College Preview- Pac 10

The Pac 10 has been rolling along as the second best conference in the land the last couple of years. The Big 12 is creeping up but not quite to the Pac 10's level yet. USC remains the class of this conference with schools like Cal, Oregon and Arizona St. always ready to challenge but never able to knock the Trojans off their perch. Here are the picks...

• USC- Big surprise here. They are primed and loaded for another run at a national championship (or at least the Rose Bowl). The defense is stout and keep an eye on Joe McKnight at RB...he's being compared to a certain Reggie Bush. Early season matchup with Ohio St. should be fun to watch.
• Arizona St.- Dennis Erickson is turning this program into a consistent contender. Rudy Carpenter returns at qb. They also recruited a qb with the last name Elway...hmmm...where do I know that name?
• Oregon- Lost Dennis Dixon but they always seem to retool. Always have great athletes...just don't always play up to potential.
• California- Started off hot last year then completely lost it. Longshore is a veteran qb, they'll make some noise but not too much. Aren't what they were 2-3 years ago.
• UCLA- Rick Neuheisel and Norm Chow? Plus they retained a great def coordinator in DeWayne Walker. These guys could be scary in a couple of years! But not this year.
• Oregon St.- Solid team that always find a way to stay in the upper echelons of the conference. Just can't seem to get out of the Ducks shadow.
• Washington- Jake Locker should be even better if he can stay healthy. Willingham is doing some good things here, they are just in a tough conference.
• Arizona- Mike Stoops has had a rough go of it, but the Wildcats are more respectable than they were before he got there. They were a doormat before, but they cannot be overlooked now. Tough defense. Physical team.
• Stanford- The win at USC last year put Jim Harbaugh on the map as a coach. Can he keep it up? Doormat days may be over for the Cardinal.
• Washington St.- Lost too much from last year and the cupboard looks bare. May be rebuilding time in Pullman.