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Pac-10 Champion- USC

Picking USC to win the Pac-10 title is about as safe as saying, "I bet it will rain it Seattle today," or "I guarentee Lindsay Lohan ends up in rehab sometime in the next year."  This team- as always- is loaded with blue-chip talent, and there's no reason to think that they can't compete for the National Championship.  Unlike USC teams of the past however, the star power on this Trojan squad is on the defensive side of the football. 

It all starts with middle linebacker Rey Maualuga, the most feared defensive player in college football.  The 260 lb. senior turned down the chance to be a top-10 NFL Draft pick to come back to lead a Trojans defense that's deep and brimming with talent.  Joining him is senior linebacker Brian Cushing, who missed significant time a year ago with injury, and junior All-American safety Taylor Mays, one of the most naturally gifted players in all of college football.  Mays is one of the true freaks of the game.  At 230 lbs. he plays in pass coverage like a shutdown corner, runs like a wide receiver and hits harder than most linebackers.  Although the line must replace Sedrick Ellis, one of the top selections in the NFL Draft, look for Everson Griffen, a freshman All-American last year to surprise many and emerge as one of the elite defensive ends in the country. 

Offensively, the USC were banged up in the preseason, with quarterback Mark Sanchez and running back Joe McKnight missing time with injuries.  Don't feel too bad for the Trojans however- Sanchez will be back for opening week, and McKnight was only a handful of running backs including C.J. Gable, Stafon Johnson and Allen Bradford who were expected to get carries in Week 1.  Although the Trojans wide receivers are inexperienced, they may be the deepest unit in the country with Patrick Turner, David Ausberry and Vidal Hazelton being joined by Arkansas transfer Damian Williams.  None have yet proven to be a Mike Williams or Dwayne Jarrett-type of go to receiver that USC has traditionally had, but all have the talent to break out and be All-Conference type players. 

What will make USC's road to a BCS championship easier is that I don't see the competition that the Trojans had a year ago.  Arizona State is probably the closest thing to a threat that USC has in the Pac-10.  This is a team that returns Keegan Herring at running back, and three experienced receivers to go along with Rudy Carpenter, who's started 31 games- more than any quarterback in college football.  None of this may matter however, as the offensive line lost three starters off of what was already one of the worst units in major college football (the Sun Devils gave up the third most sacks in 2007). 

I also believe that Oregon is ranked highly based more on name recognition that their actual on the field talent.  Remember the Ducks offense was abysmal a year ago once quarterback Dennis Dixon went down and Justin Roper took over.  Guess what Ducks fans?  Nate Costa who was to be the starter, recently went down with an injury and Roper is back under center for at least the first few games.  Not to mention that the Ducks lost one of the Pac-10's best running backs in Jonathan Stewart in addition to three starting offensive linemen.  For Oregon to stay in games, they will have to rely on a strong defense, led by end Nick Reed (12 sacks and 22.5 tackles for loss) and a backfield which returns three starters with three years of experience.  Safety Patrick Chung may be an All-American.  Regardless, on paper to me this Oregon is much more of a 7-5 type team that an 8-4 or 9-3 team.