet against the Trojans crushing whoever gets in their way.
2. California Golden Bears: As usual, the Bears are the pre-season runner up, the first David in line to fight the Trojans’ Goliath. Their chances of taking down Goliath are slim. 14 starters return, including superstar WR DeSean Jackson. They have a veteran O line, and QB Nate Longshore is extremely talented. On D the linebacking corps is a veteran one with plenty of depth. The question marks will be the running game, with RB Justin Forsett stepping in, and who will replace CB Daymeion Hughes.
3. UCLA Bruins: The Bruins return an impressive 20 starters, a rare luxury that would lead one to believe that this is their year to make some serious noise in the conference. Their major strength is experience, with QB Ben Olson and 1,000 yard rusher Chris Markey returning. The only positions with new starters are left tackle and defensive end. Weaknesses include a lack of depth on the offensive line and scattered over the defense. This is the team to watch in the Pac-10.
4. Oregon Ducks: With a decided gap between the top three teams and the rest, the Ducks step forward as the best of the rest. They’ve lost 8 starters, but everyone returns at the skill positions on offense and the only defensive unit not still mostly in tact is the front line. There are two quality running backs in the backfield behind a quality O line, which should help to reduce the team’s turnover problems of last season. The major concern will be how much they will have to rely on freshman on the defensive line.
5. Arizona State Sun Devils: The theme this season will be improvement on defense. There is a lack of depth on the D line for the Sun Devils, and there are questions in the secondary. Things have been simplified on the defensive side of the ball in order to make the transition to a new staff go more smoothly. QB Rudy Carpenter will return as the starter for new head coach Dennis Erickson, who comes in from Idaho. Talent in the running game is deep, with Ryan Torain looking to get most of the carries.
6. Oregon State Beavers: A noteworthy 17 starters come back for the Beavers, who went 10-4 in 2006. They will, however, have to break in new starting QB Sean Canfield. Fortunately the running game can be counted on to shoulder some of the load, specifically Yvenson Bernard, who has rushed for 1,000 yards twice in his career. Other pluses include the depth on D, and the experience at receiver, both taking pressure off the new quarterback. A major minus will be the road games the Beavers will have to play at USC, Cal, Arizona State and Oregon.
7. Arizona Wildcats: Just about all of the Cats’ games last season were pretty boring, scoring less than 20 points per game and giving up less than 20. Nineteen starters return, most notably 10 on defense, a defense that allowed only one conference opponent to score more than 21 points. Including DL Louis Holmes, and CB Antoine Cason, the defensive unit could be one of the best in the conference. The offense will likely struggle again, without a lot of talent in the passing game.
8. Washington State Cougars: The line is solid, but has two new starters going into the season. QB Alex Brink is back to lead the Pac-10’s most lethal passing game from 2006, along with receivers Michael Bumpus and Brandon Gibson. Depth is a major concern all over though, and the secondary will be a serious weakness. Finding someone to patrol the third tear will be a struggle.
9. Washington Huskies: Ty Willingham is still struggling with the Huskies, and with only 12 returning starters from a 2006 team that went just 5-7 overall and 3-6 in conference, he’ll be struggling again in 2007. Sophomore QB Jake Locker has great leadership ability and might be able to bring the team a little chemistry, but he’ll have some trouble of his own with an inexperienced line watching his back. The Huskies also get to look forward to a schedule that features Ohio State and Boise State.
10. Stanford Cardinal: New head coach Jim Harbough certainly has his work cut out for him at Stanford. The passing game should be decent, with QB T.C. Ostrander running the show. Last year’s starter at running back, Anthony Kimble is back, though he’ll have to rejuvenate a poor running game. Unfortunately it’s hard to say who will block for anyone. The defense returns 8 starters and almost the entire front 7, but it’s unclear who will play safety.
-AB
Read up on the other conferences that Ace has previewed!
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