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Trojans want to return to BCS glory
Pac-10 News

The USC Trojans, coming off a 11-2 record and an impressive Rose Bowl victory, open the season at #1 in the nation and have the team to back it up. They will face some tough Pac-10 squads on the road to the BCS title game, but they should be able to stay unbeaten.

Fellow California-based programs like Cal and UCLA will challenge the Trojans, and if USC goes unbeaten, then they will be competing for a spot in the Rose Bowl.

Let's take a glance at the 2007-08 Pac-10 programs, in order of predicted finish.

1) USC Trojans (#1)

Last Season Record: 11-2 (7-2 Pac-10) *Pac-10 Champions*
Postseason Result: Won 32-18 over Michigan in Rose Bowl

Impact Players
QB John David Booty [SR]
DE Lawrence Jackson [SR]
MLB Keith Rivers [SR]

Offense (A+)
USC's offense is just a juggernaut. Booty is an excellent QB and he has almost unlimited options at very skill position. The Trojans have more good tailbacks than entire conferences. Some of the WRs that won't catch a pass this year could be all-conference at any other school. The offensive line looks like a steel wall. They could set records for scoring.

Defense (A-)
Oh, you want defense? Don't worry, USC has got plenty of that too. Rivers and Jackson are only two of several top starters for the Trojans' D. Senior DT Sedrick Ellis, three excellent junior linebackers and future star sophomore FS Taylor Mays are bound for incredible seasons.

Special Teams (A)
Junior kicker David Buehler is the perfect complement to a high-scoring offense.

Overall (A+)
Should we hand over the crystal ball now, or let the season play out? Fine, we'll play but expect USC to be in the conversation all year long.

2) California Golden Bears (#16)

Last Season Record: 10-3 (7-2)
Postseason Result: Won 45-10 over Texas A&M in Holiday Bowl

Impact Players
WR DeSean Jackson [JR]
FS Thomas DeCoud [SR]
RB Justin Forsett [SR]

Offense (A)
Cal has a great balance on offense, with a strong passing game led by junior QB Nate Longshore and a bruising run game paced by Forsett. Watch out for WR Jackson, who is a threat to score anytime he touches the ball and will be a return game monster. The o-line is also very talented.

Defense (B-)
Surprisingly, Cal's defense pales in comparison to their offense. In a tough conference like the Pac-10, the Bears might find themselves struggling to stop some of their high-powered opponents. DeCoud needs to get some serious assistance from guys like junior OLBs Worrell Williams and Anthony Felder, and exciting sophomore CB Syd'Quan Thompson.

Special Teams (A+)
Cal's two senior specialists are very good but may not even be the Pac-10's best unit.

Overall (A-)
Cal needs a lot of improvement on defense for them to seriously challenge the Trojans. If they can't do that, then improving just a little could mean a BCS bowl.

3) UCLA Bruins (#19)

Last Season Record: 7-6 (5-4)
Postseason Result: Lost 44-27 to Florida State in Emerald Bowl

Impact Players
FS Dennis Keyes [SR]
DT Brigham Harwell [JR]
RB Chris Markey [SR]

Offense (B+)
UCLA's offense is very good but looks average compared to some of their Pac-10 rivals. Junior QBs Ben Olson and Pat Cowan will battle all year for the starting job, which could provide some inconsistency. Still, the Bruins have a bunch of skill players to make up for that, including Markey and senior WRs Joe Cowan and Brandon Breazell. Senior OG Shannon Tevaga anchors a solid o-line.

Defense (B+)
I really like the way UCLA's defense is built, with plenty of star power and a ton of young depth. Keyes, Harwell and others like seniors OLB Bruce Davis and CBs Rodney Van and Trey Brown are just the kind of leaders the Bruins need. Watch out for talented sophomores like FS Aaron Ware, CB Alterraun Verner and DE Korey Bosworth to show off their skills.

Special Teams (A+)
Redshirt freshman kicker Kai Forbath is already one of the nation's highest-rated kickers.

Overall (A)
UCLA has a very balanced unit that could do some major damage across the conference, but they need some consistency at QB to really produce something special.

4) Oregon State Beavers (#31)

Last Season Record: 10-4 (6-3)
Postseason Result: Won 39-38 over Missouri in Brut Sun Bowl

Impact Players
RB Yvenson Bernard [SR]
WR Sammie Stroughter [SR]
OLB Derrick Doggett [SR]

Offense (B+)
Oregon State has a bunch of great skill players and a domianting offensive line. Bernard and Stroughter give the Beavers two serious offensive threats, which will keep Oregon State in every contest. The question mark is sophomore QB Sean Canfield, who needs to be efficient and careful with the ball to keep the Beavers competitive.

Defense (B-)
Positives: DE, OLB, CB and experience. Negatives: Safety, DT, MLB and general depth. This might be Oregon State's best year for defense in a while, unless they go crazy in recruiting.

Special Teams (A+)
Senior kicker Alexis Serna was a Preseason all-conference pick.

Overall (B+)
Oregon State has a very talented squad and should compete well, but concerns at QB and on defense may hinder their shot at double-digit wins again.

5) Arizona State Sun Devils (#42)

Last Season Record: 7-6 (4-5)
Postseason Result: Lost 41-24 to Hawai'i in Hawai'i Bowl

Impact Players
FS Derrick Carty [SR]
MLB Robert James [SR]
QB Rudy Carpenter [JR]

Offense (B+)
Arizona State has a very good mix on offense, with plenty of solid tailbacks (senior Ryan Torain will start) and receivers (senior Rudy Burgess led last year) to get the ball to. On top of all that, QB Carpenter is very solid and should be able to keep defenses off-balance by spreading the ball around. The exclamation point to this unit is an excellent o-line.

Defense (B)
Carty and James headline a pretty solid group, but they might be in a little trouble due to some weak spots. Opposing Pac-10 squads with top-notch RBs could exploit their d-line, while pass-oriented teams could target their corners. Still, the Sun Devils have a decent squad that should complement their awesome offense.

Special Teams (B+)
A redshirt freshman and a senior, both at about the same talent level, will do the kicking.

Overall (B)
Arizona State is an intriguing squad that could go 9-3 or 3-9, depending on opposing teams' gameplans and their own play.

6) Oregon Ducks (#43)

Last Season Record: 7-6 (4-5)
Postseason Result: Lost 38-8 to BYU in Las Vegas Bowl

Impact Players
RB Jonathan Stewart [JR]
SS Patrick Chung [JR]
WR Jaison Williams [JR]

Offense (A-)
The Ducks will have a very explosive offense behind Coach Mike Bellotti's spread option attack, with the perfect QB to run it in senior Dennis Dixon. Dixon and Stewart form one of the Pac-10's most dynamic backfield duos, which will equal a ton of rushing yards and points. The senior signal-caller also has plenty of targets like Williams and rising sophomore TE Ed Dickson. Oregon should also feel confident in their experienced and talented o-line.

Defense (B)
The Oregon defense looks promising but they have an odd mix of experience and talent. Players like Chung and seniors DT David Faateete and OLB A.J. Tuitele provide the leadership and playmaking, but Oregon has a big weak spot at MLB. The DEs, CBs and free safeties have talent but they are so young. Oregon needs to gel quickly to compete.

Special Teams (B+)
A pretty mediocre unit.

Overall (B+)
Oregon has the offense to take them to the next level, but can their defense catch up in time?

7) Arizona Wildcats (#48)

Last Season Record: 6-6 (4-5)
Postseason Result: DNQ

Impact Players
CB Antoine Cason [SR]
DE Louis Holmes [SR]
QB Willie Tuitama [JR]

Offense (B-)
Arizona's offense has a bunch of talent, but in reality they lack a lot of experience. Tuitama is a solid QB and has some good weapons to use, but his o-line protectors are ridiculously young (1 senior, next oldest is redshirt sophomore). Arizona might take some lumps this season, but if everyone returns they will be a force next year.

Defense (B)
On the other hand, Arizona's defense is very experienced and will be ready to overcome any offensive shortcoming. Cason is a shut-down corner just waiting to eat up opposing receivers, and Holmes leads an impressive d-line that could pressure opposing QBs into crucial mistakes.

Special Teams (B)
Congrats --- the worst unit in the conference belongs to 'Zona.

Overall (B-)
The Wildcats will need to play out of their minds to compete with the top Pac-10 squads, which they need to do to reach 6 wins again.

8) Washington State Cougars (#51)

Last Season Record: 6-6 (4-5)
Postseason Result: DNQ

Impact Players
DT Ropati Pitoitua [SR]
WR Michael Bumpus [SR]
MLB Greg Trent [JR]

Offense (C)
Senior Alex Brink is a solid signal-caller and has a few top receivers like Bumpus to aim for, but where is his running game? Without that, the Cougars will suffer. Not helping is a subpar and inexperenced o-line.

Defense (C+)
WSU has a very average defense, which will get blasted in a conference like this. Trent and Pitoitua are solid but have no support anywhere.

Special Teams (C-)
A decent group of kickers.

Overall (C-)
Washington State is headed for the Pac-10 cellar.

9) Washington Huskies (#53)

Last Season Record: 5-7 (3-6)
Postseason Result: DNQ

Impact Players
OLB Chris Stevens [JR]
RB Louis Rankin [SR]
QB Carl Bonnell [SR]

Offense (B)
Despite Bonnell being considered an "impact" player, he will give way to redshirt freshman Jake Locker. Locker is a future star and has some decent targets to hit, plus a speedy back in Rankin, but he must try to stay upright behind a porous o-line.

Defense (B-)
The defensive line, OLBs and parts of the secondary look great. The rest of the defense looks shaky and will probably get exploited. Still, some of their young depth looks solid.

Special Teams (A-)
Sophomore kicker Ryan Perkins could develop into a clutch guy.

Overall (B)
Locker has all the talent in the world, but can he stay healthy and off his back enough for Washington to reach .500? All preceding signs are pointing towards no.

10) Stanford Cardinal (#77)

Last Season Record: 1-11 (1-8)
Postseason Result: DNQ

Impact Players
WR Mark Bradford [SR]
QB T.C. Ostrander [SR]
MLB Will Powers [SO]

Offense (B-)
Coach Jim Harbaugh suffered a 1-11 campaign last season, but his offense has taken some strides and may surprise a few teams this year. Ostrander is a solid vet for the Stanford offense, which will need him to be very efficient for them to climb out of the cellar. Junior RB Anthony Kimble and WR Bradford will provide the ability to score.

Defense (C+)
Harbaugh has done a great job recruiting since he arrived at Stanford, bringing some top-notch defensive talent. Most of his recruits are now sophomores and most are starting over a bunch of seniors, meaning the future is now for the Cardinal. Stanford will take some lumps with such a young group, but it should pay off next season and beyond.

Special Teams (B+)
Two seniors on tap here, with punter Jay Ottovegio the most impressive.

Overall (B-)
Stanford will be out of the cellar this season, but a bowl game will be out of the question until next year.