By Adam Karon
Daily Bruin Staff Last year the Pac-10 surprised the rest of the
nation when 3 teams finished in the top 10 nationally. Washington,
Oregon and Oregon State proved that the Northwest may be the most
powerful football region in the nation, tallying 32 wins among
them. The 2001 season will be more of the same, although the
struggle for supremacy out west will shift a bit as UCLA enters the
fray. Five conference teams have legitimate shots at postseason
play. Although this year’s conference winner is not
guaranteed an opportunity to play in the Rose Bowl, there is a good
chance that whoever wins the Pac-10 will contend for a national
championship on Jan. 3 on Pasadena. The Bruins should have one very
important date circled on their calendars. On Sept. 29 they travel
to Corvallis to take on the Oregon State Beavers, many
publications’ choice as the best team in the country. If the
Bruins can get by OSU, they get to remain in California until an
early November meeting in Washington State.
UCLA
The Bruins’ revamped defense seems well on its way to
righting itself. Constantly abused last year, the unit held Alabama
to just two touchdowns in the first game of the season. Head coach
Bob Toledo said the team has plenty of experience due to the number
of underclassmen forced into action last year, and All-American
candidate Kenyon Coleman returns to the field after sitting out
last year with a knee injury. Offensively the Bruins feature
Heisman Trophy candidate DeShaun Foster. Foster appears to be
completely healed from a broken hand a year ago, rushing for 110
yards in the season opener. He is flanked by a tandem of talented
wide receivers, senior Brian Poli-Dixon and sophomore Tab Perry.
Cory Paus will deliver the ball, hoping to stay injury free and
provide the Bruins with their first yearlong quarterback since Cade
McNown. For many of the Bruins, the Pac-10 title is secondary to a
chance to play one more home game at the Rose Bowl, this time for
the national championship. “We’re just looking forward
to playing at home on Jan. 3,” Foster said.
Oregon
The Ducks are back to prove that last year’s 10-win season
was not a fluke. Led by Heisman Trophy candidate Joey Harrington,
Oregon flexed its muscle early in the season in a victory over
Big-10 powerhouse Wisconsin. As good as Harrington is, he may not
be the best weapon for the Ducks. Autzen Stadium is widely
recognized as one of the toughest places to play in college
football, lending the Ducks fifteen straight wins. USC, Stanford,
Arizona State and Oregon State can all chalk up losses if this
trend continues. The Ducks do not have to play Washington this
year, but still must travel to Pasadena and contend with the Bruins
at the Rose Bowl. They return just five players on defense, so look
for this to be a problem down the stretch.
Washington
Don’t expect to see much of the option from the now-Marques
Tuiasosopo-less Huskies this year. Instead, the Huskies will rely
on the legs of running back Rich Alexis and the defensive prowess
of end Larry Tripplett. The Dawgs have a tough schedule, traveling
to UCLA and Oregon State, but do not have to play Oregon. If
Jerramy Stevens is not the best tight end the league this year, he
certainly is the biggest. At 6-foot-7, he’s tough to bring
down and even tougher to defend. Quarterback Cody Pickett will look
for the tallest target possible when he gets in trouble, and
Stevens will get the call.
Oregon State
Many picked the Beavers to win the Pac-10, but an early season loss
to Fresno State put a damper on their hopes for a national
championship. Don’t count out Dennis Erickson’s boys
just yet. OSU might have the best running back in the nation in Ken
Simonton, but they need to do a better job spreading the field so
the 5-8 mighty mouse can find some holes. If quarterback Jonathan
Smith can click without his two starting receivers from a year ago,
look for Oregon State to cause some problems at the top of the
standings. A forgiving schedule means the Beavers play Washington
and UCLA at home. All eyes will be on Oregon on Dec. 1 when the
Beavers drive cross-state to Eugene for the Civil War, which could
decide this year’s Pac-10 champion.
USC
Last year the Trojan faithful ran Paul Hackett out of town. This
year its Pete Carroll’s turn to see if he can live up to the
expectations of USC fans who still remember the glory days of O.J.
Simpson and Marcus Allen. While he may not be in that class, Sultan
McCullough is a fine running back who should flourish under the
tutelage of offensive coordinator genius Norm Chow. Carson Palmer
has been the disappointment of the league to date, throwing more
interceptions than touchdown passes a year ago. If his
underachieving continues, the Trojans will be able to look no
further than a Nov. 17 showdown against UCLA for their bowl
game.
California
Kyle Boller has been the Northern California version of Carson
Palmer in recent years. However, he should improve with the help of
former UCLA offensive coordinator Al Borges. The Bears, however,
will not be able to overcome the loss of star punter Nick Harris,
not to mention defensive line phenom Andre Carter. Head coach Todd
Holmoe knows that his job is on the line. “The time is right
now for this program, this administration, and this coach,”
he said.
Stanford
The best aspect about the Cardinal this year is the name of
starting safety Tank Williams. Surprisingly not named after a G.I.
Joe figurine, Williams will try to anchor a Cardinal defense that
lost some big names, including end Willie Howard, to graduation. QB
Randy Fasani showed flashes of brilliance last year, but will need
to be consistent if Stanford hopes to reach the postseason.
Arizona
The Wildcats will be without a quarterback controversy for the
first time in a couple of years. Unfortunately, they are also
lacking a starting quarterback. About the only thing the Wildcats
have to be proud of is that they should finish higher than
cross-state rival ASU.
Washington State
“Winning is fun, and the Cougs need to start having some fun
again,” head coach Mike Price said at the Pac-10 media day in
August. It’s this sort of attitude that will keep Washington
State from finishing last. What could be more fun then beating up
on the University of Idaho Vandals as the Cougars did in their
first game of the season? Unfortunately for them, few Pac-10 teams
will reach the levels of futility that the Vandals surpassed in
that game, leaving Washington State with yet another no fun losing
season.
Arizona State
Another new coach (Dirk Koetter) takes over in the desert, and he
too will struggle with more than just the heat. The Sun Devils are
inexperienced, questionably talented and would consider it a moral
victory to escape with as many wins (3) as they had a year ago.
1. UCLA ““ If the Bruins can get by Oregon
State in Corvallis, they have a legitimate chance at sweeping the
Pac-10. Even if the conference champion does not play in this
year’s BCS Championship, the road to the roses leads through
Pasadena. 2. Oregon ““ Three years after
changing the logo on their helmets, the Ducks are finally being
taken seriously. An early season win over Wisconsin solidified
their newfound national status, but questions of whether they can
win away from Autzen Stadium abound. 3. Washington
““ The Huskies get a break because they do not play Oregon
this year. Unfortunately for them, they travel to Oregon State late
in the season in what could decide their bowl game appearance.
Watch for gigantic tight end Jerramy Stevens to have a big year.
4. Oregon State ““ This Pac-10 favorite fell
to WAC powerhouse Fresno State in its first contest of the season.
Don’t count out Dennis Erickson’s JuCo posse just yet.
The Beavers have the quickness, the schedule and the coach to make
things happen, but need to get by Washington and Oregon in
consecutive games to end the season. 5. USC
““ The Trojans are high on their new coach, new look and
newfound confidence. However, off-season problems (they were put on
two years’ probation by the NCAA for academic fraud) and
chronic underachieving will keep Troy from reigning once again.
6. California ““ The Bears might have the
most talented quarterback in the nation in Kyle Boller, and just
got a major shot in the arm when former UCLA offensive coordinator
Al Borges headed north to help lift their sagging football program.
7. Stanford ““ Quarterback Randy Fasani must
have a big year if the Cardinal hopes to make it back to the top of
the pack. Key defensive losses will make games played on the farm
high scoring and hard to win. 8. Arizona ““
New coach, new plays, but no quality quarterback for the first time
in recent memory. Arizona will find it tough to win without a
dominant signal caller. 9. Washington State
““ The Cougars will surprise everybody and not finish last in
2001. Their 36-7 blowout against the University of Idaho Vandals in
the first game of the season is evidence that Wazzu is on its way
back. 10. Arizona State ““ The outlook is not
pleasant in Tempe, where the heat will be on new coach Dirk Koetter
to win early and win often.