Pac 10 Coach Preview (from collegefootballnews.com)

Spring Preview 2005 ... Pac 10 Coaches A quick run down of the coaching situation in the Pac 10
Best Coach Pete Carroll, USC It took some lean years as an NFL head coach, but Carroll has certainly found his calling at USC. After back-to-back national championships, and another star-studded recruiting class, he’s on top of his profession, and shows no signs of letting up. Since breaking even in 2001, Carroll has gone 36-3, including one-sided BCS bowl wins over Iowa, Michigan and Oklahoma.

Most Underrated: Jeff Tedford. Tedford has gotten near-maximum pub the past year, and yet it still does not do justice to what he has accomplished in three seasons in Berkeley. During that time, he has: 1) won 25 games, and guided the 1-10 team he inherited into a national power 2) helped perennial underachiever Kyle Boller to a first-round signing bonus 3) helped former JUCO quarterback Aaron Rodgers to a first-round draft grade 4) forced Cal to give its facilities a much-needed facelift and 5) been the subject of some very stylish "Ted Head" t-shirts

Most Overrated: Tyrone Willingham, Washington. Not many coaches in college history have won so few big games, and yet have commanded so many headlines. Willingham is all that is good in amateur coaching, but the attention he gets is hardly commensurate with his production in the fall or in February. And whether three years was too quick of a hook or not, no one can argue that Willingham was not getting the job done in South Bend.

Coach on the Hot Seat: Mike Bellotti, Oregon. No one expected Bellotti to produce double-digit win totals every season, but three years of mediocrity and no postseason wins has the former rising star in unfamiliar territory. The administration wouldn’t be foolish enough to replace him anytime soon, but a Top 3 finish in the Pac-10 would be timely. Playing in the shadow of mighty USC, UCLA’s Karl Dorrell looks overwhelmed in his two seasons in Westwood.

Bucking for a Promotion: Tedford. There are only about two dozen college and pro teams combined that would not deep six their current head coach to get Tedford on board. He is that hot right now. The promise of improved facilities in Berkeley kept Tedford from straying for now, but the right combination of cash, power and potential for a championship will eventually lure him away.

Best Offensive Coordinator: Dirk Koetter, Arizona State. The Pac-10 lost some quality offensive coaches in the off-season, but Koetter will be back to coordinate his own offense again in 2005. He likes to air it out as much as any other team in the conference, and toss in plenty of wrinkles to keep defensive coordinators guessing. Bob Cortez has been outstanding at Cal, but the Bear offense is covered with Jeff Tedford’s fingerprints.

Best Defensive Coordinator: Carroll. Beyond players like Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and Mike Williams, the Trojans can also play some defense, Carroll’s forte. Cal’s Bob Gregory, a Broyles Award finalist last year, did a stunning job with an unheralded group of Bear defenders.

Best Off-season Hire: Gary Crowton, Oregon. As a head coach, Crowton makes a darn good coordinator. After a fast start, he circled the drain at BYU, but the head gig isn’t for everyone. Crowton will spread the field and keep defenses guessing, and enters a situation in Eugene that could provide him with immediate success; the Duck offense has been slipping of late, but returns quarterback Kellen Clemens and all of his skill position players.

Worst Off-season Loss; Norm Chow, USC. The term gets tossed around way too much, but Chow is truly an offensive genius. Wherever he’s coached, offenses have hummed and quarterbacks have exceeded their potential, which is why the Tennessee Titans named him their offensive coordinator in February. In his place step Steve Sarkisian and Lane Kiffin, the young Trojan assistants with the unenviable task of trying to replace college football’s version of Yoda.