What a Surprise: USC Is Team to Beat In Pac-10

There will be a new look to the PAC 10 conference this year as most teams lose a bunch of experience from a year ago.

However, the team at the top of the pack should be the same team that has been there the past six years in Southern California.

While it looks like USC will run away and hide this year, there is a large cluster of teams of could grab a piece of second place.

Expect a lot of close battles in games where USC or Washington State isn’t playing in.

 

1. USC (11-1 overall, 8-1 Pac-10)

This may be the Trojans’ worst team since 2001, but that shouldn’t matter much this year.

Mark Sanchez did a solid job at quarterback last year, but I don’t see him being great. The same can be said about Arkansas transfer Mitch Mustain. There is a stable of highly talented running backs in Stafon Johnson, Joe McKnight and C.J. Gable, so expect USC to run a bit more this year, despite a slightly weaker offensive line. While there is no standout receiver on the roster, Patrick Turner and Vidal Hazelton are good, experienced receivers to throw the ball to.

The defense will still be one of the best in the country, although it probably won’t be as good as it was last year.

However, the schedule is much better than last year. Despite having five Pac-10 road games, they get Oregon, California, and Arizona State at home.

USC does travel to Oregon State and UCLA, where it lost two years ago. Don’t forget about a possible BCS elimination game the third week of the season against Ohio State, two weeks after a trip to Virginia.

Even with what appears to be some tough games, the only game I have the Trojans losing is at Arizona. The Wildcats nearly pulled of the shocker last year and it has pulled off a big upset the past few years (No. 2 Oregon last year).

2. Oregon (8-4, 6-3)

Last year went down as what might have been for the Ducks if Dennis Dixon wasn’t hurt. A good thing about an injury is that it gets others more experience, which will be good for Justin Roeper this year if he wins the starting job over Nathan Costa.

Jaison Williams will still be there to throw the ball to, it is just unsure if he can catch it consistently. Despite losing Jonathan Stewart, the ground game looks just as strong with Jeremiah Johnson and Andre Crenshaw back. The offensive line looks very solid again as well.

The defense was inconsistent a year ago, but the secondary is one of the best in the country, which should keep the Ducks in most games.

There aren’t many easy games on the schedule as the non-conference slate includes a trip to Purdue and a visit from Boise State.

The Ducks also have to travel to ASU, California, USC, and Oregon State.

They need to win at least one of those games to get second in conference.

3. Arizona State (7-5, 5-4)

Here comes the log jam in the middle of the conference, so I will go in the order of who I think is the best.

The Sun Devils should have a better team than last year, but the schedule is much tougher. If Rudy Carpenter stays healthy, he should end his career as the all-time leading passer in school history.

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