Three Pac-10 teams in the Top 10, four in the Top 25!

I think Les Miles has it wrong about the SEC being the best conference in all of college football. All of a sudden, the Pac-10 has three teams in the Top 10. SEC? Only two (or one, depending on the poll). Granted, USC may now be overrated, but Cal and Oregon have a good shot at a BCS bowl or the National Championship. If the Trojans turn things around after being upset at home to Stanford, they too will be in the mix. The wildcard is Arizona State. They almost blew in Pullman against the Washington State Cougars yesterday. The Sun Devils are good, but I still don't think they're THAT good. Dennis Erickson is a hell of a coach though, so no one should turn their back on ASU.

The next three weeks will be very telling about this year's Ducks. Oregon gets Wazzu and USC at Autzen, but has to go to Seattle to face a pesky Husky team. I have renewed enthusiasm about our Ducks, and I hope, now that the bye week is behind them, that they will too.

Oregon-Stanford game debacle at Magoo's, and Pac-10 TV coverage

First off, I've been to Magoo's Tavern in Salem many times to watch the Ducks play "non-televised" games, because they've been successful in finding the wild feed off of their big, ugly satellite dish in the past. Not last Saturday night, however. The game started at 7 p.m., and as of 7:45, they were still looking for it. Needless to say, many fans, including myself, left... disappointed. Did anyone else experience issues locating the Duck game on TV as well around Oregon? Did Magoo's finally ever get the feed?

Luckily, I got back my cover charge, but the game's just not the same, listening to it on the radio. OSN radio guy Jerry Allen fumbles around too much in describing the game. It's usually painful to listen to, and it takes me 30 seconds just to figure out what the play was. Watching the replay the next day just doesn't do it for me either... since the outcome had been long decided.

Which brings me to my next point, the Pac-10 prohibits more than one game to be shown on television, in the same time slot. So why in the world did the Pac-10 allow three games be scheduled at the same time, with the very first game starting at 3 p.m.? Couldn't the conference teams space out the starting time of the games, say beginning at 12:30, giving more teams the opportunity to be seen on TV? Conferences like the SEC and Big Ten are killing us in the race to televise games. That should be unacceptable to the Pac-10! If we got more games on TV, then maybe, I wouldn't have to worry about standing around in a crowded bar, wondering if a road game's available to watch live. I can just sit on my couch at home, and only concern myself with cheering on the Ducks.

At least ESPN's College GameDay is coming to Eugene this week. At least one thing's for sure... I'll be wearing something with "Oregon Ducks" on it.

The Beavers' sports bra uniforms... ugh.

I just had to photoshop this. I kept staring like a creep at these ugly "high-and-tight" sports bra unis.

The Beavs have a solid defense and running game, right up until they go against Pac-10 foes. It could be a long season for Oregon State.

OSU's Sammie Stroughter makes an appearance at practice

According to the Oregonian's Beaver Blog, Oregon State Beavers' wide receiver Sammie Stroughter, who's been MIA from fall camp thus far, showed up for a few minutes at practice on Saturday, watching quietly from the end zone.

No one knows (or will say) what his deal is. Some of his teammates say he doesn't look happy. If it's serious "personal issues", I would take this year off, if I were him, and do whatever he needs to get straight. Stroughter is a great wide receiver, and his presence (under normal circumstances) would be good for the Pac-10. But if his head's not in the game, there's no sense in him being there, as a distraction to the Beavers, who are preparing for August 30th. For his sake though, I hope Stroughter gets to being back to his old self again.

Team Tailgate 2007 Pac-10 Preview

Ah, college football....

It's that time of year where everyone's undefeated, and everyone's going to win the national championship. Fall practices around the Pacific-10 Conference (and the country) are well underway. Soon, we will all look forward to Saturdays, with ESPN's College Gameday first thing in the morning, then tailgating at the stadium, or at home in front of the plasma widescreen.

After reading the news from camps around the Pac-10, my opinion of how each team will finish this year hasn't changed much, and is similar to the many preseason magazines off of the bookstore racks. Here's my take on how the Pac-10 will do this year in 2007 (in order of finish):

1. USC (11-2, 7-2 conf. in 2006) – In receiving all 39 first-place votes in the Pac-10 media poll, let’s just start off by saying the Trojans are loaded with talent, across the board. They return seven starters on offense, and 10 on defense. USC will have some holes to fill at wide receiver and running back, but the new players filling those spots are plenty talented, and should be fine. The Trojan defense, again, will be one of the best in the nation. How could the Trojans lose? Well, it would be because of their brutal schedule: at Nebraska, at Notre Dame, at Oregon, at California, and hosting UCLA. Any one of those games could trip USC up. And, I just found out the backup QB Mark Sanchez is hurt. Will starting QB John David Booty be able to handle the entire load for a while? I believe so. They could lose one game at worst, but will most likely go undefeated. Look for the Trojans to vie for a national title game bid. Prediction: 12-0, 9-0 Pac-10


2. California (10-3, 7-2 conf.) – The Golden Bears luckily shared the Pac-10 title in 2006 with USC, despite losing to the Trojans earlier in the season. QB Nate Longshore and WR DeSean Jackson (a Heisman Trophy candidate) are probably the best offensive tandem in the conference. Cal returns seven on offense, but only five on defense. The Bears secondary will be green, and they may have to outscore some teams this year, but they can put up some points on the scoreboard. They have to play a couple of tough midseason games on the road against Oregon and UCLA, and they’ll try to vindicate last year’s defeat to USC, but at least the game’s in Berkeley. Prediction: 10-2, 7-2 Pac-10

3. UCLA (7-6, 5-4 conf.) – The Bruins will be breaking in their new offensive coordinator, Jay Norvell, but that shouldn’t slow down this potent offense. They have enough tools to win the Pac-10 title. UCLA has 20 starters coming back (10 offense, 10 defense). There most likely is a battle going on for the starting QB job, between two talented players in Ben Olsen and Patrick Cowan, as they seek their share of the snaps. The Bruins probably have the best wide receiving corps in the conference, and have a good running back in Chris Markey. UCLA also boasts a great defensive line, with fast defensive ends and linebackers. They get Notre Dame, California, and Oregon at home, but have to go to the Coliseum to face USC. The Bruins don’t make it past Cal and USC though. Prediction: 10-2, 7-2 Pac-10

4. Oregon (7-6, 4-5 conf.) – The second-half collapse of the Ducks was hopefully a fluke, as they try to overcome their immense number of injuries and lack of confidence late in the season, that they experienced in 2006. Oregon, like UCLA, has a new offensive coordinator (and spread offense guru) in Chip Kelly. With the seven returning starters on offense, and the seven on defense, the Ducks, behind QB Dennis Dixon, need to maintain their good offensive production (#9 in NCAA total offense in 2006), and utilize the running game more, with bruiser RB’s Jonathan Stewart and Jeremiah Johnson. Special teams will hopefully improve, but remains in question, along with their depth on the defensive line. The Ducks were abysmal at stopping the run last year (ninth in the Pac-10). Oregon arguably has the best secondary in the conference, however, with Patrick Chung, Jairus Byrd, and Walter Thurmond III, each as potential All Pac-10 candidates in 2007. The Ducks have a favorable schedule, but still will have trouble at Michigan, at home versus USC, and at UCLA. Prediction: 9-3, 7-2 Pac-10

5. Arizona State (7-6, 4-5 conf.) – The lucky thing for the Sun Devils is that it’s now 2007, and they have one heck of a new head coach in Dennis Erickson. After last year’s fall camp debacle with Nebraska QB Sam Keller quitting the team, starting QB Rudy Carpenter was miserable in 2006, compared to when he shared snaps with Keller his freshman year. ASU has 10 offensive starters returning, but only six on defense. The Sun Devils feature a decent running game with RB Ryan Torain, and the entire offensive line is back, so it should give Torain room to roam. Here’s the hard part… figuring out their win and losses. Besides hosting Arizona, California and USC, the Sun Devils travel to Washington State, Oregon, and UCLA. Not a good way for Erickson to start his tenure in Tempe. Prediction: 7-5, 4-5 Pac-10

Now, a quick look at the rest of the Pac-10:

6. Washington State (6-6, 4-5 conf.) – QB Alex Brink is one of the best in the Pac-10, and could become number one on the Cougar's career passing list by year’s end. The problem is, WSU needs to work on their running game and defense. Prediction: 6-6, 4-5 Pac-10



7. Arizona (6-6, 4-5 conf.) – The Wildcats have most of their weapons coming back, but QB Willie Tuitama needs to stay healthy (and concussion-free) for Arizona to move up this list. They do have one of the better defenses in the Pac-10, however. Prediction: 6-6, 3-6 Pac-10


8. Oregon State (10-4, 6-3 conf.) – The Beavers have a great defense and excellent running game. That might be enough to win games. Or, it might not be enough. There’s a QB battle between Sean Canfield and Lyle Moevao. And what’s worse is that star WR Sammie Stroughter has been MIA from fall camp so far (no word if he’s returning), and punter Kyle Loomis has quit the team. Uh oh. Prediction: 6-6, 3-6 Pac-10

9. Washington (5-7, 3-6 conf.) – A few bright spots this year for the Huskies include a good offensive line and decent receivers. But that will only take you so far, if anointed blue-chip freshman QB Jake Locker comes out green and gets hammered by opposing defenses. If he doesn’t complete passes, and if RB Louis Rankin gets hurt again, look for head coach Tyrone Willingham to receive his walking papers. Prediction: 2-10, 2-7 Pac-10

10. Stanford (1-11, 1-8 conf.) – New head coach Jim Harbaugh said at the Pac-10 Media Day, “I will enjoy the struggle” at turning around the Cardinal. He won’t be “enjoying” anything, if his team gives up another 50 sacks as Stanford did in 2006. The Cardinal were near the bottom of the NCAA in total offense and defense last year… I don’t expect that to change this year. You’re in it for the long haul, Jimmy. Good luck getting some of Michigan's recruits. Prediction: 0-12, 0-9 Pac-10

Well, there you have it. That's my take on the Pac-10 conference. Please feel free to let me know what you think. Saturdays are coming!

Todd is honored to get published on the 'Q'

I received an opportunity on FanIQ to give my argument why the Pac-10 will be the best conference in all of college football. Several people have given me their "thumbs up" on it. Let me know what you think. Here it is, if you don't want to have to visit FanIQ (below).

Why is the Pacific-10 Conference the best in all of college football? I can tell you why in just three words… experience and depth.

Southern Cal, for one, has not only survived brutal Pac-10 slates in recent years, but has done so in convincing fashion. Teams in our conference typically beat up on each other year in, and year out, but the Trojans always seems to emerge unscathed. Plus, they’ve further proven their worth, by appearing in a few national title games in this decade alone. USC has also received all 39 first-place votes in this year’s Pac-10 Preseason Media poll.

Throughout our conference, the Pac-10 has some of the most experienced teams, top to bottom. According to ESPN, of the 240 starters from last year’s teams, 165 starters return to their respective programs. That’s nearly 69 percent of the returning starters! There’s a wealth of talent, especially at key positions: quarterback, running back, wide receiver, linebacker, safety, and cornerback. Even Pac-10 coaches are among some of the best in the nation, and have had great prior success, like USC’s Pete Carroll, Arizona State’s Dennis Erickson, Oregon’s Mike Bellotti, and California’s Jeff Tedford.

Position depth is also a factor. At quarterback, USC and UCLA are at least two-deep on their rosters, in terms of solid talent. At running back, Oregon features lots of versatility with Jonathan Stewart and Jeremiah Johnson. UCLA has arguably the best receiving corps in the Pac-10, if not one of the best in the nation. The best offensive tandem in the conference is Cal quarterback Nate Longshore and his wideout, DeSean Jackson. And either Oregon State or UCLA could boast that they have the best overall defense in the conference.

Offensively, the Pac-10 can compete with (and surpass) anyone in the nation, as four teams are ranked in the top 25, in terms of total offense in 2006: Oregon (#9 in NCAA), Cal (#12), USC (#21), and Washington State (#25). Defensively in 2006, the Pac-10 also performed well: UCLA (#9 – rushing defense), USC (#11 – scoring defense), Oregon State (#29 – rushing defense).

Basically, if you like teams with wide-open offenses and punishing defenses, the Pac-10 gives you that, and more. Head-to-head and game-by-game, our conference’s teams can challenge any other conference’s team any day. To me, that’s why I know the Pac-10 is the best, in all of college football. And, look for a Pac-10 team (hint: USC) to fight for a spot in the BCS National Championship Game again this year.

Bring on the season!