Seattle Post Intelligencer: Pac-10 polling

Huskies Football

Byron Davenport

One of the things we sports writers covering the Pac-10 do in anticipation of the Pac-10 Media Day, which is July 26 in Los Angeles, is fill out a pre-season poll. The polls are compiled by conference officials and the "official pre-season media poll" is released at media day.   I filed my poll on July 3, but here it is for your consumption.

1. USC

2. California

3. Oregon State

4. Oregon

5. UCLA

6. Arizona State

7. Arizona

8. Washington

9. Washington State

10. Stanford

I'll go down the list of my picks:

1.) USC -- Not only will USC garner probably all of the No. 1 votes in the Pac-10, the Trojans will also get a lot of No. 1 votes in the national polls, as well. They return 10 starters to a defense that has the makings of a legendary unit. Coach Pete Carroll returns a solid quarterback in John David Booty, a deep stable of running backs and a ferocious left tackle. The talent level is high and expectations are higher.

2.) California -- I don't see Cal dropping off much, especially with quarterback Nate Longshore back and the conference's best crop of wide receivers. The defense could have some question marks, but Jeff Tedford has recruited well the last couple of seasons and the Bears don't appear to be going anywhere. Their return game could be downright frightening.

3.) Oregon State -- Coach Mike Riley's "aw-shucks" attitude is endearing, but let's face it -- this guy is tough as nails. His '06 team started slowly, but ended up pulling off the upset of the season (a 33-31 win over USC) and his go-for-two call led to a 39-38 Sun Bowl win over Missouri. The Beavers are on a roll, winning eight of their last nine games in '06 and returning the Pac-10's most powerful and experienced offensive line. Tailback Yvenson Bernard is the real deal, as is wide receiver Sammie Stroughter. The first three games should give Sean Canfield or Lyle Moevao -- or both -- a chance to settle before the heart of the schedule.

4.) Oregon -- I know I'm writing to an anti-Duck audience here and you're probably thinking, "Oregon over UCLA?" But, yes, that's what I think. UCLA will have an experienced quarterback and returns nearly all its starters -- 10 on O, 10 on D -- but, save for an upset over USC last year, the Bruins haven't played particularly inspired football for Karl Dorrell or his revolving door of assistants. Oregon, while inconsistent last year, has an improved defensive line, an experienced quarterback and a brutish (though fragile) running back in Jonathan Stewart. Home games against Cal, USC and Oregon State bode well for the Ducks.

5.) UCLA -- If this team stays healthy and cohesive, it should do better than I have it ranked, but I've never seen a team completely avoid injuries and I don't think 21 assistant coaches in five seasons is good. The defense could be spectacular. The starters are special, but there isn't much depth. The Bruins have to get strong play from quarterback Ben Olson and need some more explosiveness from the backfield to prove me wrong.

6.) Arizona State -- The Sun Devils have underachieved of late but new coach Dennis Erickson should take care of that. Quarterback Rudy Carpenter didn't have a strong sophomore campaign, but he has an experienced offensive line that will help him, especially since his receiving corps is untested. The defense will be the concern - the linebackers and secondary didn't appear to be complete at the end of spring.

7.) Arizona -- The offensive line still isn't very good and the receivers are unproven. Quarterback Willie Tuitama should see improvement with the hiring of former Texas Tech assistant Sonny Dykes. Dykes's spread offense could pay dividends and Arizona's defense is quite good. If the offense finds an even keel, Arizona could do better, but a tough road schedule doesn't seem to go in their favor (games at Cal, Oregon State, USC, Washington and ASU.)

8.) Washington -- I know you want your Huskies ranked higher, but with the strength of schedule, a freshman quarterback who will have ups and downs and the fact the Huskies haven't experienced that program-boosting win yet, I have to put them at No. 8. While UW continues to improve under Tyrone Willingham, the depth and overall speed just isn't there yet. It's getting better, but, this season, the Huskies' worst enemy is a very strong conference and a brutal schedule.

9.) Washington State -- What to make of the Cougs? Quarterback Alex Brink is superb and, if he is on, coach Bill Doba's team will be right in the thick of things. The running back spot isn't shored up. The center of the line is ample, but Doba has to replace both tackles. The kicking game is sub-par and the secondary poor. The schedule isn't in WSU's favor, either with games at Wisconsin, USC, Arizona, Oregon, Cal and UW.

10.) Stanford -- I recently read the Mercury News' Jon Wilner pontificating whether this will be the first year one team received the last-place vote in every poll. New coach Jim Harbaugh just doesn't have much to work with in Palo Alto. The offensive line is a huge concern and the secondary isn't much better.