2010 PAC 10 Football Predictions

Written June 17, 2010 by Jack Jones

The Pac-10 has seen a major shakeup this offseason, with the addition of new teams for the 2011 season, new head coaches and many more headlines. The most notable new face in coaching is USC’s Lane Kiffin, who takes over for Pete Carroll who left to coach the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks. The move came after the Trojans didn’t earn at least a share of the Pac-10 title for the first time since 2001. Many felt that Oregon was in line to be the next power in this conference after winning it in 2009, which resulted in a Rose Bowl berth. But it was a shaky offseason in Eugene, which saw the resignation of former head coach Mike Bellotti as athletic director just one year after he took the job. QB Jeremiah Masoli was suspended for the season after a theft charge, and RB LaMichael James will miss the season-opener after he was charged with a misdemeanor harassment involving his girlfriend.

I give my 2010 Pac-10 predictions below, listing the finishing order of all ten teams. Be sure to comment after reading, and you may also want to take a look at my overall 2010 college football predictions article to find whether any of these teams will make the Top-10 in the final AP polls. If you want to bet against the college football odds this season, then take your money over to BetUS and get in on their 100% sign-up bonus! They’ll match your initial deposit up to $500!

2010 Pac-10 Predictions:

1.) USC Trojans – Lane Kiffin managed to keep a few five-star recruits that Pete Carroll was after, and the Trojans managed the best recruiting class in the nation even with a new head coach which says a lot about Kiffin’s ability to sway young kids to his program. With QB Matt Barkley a year older, 12 starters returning, and plenty of young talent coming in, the Trojans should jump right back to the top of the Pac-10 after their worst year since 2001 last season. USC gets their toughest Pac-10 games at home against Oregon, Washington and California. The defense should still be stout after allowing 19.6 PPG in 2009 which was actually considered a down year, and with Barkley coming into his own this offense should be even more explosive than the one that put up 26.5 PPG last season.

2.) Oregon Ducks – The Ducks would be a shoe-in to win the Pac-10 if QB Jeremiah Masoli had made better decisions in the offseason. But with him suspended for the year, it will be up to either senior Nate Costa or sophomore Darron Thomas to lead the offense. Oregon will have to rely on the fastest defense in this conference early on, as they return 8 starters from a unit that ranked 35th nationally at 336.3 YPG allowed. All 5 starters return along the offensive line, and their biggest playmakers are also back on an offense that returns 9 starters. So the talent is there to give USC a run for their money, and these teams are about as close as it can get in my opinion. But I have to give the edge to the Trojans as they get the Ducks at home on October 30, and USC will also be coming off a bye-week.

3.) Washington Huskies – NFL prospect Jake Locker returns at quarterback to lead an offense that brings back 9 starters. RB Chris Polk (1,113 rushing yards) and WR Jermaine Kearse (17.3 yards per catch) are the leading playmakers returning from an offense that put up 26.1 PPG. If the Huskies are to make a bowl game this season and contend in the Pac-10, they must improve upon a defense that gave up 26.7 PPG last year. That won’t be easy with just 6 starters returning to the stop unit. They lost LB Donald Butler and DE Daniel Te’o-Nesheim to the NFL, and Everrette Thompson and Kalani Aldrich both had to sit out spring ball due to injury. The offense will put up enough points to keep Washington competitive, but the defense will stop them from winning the Pac-10.

4.) Oregon State Beavers – The Beavers return a lot of pieces, 17 starters in all, but the one position they need most is at quarterback which is very concerning. Sophomore Ryan Katz is likely to get the first shot after a solid spring, and whoever is under center will be able to hand the ball off to Heisman Trophy candidate Jacquizz Rodgers at running back. Brother James Rodgers is a playmakers at wide receiver, and it just seems like these two have been killing opposing Pac-10 defenses for years. This offense put up 31.5 PPG last season and if they can match that number again in 2010, the Beavers can be a contender to win it all. Injuries and departures did hurt the defense in the offseason, but this unit still returns 7 solid starters after allowing 25.0 PPG a year ago. Late home games against USC on November 20 and Oregon on December 4 should be very meaningful, but unfortunately I have them coming up on the losing end of both of those contests which will have Oregon State finishing in the middle of the pack this year.

5.) California Bears – The Bears have a veteran offensive line to block for senior QB Kevin Riley, and these two factors alone will keep California competitive this season. RB Jahvid Best will be missed, but head coach Jeff Tedford has proven he knows how to recruit running backs. And he has a beauty in Shane Vereen returning, who rushed for 193 yards and three touchdowns as Best’s replacement against Stanford late last season. Riley will need more help from the WR position, where their only proven playmaker is Marvin Jones from an offense that only scored more than 24 points three times last year against Pac-10 foes. I believe the offense will be fine, but the defense has big holes to fill with six starters returning. There are big questions at all three levels of the defense, and the Bears will need quick contributions from young players if they are to take the next step.

6.) Stanford Cardinal – The Cardinal have a lot of experience returning at key positions. They are led by QB Andrew Luck, who figures to be one of the best at his position within the conference. RB Toby Gerhart and his 1,800-plus rushing yards will be missed, and how Stanford replaces him will go a long way in determining how this team fares. They will likely pass a lot more this season, even though they were pretty successful through the air a year ago at 225.2 PYPG. Improvement must come from a defense that gave up 402.7 YPG and 26.5 PPG. The offense scored 35.5 PPG last season and with 8 returning starters there, they should be fine. It’s the defense that’s the biggest concern with only 6 starters back, and they aren’t likely to improve on their ‘09 numbers.

7.) Arizona Wildcats – Offensively, the Wildcats should fare well this season with 9 starters back from a 2009 team that scored 27.4 PPG. Arizona should be even more prolific offensively this season, with QB Nick Foles and RB Nate Grigsby returning. But the Wildcats have been known for their ability to get stops on defense under head coach Mike Stoops. Their ‘09 stop unit allowed just 23.9 PPG, and they’ll be hard-pressed to match that number with just 4 starters coming back. Fortunately, they do return senior DE’s Brooks Reed (8.5 sacks in 2008) and Ricky Elmore (10.5 sacks in 2009). But the Wildcats will be breaking in 5 new starters along the front seven, so these two ends will have to carry the load. Linebacker is the biggest concern, where they lose all three starters from a year ago.

8.) UCLA Bruins – Rick Neuheisel enters his third year on the job, and UCLA fans are anxious to see if his recruiting will finally pay off. This is the year where all new head coaches are judged the most, and he has made progress after a 4-8 season in ’08 to a 7-6 campaign in ’09. Neuheisel expects to win at least 8 games this year, but it will be tough with a brutal schedule that includes K-State, Houston and Texas out of conference. Eight wins is asking a lot, and picking up more than 3 wins in the Pac-10 will not be easy with just 7 offensive and 5 defensive starters back. Defensively, they were fine last year allowing 21.2 PPG. The problem came on offense and a lack of a running game. The Bruins averaged just 114.6 RYPG last year which ranked 97th in the nation. Offensive coordinator Norm Chow is putting in a Revolver offense, a derivative of Nevada’s Pistol. This new scheme will help utilize the talents of freshmen RB’s Malcolm Jones and Jordon James, along with sophomore Jonathan Franklin.

9.) Arizona State Sun Devils – This is a rebuilding year for the Sun Devils, who return just 4 offensive and 7 defensive starters. The offense struggled to score last year, (22.3 PPG), and it doesn’t figure to put up many points in 2010, either. Head coach Dennis Erickson hired Noel Mazzone to run the offense, and they implemented a spread attack in the spring similar to the ones Houston and Texas Tech run. The problem is they don’t have a quarterback, and the most likely candidate is Michigan transfer Steven Threet. Needless to say, ASU is going to have to rely on a defense that ranked 13th in the nation in total defense last year. The Sun Devils gave up 297.6 YPG and 21.1 PPG to keep the team competitive. This unit will be led by reigning Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year in MLB Vontaze Burfict, along with former Freshman All-American DT Lawrence Guy who enters his junior year after registering 4.5 sacks last season.

10.) Washington State Cougars – Like Neuheisel, head coach Paul Wulff enters his third year on the job after posting a 3-22 record in his first two seasons. The good news is it cannot get any worse in Cougar country, but the bad news is that just 6 offensive and 6 defensive starters return. Well, I guess that could be good news also, as neither unit got the job done last year. The offense put up a paltry 12.0 PPG, while the defense surrendered a ridiculous 38.5 PPG. Wulff did recruit a couple solid junior college transfers along the O-Line that should help keep QB Jeff Tuel upright this season, a year after the Cougars allowed 53 sacks. Tuel was promising last season, throwing for 354 yards against California, but a knee injury put him on the shelf after just five starts. Defensively, WSU must get tougher up front after allowing 2,837 rushing yards last season, over 1,000 yards more than the next closest Pac-10 team. They have promising DT’s in Brandon Rankin and Bernard Wolfgramm up front, and improvement against the run starts with them. Finishing anywhere other than the cellar of the Pac-10 would be an accomplishment, but unfortunately it’s not looking like that’s a very good possibility in 2010.

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