1. Oregon (2/1) the main question about the Ducks is at quarterback. Jeremiah Masoli was kicked off the team for violating team rules, and as of this writing was on the verge of transferring to Ole Miss. Masoli is replaced by senior Nate Costa. But the offense still looks to be explosive as tailback LaMichael James returns for his sophomore year after rushing for 1456 yards and 14 TD’s during his freshman campaign. The offensive line returns all five starters. The defense remains a question mark, but if they can out score their opponents it might not matter too much. That was the problem last year against Ohio St in the Rose Bowl, where they lost 26-17. The schedule is pretty tough with games at Tennessee, Cal, USC, and Oregon St.
2. Oregon St (7/2) Coach Mike Riley has to break in a new quarterback in Ryan Katz to replace the departed Sean Canfield. But he still has the Rodgers brothers, with the very talented Jaquizz at tailback and his brother James at wideout. The defense is somewhat better than Oregon’s and that might be enough to win the conference title. The schedule doesn’t help as they travel to Dallas to face TCU in a defacto home game for the Horned Frogs and Boise St two weeks later. In conference they travel to Arizona, Washington, and Stanford, but do get Oregon and USC at home.
3. USC (N/A) Though on probation, The Trojans are still a very dangerous team. Coach Pete Carroll left the program to take over the Seahawks, and was replaced by the controversial Lane Kiffin. The only question is whether the Trojans can be motivated to only play the role of spoiler as they can’t win the conference title. Quarterback Matt Barkley was inconsistent last year in his first year, and now has to play behind an offensive line that replaced three starters. The defense had to completely replace the secondary. The schedule isn’t that demanding as the nonconference schedule includes trips to Hawaii and Minnesota, and home games against Virginia and Notre Dame.
4. UCLA (7/2) The Bruins have major questions on defense where they lost half their starters, but Coach Rick Neuheisel’s innovative offense might be able to make up for it. If they can establish the running game that will give QB Kevin Prince time to throw. I personally think 7/2 is kind of a reach for a team with so many questions, but the Bruins could surprise some teams. The schedule is pretty tough as they travel to Kansas St and Texas, and have a home game against a good Houston team. In conference they travel to Oregon, California, and Washington, but get Oregon St, Stanford, and USC at home.
5. Washington (5/1) QB Jake Locker returns for one more season, after turning down the NFL. The Huskies do return 17 starters but are still pretty young. They will compete for conference titles in a couple of years, but a bowl bid is very possible this year. The schedule is pretty tough as they open at BYU and then play Nebraska at home 2 weeks later. In conference, they travel to USC, Oregon, and Cal.
6. Arizona (7/1) The Wildcats went to a bowl game last year, but have to replace a lot of seniors. QB Nick Foles does return though, and if he can play well enough, Arizona can return to a bowl. The schedule isn’t that demanding out of conference as they travel to Toledo and have home games against patsy The Citadel and a tough game against Iowa in Tuscon. They do travel to UCLA, Stanford, and Oregon as well.
7. California (8/1) The Golden Bear perennially underachieve, as every year people say they can compete for a trip to the Rose Bowl. I don’t see it happening this year as they have to replace running back Jahvid Best, though Kevin Riley does return at quarterback. The schedule isn’t too tough, as they travel to USC, Arizona, and Oregon St. they close with three straight home games against Oregon, Washington, and archrival Stanford.
8. Stanford (6/1) QB Andrew Luck returns for Coach Jim Harbaugh, but the Cardinal have to replace Toby Gerhardt at running back. They could go to a bowl game, but the road schedule is tough. They travel to Notre Dame, Oregon, Washington, and Cal.
9. Arizona St (14/1) The Sun Devils will struggle to make a bowl game this year. They lost 8 starters from last year including 3 from an already mediocre offensive line. To top things off, they still haven’t named a starting quarterback yet. Steven Threet and Brock Osweiler will compete for the job. The Sun Devils do play two patsies in Portland St and Northern Arizona before travelling to Wisconsin. They also travel to Oregon St, Washington, Cal, and USC.
10. Washington St (35/1) If the young Cougars win more than one game this season, it will be a surprise. This year is all about building confidence and developing sophomore QB Jeff Tuel for 2011 and 2012. The Cougars will be a heavy underdog in every game on the schedule except for against Montana st, which is a non board game anyway.
