FanNation - The Republic of Sport

I know I'm late on this one, but it's hard to get things done on here with school back in and all, but I am back to continue my preview of the 2007 College Football Season, and we're only two weeks away, people! I hope that everyone is as excited as I am, but I'm not sure that anyone could be.

Now, on to the preview. The Pac-10 is definately one of the most interesting conferences in College Football, because USC is the #1 team in the nation, while there are two teams right on their tail who also have a shot at the Pac-10 Title.

2007 Pac-10 Conference Preview

Arizona- Arizona should be in the running for a bowl season, despite a tougher Pac-10. To do that, however, they would need to really put it together and beat EVERYONE that they should beat. Willie Tuitama was of little importance to the Wildcats last year, despite being their starting quarterback for most of the seasson. He threw for only 7 touchdowns, which accomponied Chris Henry's 7 rushing touchdowns for not a whole lot of offense at all; only 252 yards per game, and 16 points, which was three less than what their opponents were scoring. I think that another 6-6 season could be in store, but I may be stretching it just a bit.

Arizona State- As of now, the real story for this team is their starting quarterback Rudy Carpenter. Without his success, this team would have no success. Last season, he threw for 23 touchdowns, 2,523 yards, and the offense gained an average of over 350 yards per game en route to 27 ppg. The bad news: Defense. Arizona State allowed opposing offenses 24 points last season, which contributed greatly to thier "mediocre" season, by their program's standards. I think that the Sun Devils will improve, but only if they can keep thier quarterback healthy. I think that a 7-5 or 8-4 season sounds feasible.

California- Cal will rely mostly on Nathan Longshore's arm and DeSean Jackson's hands to pull them threw a season that includes a pretty tough schedule and a possible Pac-10 title. The Golden Bears have all of the moves to pull out a terrific season and give USC all that they can possibly handle. I think that Cal should have a one or two loss season with this kind of team, who gained 411 ypg and 32 ppg last season.

Oregon- Watch out for the Ducks. Things look to be clicking on all cylinders right now. Dennis Dixon is coming back for his senior season, and he threw for 12 touchdowns and over 2,000 yards last season. Not only that, but Oregon also has a double-back threat in juniors Jaison Williams and Jeremiah Johnson, who combined for 20 touchdowns last season on the ground. I think that Oregon will raise a few eyebrows and pull some upsets. Anywhere from 6-9 wins could be possible.

Oregon State- The bad news? Moore is no more. The good news? Bernard is. Matt Moore may have bolted for the NFL, but the Beavers' star runningback, who rushed for 12 touchdowns last season, will stay for his fourth and final season with Oregon State. I think that this team can only decrease in wins, since they had 8 of them in the regular season last year, but you can't count the classic upset team out just yet, even though that's basically what I plan on doing. I mean, come on, with a tougher Pac-10, I don't see the Cinderella team going bowling again.

Stanford- Trent Edwards will no longer be starting for the Cardinal, but I don't think they'll be missing their 6 touchdown QB much this season. Stanford should be much improved, and will likely be favored to beat UCLA in thier first game this season, although I do not think they will knock off the Bruins. To make it short and sweet, I think that Stanford will finish somewhere in the vicinity of 6 wins.

UCLA- UCLA is one of the three teams who have a shot of winning the Pac-10 title. The Bruins should improve on last season, and might give USC a loss again this year, if they keep it up. Patrick Cowan will be back, which should help, even if he doesn't start every game. The defense is mainly what keeps this team going. They had a solid one last year, giving up 17 points, while the offense scored 23. It should be interesting to see how the Bruins follow up on thier signature rivalry win of 2006.

USC- Without a doubt, the favorite to win the 2007 Pac-10 title. They have a lot of starters returning, including Heisman candidate John David Booty, and a couple of runningbacks who will pull the Trojan's through the season. The Trojans will have their hands full and a target on thier back, but with an offense that gained over 400 yards per game last season, I don't think that it will be a huge problem for them, and the Pac-10 title is just a small bump in the road, but don't expect them to have it that easy.

Washington- To make a long story short, Washington won't do very well this season. Any success that they would have had with the same team last season is nulled by the most grueling schedule in the nation, including seven or eight teams in which they have absolutely ZERO chance of beating. I don't see them picking up more than one or two wins all season.

Washington State- The more I think about it, the more I like this Washington State team. Alex Brink is an excellent quarterback, and he has the ability to pick up a few wins this season. I'm not sure if they will be bowl eligible again or not, but all is not lost in Washington, where WSU could do some damage in the Pac-10. If the defense could stop giving up 23 ppg, they could have a decent year, but I'm not counting on it.

2007 Pac-10 Projected Standings

              Team                                               W/L (conf.)

1. Southern Cal                                     11-1 (8-1)
2. California                                           10-2 (7-2)
3. UCLA                                                    9-3  (7-2)
4. Oregon                                                8-4  (6-3)
5. Arizona State                                     8-4  (5-4)
6. Washington State                             6-6  (4-5)
7. Arizona                                                6-6 (4-5)
8. Oregon State                                      5-7 (3-6)
9. Stanford                                               5-7 (2-7)
10. Washington                                       1-11 (0-9)

Well, that's all I have. I hope you enjoyed it, and please comment. I'll be back next week (or so) with the moment everyone has been waiting for: The SEC Preview!