College Football 2010: Conference Preview - PAC-10 | Thebigtip

College Football 2010:

Conference Preview: PAC-10

With this season’s College Football season just around the corner, I take a look at the big six Conferences (PAC-10, SEC, Big 10, Big 12, Big East and the ACC). Today I look at the PAC-10 and preview what shapes up to be a very interesting and close title race.

What a rocky off season it’s been in College Football, but mainly in the PAC-10 Conference. We’ve had Conference realignment with both Colorado and Utah committing to the PAC-10 in 2011. We’ve had the off-field troubles at the Oregon Ducks, and then of course the NCAA sanctions against PAC-10 powerhouse USC.

The silly season began in early June when Oregon QB (now former) Jeremiah Masoli (coming off a fantastic season for the Ducks leading them to the Rose Bowl after winning the PAC-10 in 2009) was suspended for the 2010 season after a felony charge. Ironically, Masoli pleaded guilty to the case based on circumstantial evidence, but he couldn’t risk jail and thus took the one year suspension. Things only got worse for the Ducks as on June 9, Masoli was found in possession of marijuana and also driving with a suspended license. This culminated in the immediate dismissal of Masoli from the University of Oregon.

Things only got worse for the PAC-10 as after a four year investigation, they found the Trojans to be guilty of paying incentives to former RB and now NFL player Reggie Bush. This resulted in a vacation of all wins during the Reggie Bush era, including the 2005 BCS National Championship, plus the Heisman Trophy Bush won that year. It also included a two year post-season ban for the Trojans which means they won’t be participating in any Bowl Games in 2011 or 2012 and also the loss of 30 scholarships over the next three years.

There was one positive to come out of the off-season though for the PAC-10 and it came in the news of Conference expansion. Larry Scott (PAC-10 Commissioner since 2009) had bold plans of including six new teams from the Big 12 into the PAC-10 to create a super-Conference, this being the PAC-16 which would have included national power Texas and Oklahoma, plus fellow teams Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and Colorado. In the end, five of the six teams decided to stay in the Big 12, with Colorado, as well as MWC power Utah jumping to the PAC-10 which will be renamed the PAC-12 when both teams arrive.

As for on the field, it promises to be a fascinating PAC-10 football season. Oregon come in as defending PAC-10 champions but they’re without duel-threat QB Jeremiah Masoli whom was sacked in June. There was a very intriguing battle to see who would replace Masoli at QB and after weeks of suspense and second guessing, Ducks coach Chip Kelly decided to go with Sophomore Darren Thomas, ahead of Senior Nate Costa. It promises to be a massive season for the Ducks, with 17 starters from last season returning. They will go in as favourites to repeat what they achieved last season, led by star RB LaMichael James.

As for their rivals, it really is an open race. Whilst USC cannot win the PAC-10, they can certainly play the party pooper in the Conference. The game at the Coliseum on October 30 against the Ducks promises to be a beauty and one which will shape the season. The Trojans also go back to Corvallis, home of Oregon State, the team that handed the Trojans it’s only loss in the 2008 thus meaning the Trojans played in the Rose Bowl instead of the BCS National Championship Game.

The Beavers will be boosted by the return of star RB Jacquizz Rodgers. Another key for the Beavers with hopes of winning the PAC-10 is that they host both the Ducks and Trojans this season. In the last two seasons they’ve lost in the final game of the season (both to rival Oregon) which has cost them a spot in the Rose Bowl.

Of the rest, it seems as though the Stanford Cardinal are best equipped to make a run. In QB Andrew Luck they have an out-an-out gun and a future prospect in the NFL. While they’ll miss star RB of 2009 Toby Gerhart, the Cardinal should still pose a serious threat to the Ducks, Trojans and Beavers. Along with the Cardinal, the CAL Golden Bears and Arizona Wildcats should feature quite well. The Wildcats had one hand on the PAC-10 title last season, only to see it ripped away from them by a monster game from Oregon QB Jeremiah Masoli. It would go down as arguably the game of the College Football season. We should also see improvements in programs like UCLA, Washington (led by top rated College QB Jake Locker who like Luck, is predicted to go top 3 in next years NFL Draft).

One thing is for certain, from top to bottom, you can easily argue that the PAC-10 is the strongest Conference in College Football, and with that said, you can probably rule out the Oregon Ducks from national title contention as trying to stay undefeated in this Conference will be very difficult. Had the Ducks not had the off-field problems and Jeremiah Masoli was still on the team, then they would probably be in the top 3 programs in College Football.

Prediction: For me, despite the dismissal of Jeremiah Masoli from the team, I think the Oregon Ducks win the PAC-10 title for a second consecutive season. In RB LaMichael James they have a star, and likewise WR Jeff Maehl who should feature a lot more this season with the arm of Darren Thomas. Not only that, having 17 starters from last season returning is huge. It’ll probably come down to the Civil War game against Oregon State in Corvallis (and after the game last season, it’ll probably be a heart stopper). But don’t rule out Stanford from making a huge run, as well as USC causing some real problems for opposing teams even though they cannot win the PAC-10.