The Pac-10 season is almost upon us. How will the conference standings shake down? The Pac-10 will be stronger at the top but weaker in the middle this year, with teams like UCLA and OSU taking steps back from last year.
USC looks loaded with the talent necessary to take its seventh straight Pac-10 crown this year, but there is no shortage of quality teams at the top of the conference to challenge them for supremacy.
The Pac-10 will sport a much different look this year, as many of its top teams face quarterback issues and will rely on defense instead of offense to drive their squads.
Without further ado, here are the 2008 Pac-10 standings and analysis for each team.
1) USC
The Trojans will once again be the class of the Pac-10 and are loaded with talent. The Trojans are perhaps the best team in the nation on the defensive side of the ball, with a fast, athletic defense highlighted by All-American candidate linebackers Brian Cushing and Rey Maualuga.
Offensively the Trojans should have no problem replacing quarterback John David Booty, as talented junior Mark Sanchez, who was 3-1 leading USC last year while Booty was out, takes the reins. The biggest questions for USC lie on the offensive line, which only returns a single starter from last year.
If the offense can move the ball consistently, the Trojans will be on the short list of National Title contenders.
2) Oregon
How will the Ducks’ offense, among the nation’s best last year, fare without departed quarterback Dennis Dixon? The burden will fall on the shoulders of one of two sophomore quarterbacks, Nate Costa and Justin Roper.
Whoever takes the reins at quarterback will be surrounded by plenty of talent. The offensive line looks to be one of the best in the conference, returning All-Pac-10 performers Max Unger and Fenuki Tupou. They will block for a talented duo of running backs, with Jeremiah Johnson returning from injury and talented junior college transfer LeGarrette Blount joining the team.
Defensively, the Ducks return a talented secondary and a formidable pass rush led by Nick Reed, but they will face questions up the middle with the defensive tackles and linebackers. If the Ducks can get consistent play from the quarterback position, this could be a big year in Eugene.
3) Cal
The Bears look to rebound this year after their second half collapse in 2007 and will do so with a new starter at quarterback, as sophomore Kevin Riley unseated senior and incumbent starter Nate Longshore this fall. This transition will be eased by the presence of a stellar offensive line, led by All-American center Alex Mack, and talented running back Jahvid Best.
While the defensive backfield is a source of some concern, Cal boasts one of the best defenses in the Pac-10, featuring a solid linebacking unit led by Zack Follet, one of the top linebackers in the Pac-10.
This will be a different team than most Jeff Tedford-led Cal teams we’ve seen, as the defense looks to carry the offense to success.
4) Arizona State
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