Foul Balls College Football Preview - The Pac 10

Now that we've finished our team by team college football previews, Foul Balls will turn it's attention to the other conferences around the country. Each weekday we'll preview a new conference, and today we take a look at the Pac-10.

PAC-10

1. USC Trojans - I don't much see the point in even having the Pac-10 teams play this season, because we all know that USC is just going to roll through them. They have the best quarterback in a conference full of good quarterbacks in John David Booty (pictured). They have the best coach in the conference, if not all of college football, in Pete Carroll. They've got ten freaking running backs, that's right, ten, and just about every one of them could start somewhere else in Division-I. They have the best linebackers in the country, they have all four starters back on the defensive line, and their biggest problem in the secondary is figuring out how they're going to get everybody playing time. Am I getting the point across yet? Their toughest games this season are at Nebraska and Cal, and I don't think either of those games will be that tough.
2. UCLA Bruins - Of course if anyone is going to piss on USC's National Championship Parade it will be the Bruins. They did it to the Trojans last season, but this time they'll be playing them in the Coliseum. The Bruins have 20 starters returning this season, including both of their quarterbacks. Ben Olson lost his job to Patrick Cowan after suffering a knee injury last season, but has won the job back this spring. I'm not sure I like that move, because I thought the team played better under Cowan, despite the fact Olson may be the better quarterback. The Bruins problem on offense is that, while they have a lot of dependable, solid players, they lack game breakers. Brandon Breazell is the only real deep threat among the wideouts, and Chris Markey is a dependable running back but he won't bust any long runs.
3. Cal Golden Bears - With Cal's talent and a schedule that brings all their toughest opponents to Berkeley, Cal has an outside chance at making a BCS bowl appearance in January. Nate Longshore is back under center after throwing for over 3,000 yards last season, and 24 touchdowns. He also still has DeSean Jackson to throw the ball to, and Robert Jordan and Lavelle Hawkins complete a trio that's one of the best in the nation. The problem is finding somebody to replace Marshawn Lynch. Justin Forsett has run for 1,674 yards as Lynch's backup the last three seasons, but it's a completely different story when you're the main guy and defenses are scheming for you. The problem for Cal will be on defense. They regressed last season, and now they only return four starters. Whether or not that's a good thing, we'll have to wait and see.
4. Arizona State Sun Devils - Usually, when Dennis Erickson takes over at a new school, it doesn't take him long to turn things around. The Sun Devils will be relying on a fast-moving offense that features a lot of multi-receiver sets, yet their running game should still be pretty formidable. Rudy Carpenter returns at quarterback and he's got some talent surrounding him. Ryan Torain and Keegan Herring make up the classic "Thunder and Lightning" backfield, and Rudy Burgess will be playing wide receiver exclusively this season after spending some time at corner last year. On defense, the Devils should be strong if not dominant in the secondary and with the linebackers, but the line could pose a problem.
5. Oregon State Beavers - I don't think the Beavers are going to match the 10 wins they had last season, but they'll be going to another bowl game at year's end. The biggest question mark is at quarterback where two sophomores, Sean Canfield and Lyle Moevao, are fighting for the job. That means the Beavers are going to be very reliant on running back Yvenson Bernard. Bernard isn't exactly great at anything, he just gets the job done, as evidenced by his 1,300 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. Sammie Stroughter is a game breaker at receiver, and Brandon Powers is a very nice complement. On defense, it's all about the linebackers. Derrick Dogett, Alan Darlin, and Joey LaRocque are all back and ready to wreak havoc on opposing offenses. There are no real standouts on the line, but it's very deep. The secondary loses only one starter, but that one starter was the guy who covered up everybody else's mistakes last season: Sabby Piscitelli. That's a great name.
6. Oregon Ducks - I would tell you more about the Oregon Ducks, but the problem is I never see them play due to the fact their uniforms blind me. If ugly uniforms won games, Oregon would never lose. I have no idea how anybody on Earth can actually think those things look good.
   
7. Washington State Cougars - The Cougars were outscored 109-63 in their final three games last season, and they start this season at Wisconsin. Not exactly promising. If that's not bad enough, only one of their first five games will be played in Pullman since their game against San Diego State is in Seattle. The good news is that Alex Brink is back for his fourth season starting, and he does have some decent talent around him. Is it enough to win more games than they lose in the conference? No.
8. Arizona Wildcats - Mike Stoops knows how to coach defense. The same cannot be said for offense, which is probably why the Wildcats finished 115th in the nation on offense last season. So Stoops brought in Sonny Dykes, the guy who built Texas Tech's insane spread offense. It will probably work out well for the Wildcats in the future, but I think there's going to be a rough adjustment period this season.
9. Washington Huskies - Remember when the Huskies were the class of the Pac-10? Seems like a long time ago, but in reality it's only been five years since they've been to a bowl game. I really do think that this team is improved over last season's squad, but they play the toughest schedule in the conference. All of which means that while the team may be better, they probably won't improve on last year's five wins.
10. Stanford Cardinal - I have a feeling that once Jim Harbaugh has seen his team get the crap beat out of it a few times, he'll have a better understanding why his alma mater, Michigan, has such "lenient" admissions policies when it comes to their athletes. I mean, Albert Einstein was a fucking genius, but he only ran a 5.1 40. Expect a lot of degrees for the Cardinal players, but not many victories.
    

Conference MVP - John David Booty, QB USC

Darkhorse Team - Arizona State

Possible Flop - UCLA