Pac-10 Early Outlook
By: Nelly's Sportsline
The Pac-10 should still start with USC this season but with the Trojans on probation, the rest of the conference should be looking to grab the Rose Bowl opportunity. The Pac-10 is stacked with quality teams and at least nine of the ten teams look like viable bowl contenders. Here is an early projection for the Pac-10.
While USC will not represent the Pac-10 in the Rose Bowl or any bowl game, this is a team that could embody Lane Kiffin's attitude and play with a chip on its shoulder. The regular season will be the only proving ground for the Trojans and most of the toughest conference games will be at home. Only ten starters are returning for the Trojans but the overall talent level on this team is outstanding. USC will be on the road a lot early in the year but none of the games pose a serious threat and this will be a dangerous team late in the season once the transition is in place smoothly and the remaining players are on board with the cause. The loss of QB Jeremiah Masoli is a big blow but there are capable replacements for Oregon. The Ducks will assume the favored role in the conference for a change but another perfect road season will be much more difficult this year given the schedule on tap. While Oregon went to the Rose Bowl the offense was actually less productive last year than the previous four years but with an experienced veteran team the Ducks have the pieces in place for a third straight double-digit win season.
After back-to-back bowl trips the Arizona program appears to be back on track but this team was close to doing a lot more last season as every loss until the bowl game came by a very slim margin. The schedule lines up well for Arizona this season and this should be one of the more productive offensive teams in the conference. Arizona's defense could regress this season as the top four tacklers from last season have all moved on. The Wildcats are a serious contender this season with a big game against Iowa early in the season possibly leading to a climb into the national picture. While Oregon State is going to face a tough non-conference schedule, the Beavers will likely continue a run of strong finishes in the conference standings. The Beavers have at least six Pac-10 wins in each of the last four years and 15 starters return for a team that was close to having an even stronger record last year. While the Beavers are credited with having a great home field edge, this team has been one of the better road performers in recent seasons and that should continue even with a challenging slate of games.
A trendy preseason pick in the Pac-10 will be Stanford and while this should be the best Cardinal team in many years the schedule will be very difficult. The first half of the season is especially loaded with tough games including three of four weeks on the road against quality teams. Stanford has to play five road games in conference play and while a return bowl trip is likely, contending for the conference title is not. If Stanford struggles early in the year they could be a play on team late, but out of the gate the Cardinal will be overrated. One of the more inconsistent teams in the nation last season was California, climbing to as high as #6 in the polls early in the year before losing by 39 to Oregon. Only three games were decided by less than ten points last season for the Bears this was one of the least productive scoring teams in the Jeff Tedford era. A senior QB and a veteran O-line should allow the Bears to be threat in every game and with five home games on the conference schedule another solid year is in the making.
After going 0-12 in 2008, Washington rebounded to win five games last season and with 18 starters back the Huskies will be a team to reckon with in 2010. A bowl trip should be a reasonable goal even with a very challenging non-conference schedule and five Pac-10 road games. Jake Locker will be considered one of the top quarterbacks in the nation and the leading rusher and top receivers from last season all return. This team has not won on the road since 2007 however and the Huskies are likely to be dogged in five of six road games this season which could prevent a further rise. After starting 3-0 last season UCLA ran into a lot of trouble in the conference season and while the Bruins did finish with a bowl victory, the season fell short of expectations. In his second season with the team Rick Neuheisel should have an improved offense and a still capable defense but there are no breaks on one of the toughest schedules in the nation. Given how difficult the schedule is early in the year it is tough to envision the Bruins enjoying a strong start to the season and this is a team that probably needs positive momentum to take the next step. UCLA has the talent to be a tough out in any match-up in a very closely matched Pac-10 but ultimately this team could take a step backwards given the brutal schedule.
After going 10-3 in his first season at Arizona State the tension could be rising in Tempe for Dennis Erickson. The Sun Devils have failed to make a bowl appearance each of the last two years while failing in some of the biggest games on the schedule. There is very little coming back from last year's 4-8 team as six of the top eight leading tacklers need to be replaced on defense and there will be inexperience throughout the offense. Arizona State was a much better team last season than the record indicated so this is a team that will be capable of surprising. The first half of the season will make or break the Sun Devils as there are opportunities for wins in the first two months of the season. There has been a large gap between Washington State and the rest of the conference the past two seasons and although some ground could be made up, the progress likely will not create many wins. This is a deeper team with experience but rest of the league is filled with bowl-caliber teams. The Cougars were out-scored by 26 or more points in all but one Pac-10 game last season and while the margins should grow closer in 2010 getting into the win column will be rare.