Pac 10 Preview & Interview With Ian Peterson

Written by Gatorsfirst.com & Ian Peterson

With the college football season rapidly approaching, Gatorsfirst.com is presenting a different take on the 2009 season everyday for the entire month of August. We call it our ''Full Month of College Football Previews."

As part of the project, we are having fellow bloggers and other college football personalities from around the SEC and the rest of the nation give us their take on the current state of college football. This approach will allow us to bring you a much more in-depth look at the 2009 season than we could possibly provide on our own.

The next in this series is the Pac 10 Conference season preview, by Ian Peterson. Ian runs the Washington Huskies web site Husky Trails, so we turned to him for his take on the Pac 10's outlook for 2009.

Also, check out the interview below for his take on the BCS, regional biases, and the Pac 10's performance in non-conference games.

Projected Conference Finish

Conference Champions: USC and California Co-Champions

USC
California
Oregon
Oregon State
Arizona State
Stanford
Arizona
UCLA
Washington
Washington State

Top 5 Freshmen/newcomers

1. Matt Barkley, QB, USC

2. Stanley Hasiak, OL, UCLA

3. Patrick Hall, ATH, USC

4. Vontaze Burfict, LB, Arizona State

5. Daniel Batts, DB (JC Transfer), Washington

Top 5 Breakout Players

1. Everson Griffen, DE, USC

2. Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

3. Kevin Riley, QB, California

4. De'Andre Goodwin, WR, Washington

5. Shareece Wright, CB, USC

Player Superlatives

Player of the Year: Jahvid Best, RB, California

Offensive POTY: Joe McKnight, RB, USC

Defensive POTY: Taylor Mays, S, USC

Overrated POTY: LeGarrete Blount, RB, Oregon

Underrated POTY: Toby Gerhart, RB, Stanford

Bowl Projections

Rose Bowl: USC v. Ohio State

Holiday Bowl: California v. Texas

Sun Bowl: Oregon v. Pittsburgh

Las Vegas Bowl: Oregon State v. Utah

Emerald Bowl: Arizona State v. Wake Forest

And now for the interview:

Gatorsfirst (G1): How did you become a fan of your team?

Ian Peterson (IP): Well, it really started when I got accepted at the University of Washington. I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area as a 49ers' fan. My very first college football game was the Notre Dame vs. UW game in 2005 when I was moving in for my first year of college. From then on, I was hooked, and I've had season tickets ever since.

This upcoming season is my first outside of the student section, but I'm still excited for the season. I love the passion of college football, and because I went to the school it's a team I feel like I belong to, even though I don't play.

(G1): Describe the gameday atmosphere.

(IP): It has tapered off over the last four years, as the team has hit rock bottom, but it still can be a crazy experience. Everyone dressed in purple, pouring out of cars, pouring from campus, pouring out of buses, and even showing up on their boats.

I believe it's one of two schools, with the University of Tennessee being the other, where fans show up on their boats. People in Seattle like their football, be it the Huskies or the Seahawks. While we may not compete with the SEC in terms of rabid fans—the 0-12 season has taken away from the atmosphere somewhat—Steve Sarkisian has really re-energized a lot of fans.

(G1): Give me some thoughts on your coaching staff. Are you satisfied? Do you wish your team ran different schemes? How is recruiting?

(IP): Considering that te staff is brand new, it's hard to say if I'm satisfied from a football standpoint. From a program standpoint these guys are great. They are young and energetic, and seem really excited about the program. Coach Sark has opened up the program to a large extent, with open practices and access to the program readily available through his twitter site and his web site coachsark.com.

The team is currently installing a pro-style offense that Sarkisian designed at USC. I, personally, am hoping that it will give us some of the success that USC has.

The problem is we are perhaps a little light on personnel for the system, specifically tight ends. The old coach, Tyrone Willingham, ran a version of the spread that relied heavily on quarterback Jake Locker's running ability...too heavily on it. Sarkisian is trying to improve his accuracy and reduce the need for him to run.

Recruiting is excellent right now, considering we had a losing season. Our class is headlined by quarterback Nick Montana, Joe Montana's son. He was a huge get, even though he isn't the best of the best of the quarterbacks this year and may be a bit undersized. He turned down offers from teams as diverse as Notre Dame, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida State, and Ohio State.

The team is also recruiting well in our home state of Washington, something the previous staff utterly failed in last year, as well as the state of California.

(G1): Who is a player we might not know from your team that you are excited about this season? Why?

(IP): It's gotta be Jake Locker, the dynamic dual-threat quarterback for the Huskies. The team is just better when he is on the field. He was hurt with a broken thumb for most of last year, but is back and healthy right now. Sarkisian has been working on upping his accuracy, and if he can get that down the team could make a huge jump in the wins column.

(G1): Make one point about your school, and another point about your conference, you think is overlooked on the national level.

(IP): For the school, I would say we are still as passionate as ever, so don't forget about us up here in the lonely Pacific Northwest. We'll be back on the national scene sooner rather than later.

For conference, we play good football out here in the West. Everyone looks down their nose at the Pac-10 because somehow everyone manages losses even when they are favored. I claim this isn't a weakness but a strength. I think the conference is one of the most competitive ones, top to bottom, in the country. And let's not forget the conference has a winning record against every FBS conference since 2000, and that includes the SEC.

(G1): What do you think about conference title games? Would it be a good idea to add to 12? Would you change something about the Pac 10?

(IP): I think the format for the Pac-10 is good as it is, but I understand the arguments that if it was expanded to add a championship game then a Pac-10 would be a better contender for national champion. As it stands, a Pac-10 team has to go undefeated to get into the championship game, which is difficult but not unheard of.

Adding to 12 has been talked about, but there is somewhat of a question of whom to add. The biggest contenders are the Utah schools like BYU and Utah, but there is also Fresno State, Boise State, and others that could make a good claim. While those teams dominate the Mountain West and WAC, would they be challengers at the top or just middle of the road teams?

Remember Boise State beat Oregon last year, but lost to Washington the year before. BYU struggled to get past Washington last year. It's a hot button issue right now, and it's going to continue to be as long as the BCS format is still in place.

(G1): How much did you like the bowl system pre-BCS? As a fan, how much do you concentrate on "National Championships?" Has this changed in the last decade or so?

(IP): You know, I never really watched the pre-BCS system, I've only really gotten into it after the system is in place. It was just as flawed though, having co-national champions was a tough system to work around. At least now there is a clear victor, even if the system leading up to it is a bit strange sometimes.

If it was the middle of the '90s I would say that yes, national championships are on my mind. However, with Washington about as low as they can get, I really have no interest in the title game. I didn't even watch last year's game.

The BCS bowls that I watch the most are the Rose Bowl for the Pac-10 ties, and whichever bowl got the largest bid for a non-BCS school. I loved the Sugar Bowl last year, and the Fiesta Bowl with Boise State and Oklahoma was probably the best football game I ever watched.

(G1): What sort of changes, if any should be made to the BCS system? Does this opinion put you in-line or out-of-line with other fans of your team and conference?

(IP): I still think the system needs to be scrapped in favor of a playoff. I understand the problems involved with creating a playoff, but it would eliminate so much of the griping that happens now. I honestly think that most people want one too, it's just such big money right now that it's hard to change.

(G1): Are the polls a good idea in the first place? Should they play a role in determining a "National Champion?"

(IP): Absolutely, otherwise there is little to determine who belongs in the championship game. It's as fair and democratic as we can get in the sport.

People in the East, West, and Midwest will never agree on who is better during any given season. Each side of the country has their own regional bias and the polls average a lot of that out.

(G1): How much should non-BCS teams be included in the BCS and other high payout bowls? How much do you watch these teams?

(IP): I think that undefeated non-BCS teams deserve just as much of a chance at the big payouts as anyone else. I think people underestimate how hard it is to go undefeated. I do think a lot of these teams are weaker, but they are still good teams.

I watch these teams a fair amount, my parents are both Fresno State grads so I have a soft spot for them. Utah is also a fun school to watch, and the Sugar Bowl was a great game against Alabama. Those are about the only ones that I follow.

You can view the original interview here: http://gatorsfirst.com/index.php/florida-gators-sports-news/college-football/pac-10-preview-2009.html