2010 Pac-10 Football Preview

Arizona State

The Sun Devils will struggle again in 2010 and will likely finish without a bowl berth for the third straight year.

The defense looks to be the strong point of this team, led by sophomore Vontaze Burfict. However, ASU is losing eight starters, including three offensive linemen from an offense that was not very good to start out with.

The Sun Devils are yet to name a starting quarterback, as Steven Threet and Brock Osweiler are competing for the starting job.

Although only one win against a non-FBS school can count for bowl eligibility, the Sun Devils can use their two non-FBS games as a “preseason” before they head on the road to take on Wisconsin in their last non-conference game.

Predicted Finish: 5-7 (3-6 Pac-10)

Arizona

The Wildcats are returning just three defensive starters. The play of quarterback Nick Foles will be key to the success of the Wildcats. Arizona should have a good offense, but the defense is full of question marks.

An early indicator to the success of the 2010 Wildcats could come on Sept. 18 when they host Iowa in a non-conference matchup. Ultimately, I think this team will struggle because of the lack of experience.

Predicted Finish: 6-6 (3-6 Pac-10)

Cal

The Bears are returning 15 starters, but they are losing three very important players in running back Jahvid Best, corner Syd’Quan Thompson, and end Tyson Alualu.

Kevin Riley has shown that he can be good at times, but that he is just as likely to be awful too. The Bears constantly start strong and then fall off towards the end of the season. Expect Riley to be inconsistent and the Golden Bears to be inconsistent as well.

Predicted Finish: 8-4 (5-4 Pac-10)

Stanford

The Cardinal do have Andrew Luck returning at quarterback, but it is yet to be seen how they will respond without the presence of Toby Gerhart in the backfield.

Stanford continues to get better year after year, but they will have to deal with a tough road schedule this year as they play games at Notre Dame, Cal, Oregon, and Washington.

Predicted Finish: 6-5 (4-5 Pac-10)

USC

Is it possible that the Trojans fail to win the Pac-10 title in back-to-back years?

USC will begin this year with a new coach, three new starters on the offensive line, a new secondary, and a quarterback that is somewhat unproven. I am not sold on Matt Barkley and think that USC will be a good team that competes for the conference crown, but ultimately will not win it.

Predicted Finish: 11-2 (7-2 Pac-10)

UCLA

It’s hard to imagine a good season for the Bruins. The Bruins have a tough road schedule and do not seem to have any guaranteed wins in non-conference play.

They go to Kansas State, which is winnable, but no guarantee. Then they face Houston, where Case Keenum will more than likely tear apart a Bruin defense that is losing over half its starters from a year ago. For the final non-conference game, the Bruins will travel to Austin to take on Texas and hopefully avoid embarrassment.

UCLA will play teams tough, but do not expect very much in the win column this year.

Predicted Finish: 3-9 (2-7 Pac-10)

Oregon

The Ducks are returning 18 starters and look to be the favorite to win the Pac-10 again. They will be without quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, but both Darron Thomas and Nate Costa have shown that they are capable of running the offense. However, they both have very limited game experience.

The Ducks will rely on running back LaMichael James to carry the offensive load.

The defense is expected to be better than last year’s, as nine players are returning and have an extra year of experience under their belts.

The Ducks will need to survive an early-season test when they visit Tennessee.

Predicted Finish: 11-1 (8-1 Pac-10)

Oregon State

The Beavers look to be in contention as always, but as always will fail to win the conference. Jacquizz Rodgers will undoubtedly put up solid numbers in the running game, but the questions at quarterback may end up costing the team a game or two.

Sean Canfield was very valuable to the Beavers last year because opponents had to respect the passing threat. Unless Ryan Katz is able to show that he can throw the ball effectively, teams will load up to stop Jacquizz Rodgers.

Oregon State will have two huge tests early in the season as they travel to Boise State to face the Broncos on the smurf turf and travel to Cowboy Stadium to play TCU.

Predicted Finish: 8-4 (7-2 Pac-10)

Washington

Jake Locker. If Locker plays up to his potential, this could be a great year for the Huskies. They have 17 returning starters and a favorable home schedule.

They do, however, travel to BYU and host Nebraska in a game I expect them to lose.

Steve Sarkisian has shown that he has this program heading in the right direction. In a few years the Huskies will be contending for the conference title.

Predicted Finish: 8-4 (7-2 Pac-10)

Washington State

This season will be about the development of sophomore quarterback Jeff Tuel. The Cougars do not have enough depth to surprise anyone and put up a lot of “W’s” on their schedule.

This team will finish in last place in the conference once again but will hopefully use the year to develop Tuel and set stepping stones for 2011.

Predicted Finish: 1-11 (0-9 Pac-10)