Trojans eclipse Cal, Pac-10 in early poll

By Jennifer Jamall Daily Californian
Berkeley, CA (U-WIRE) -- Though no longer the rags-to-riches story of recent years, the Cal football team is still a formidable force in the Pac-10 Conference.
A force albeit overshadowed by the gridiron juggernaut that is USC.
The Bears are slated to finish second in the Pac-10, according to a poll released Tuesday at the conference's annual media day at the Sheraton Gateway in Los Angeles, finishing well behind the two-time defending national champions Trojans.
USC was unanimously predicted to take the title by the 41 media representatives polled.
Following its final No. 9 ranking last season, Cal again finds itself in the top 25 of several preseason polls, including a No. 20 spot in the USA Today poll.
However, despite the relatively high ranking for the Bears, the race for second place in the conference should prove to be a close one. The media day poll placed Arizona State and Oregon at third and fourth, respectively.
However, only 14 points separated Cal and the Sun Devils.
The obvious stars of the show, though, were the Trojans, who beat Oklahoma 55-19 in the BCS national championship game last January.
"Who wants to play them?" joked Washington State coach Bill Doba.
Boasting Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Matt Leinart and Heisman candidate Reggie Bush, USC is looking to win its third national championship in a row and dispel criticism about the competitiveness of the Pac-10 in the process.
"Their success has helped the Pac-10, it elevates our status," Oregon coach Mike Belloti said. "For that, we owe them a debt of gratitude."
Trojans coach Pete Carroll and Leinart looked relaxed and confident as they strode to the table, arms thrown around each other's shoulders.
"We're really excited to be at this point, I'm as pumped as I've ever been," Carroll said. "I'm hoping we feel comfortable with the spotlight."
Carroll even seemed a little nonchalant at the prospect of playing the Bears on the road. Memorial Stadium is the sight of USC's most recent loss -- a 34-31 triple overtime setback Sept. 27, 2003 -- which forced it to share the national title that year with Louisiana State.
"[Cal] has done a tremendous job," Carroll said. "We have a little unfinished business at that stadium that we're going to take care of."
Possessing only three returning defensive starters, Bears coach Jeff Tedford readily admitted his team is going to have a challenging season.
"We have a lot of new faces this year because we lost 26 guys," Tedford said. "I'm 100 percent confident we have the talent to get things done. Now it's just a matter of gaining experience."
Both Tedford and All-American center Marvin Philip were all smiles about sophomore tailback Marshawn Lynch, who averaged 8.8 yards per carry last season and has already garnered national attention as a potential Heisman candidate.
"Anytime you get to block for someone like Marshawn, you're lucky. Most of the time I just catch myself watching him," Philip said. "Having him in our backfield is great."
Just days before fall training camp, Philip was also filled with praise about freshman wide receiver DeSean Jackson, who committed to Cal from Long Beach Poly High School.
"DeSean has been working out with us; he's very fast, very promising," he said. "He just needs to get his feet wet."
Jackson won't be the only one in the Pac-10 getting his feet wet this season.
The conference welcomed two new coaches, Washington's Tyrone Willingham and Stanford's Walt Harris.
Willingham spent the last three seasons at Notre Dame, after leaving the Cardinal in 2001. He is faced with the task of turning around a team that went 1-10 last year.
"It is awfully nice to be back in the Pac-10," Willingham said. "Right now, we are hard at work trying to be a better football team."
Harris, who led Pittsburgh to a BCS bowl game last season, is in a similar situation at the Farm, where the Bears' rivals have suffered 4-7 campaigns the last two years.
"The goal is to win some of the close games we lost last year," Harris said, referring to Stanford's trio of three-point losses in 2004.
With the hoopla surrounding the new coaches, not to mention the three-ring media circus surrounding the Trojans, Cal did not receive as much attention as it did in past years.
However, don't expect the lack of attention to bother Tedford, who has been named Pac-10 Coach of the Year twice in his three years with the Bears.
"It's nice that we're recognized, but in the end the rankings really mean nothing," he said. "Where you land at the end of the season is what matters. We're just eager to get out there and play."