2007 Pac Ten Football Preview (Part Two)
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by The Beast
1. USC With fifteen returning starters, the Trojans are regarded by most pundits as the frontrunners for the national championship. However, if they are unable to meet these high expectations, than the season will be deemed by many to be a failure. What makes the men of troy a popular pick for the title game is the fact that they return ten starters from a defense that was 11th nationally in scoring. According to Head Coach Pete Carroll, it might be his best defense ever during his tenure at Southern California. The offense isn’t too shabby either with Senior Quarterback John David Booty leading the way, and Sam Baker anchoring an already stellar offensive line. While the Trojans are considered a lock for the title game, the schedule hints otherwise. They face tough road games at Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oregon, Cal, and Arizona State, that will certainly danger the Trojans’ national title game hopes. Despite a tough schedule, they certainly have the personel to land a spot in the title game.
2. California If it wasn’t for the recent dominance of USC, the Golden Bears would be considered the conference favorite in any other year. Lining up on offense are some of the most talented players in all of College Football, most notably DeSean Jackson, who reeled in thirteen total touchdowns in 2006. Jackson, certainly isn’t the team’s only playmaker with senior Justin Forsett (Running Back) and Junior Nate Longshore (Junior) lining up behind center. Fortunately for the Bears, they get their tough games at home; September 1st against Tennessee and November 10th versus USC. The Bears have been close to crashing the BCS party during the Jeff Tedford era and with an experienced offense and favorable schedule, this just might be their year.
3. Oregon State With the return of fifteen starters, the Beavers are hoping that momentum from a ten win season carries over to 2007. While they do lose Senior quarterback Matt Moore, the Beavers still return two of the conference’s most exciting players in running back Yvenson Bernard and wide receiver/kick returner Sammie Stroughter. In 2006, Bernard ran for over 1,300 yards and had 12 touchdowns. Defense shouldn’t be a problem with eight returning starters from a unit that was 29th nationally against the run. If they can improve a pass defense which allowed 223 yards per game than they could seriously challenge for the Pac Ten crown.
4. UCLA UCLA returns twenty starters as they look to improve upon a 6-6 record and an Emerald Bowl loss at the hands of Florida State. The one big question for the folks in Westwood is which Bruins team will show up: the one that beat USC or the one that lost to Florida State. If the 13-9 version shows up than the Bruins could seriously challenge for a BCS bowl bid. If the other group shows up than the Bruins will float around five- hundred. However, past history suggests that the inconsistent Bruin team tends to make many appearances throughout the season.
5. Oregon The Ducks fell apart down the stretch last season losing their final four games. To toughen them up, practices were much more intense in the spring. If they can be more consistent than the Ducks could compete for the Pac Ten title. Oregon has one of the conference’s best offense with Heisman candidate Johnathan Stewart. In 2006, Stewart had ten touchdowns on the ground to lead the team. If they straighten out the quarterback situation with Dennis Dixon and Brady Leaf than the Ducks will be better off.
6. Arizona State The arrival of Dennis Erickson has created some buzz in Tempe, but there is still plenty of work to do. The defense still needs work, 76th in scoring in 2006, but the Sun Devils still have 16 returning starters. The most prominent returner is quarterback Rudy Carpenter and running back Ryan Torain. Whiel Carpenter struggled at times in 2006, he is now finally healthy and should return to his 2005 form. The Sun Devils get most of their tough games at home so a finish in the top half of the conference is not out of the question.
7. Arizona Throughout his tenure at the University of Arizona, Mike Stoops has compiled a 12-22 record despite bringing in solid recruiting classes. For the past few seasons, Arizona has been projected by many to be a “sleeper” team. The only ones sleeping are the Wildcats. Despite having talent on both sides of the ball, the Wildcats often commit dumb penalties which put them at a disadvantage. The Wildcats make too many mistakes to finish at the top of the conference.
8. Washington State The Cougars feature one of the conference’s better offenses with quarterback Alex Brink who just needs 1,736 to pass Jason Gesser as the school’s top passer. However, it’s the defense the should pose a major problem for the Cougars in 2007. Lasy year, they surrendered 357 yards per game, 81st in the nation, and many players from that defense are now gone. If they defense can play well than the Cougars should challenge for a bowl appearance but a very tough schedule doesn’t make that too likely.
9. Washington The Huskies should improve in 2007, but their record will hardly reflect that. The Huskies face the nation’s toughest non-conference slate withf Syracuse, Boise State, Ohio State, and Hawaii. Three of the four appeared in the final top 25. Despite what appears to be a tough, excitement in Seattle is lacking. Highly-touted freshman quarterback Jake Locker will lead the Dawgs in 2007. Locker is from nearby Ferndale, Washington, and his arrival has been highly anticipated by Husky fans.
10. Stanford The Cardinal do have some positive things to look forward to in 2007: a new coach in Jim Harbaugh, an inexperienced senior quarterback in T.C. Ostrander, and fifteen returning starters. However, many of the same players who were on last year’s one win team still play for Stanford. Harbaugh has created some “buzz” with his comments regarding USC and Michigan, but even he won’t be able to help the Cardinal escape the Pac Ten cellar
