College Football Previews

Unlike last year, when i devoted entire posts and previews to each of the BCS conferences, i'm doing a more stream-lined version this year. The reason for this is two-fold: One, you probably don't really care about most of what i have to say except for the actual picks (if you even care for those), and two it's a little late to get rolling on all of those in too much depth since the football season starts in two days (two days!).

So, with that said, here's a streamlined college football preview, where i pick the winners of each conference and various other things.

Big Ten: Ohio St. Obviously. Should roll through the Big Ten, with only Wisconsin giving them any trouble.

Big Twelve: Oklahoma. Poised for a great year behind QB Sam Bradford.

Pac 10: USC. Self-explanatory.

ACC: Clemson. Great backfield. North Carolina isn't ready yet, and Miami and FSU are still struggling a bit.

Big East: W. Virginia. Let's see if this team can continue to burn me anytime i pick them to do anything...

SEC: Georgia. After claiming the #1 ranking in both polls, there has been a lot of backlash about their schedule and inexperience at key positions. I like Stafford, love Moreno, and think they can pull it off.

National Championship Game: Georgia vs. Oklahoma. Georgia will probably have a loss, but with the SEC strength can probably still get in. I like Georgia to win it as well.

Heisman Trophy Winner: Sam Bradford. Had a fantastic freshman season, should really breakout this year. Don't look for Tebow to repeat, he's no Archie Griffin. That's still a taboo.

That's it for me preview this season. Of course, i will resume my picks each week. Hopefully i can do better than i did last year on that front...

Preview Extravaganza!

Since i'm sitting in Sky Harbor Airport awaiting my flight to Chicago (it's delayed. Seems to be a theme with me lately...), I thought i would make my last post before the weekend an easy to use guide to the College Football Pre Season Previews i have done over the last few weeks. So, take a few minutes, read through them, and get ready for the season. It's football time!

PAC 10 Conference Preview

Big East Conference Preview

ACC Conference Preview

Big 12 Conference Preview

SEC Conference Preview

Big 10 Conference Preview

Enjoy the weekend everyone...

Pre Season Previews: Big 10 Conference

Now we're talking. I can write previews for every other conference and team in America, but until i start talking Big Ten, i don't get truly excited for football season. A born and raised Iowan, i've followed the Hawkeyes, and Big Ten football in general, my entire life. From Hayden Fry to Bo and Woody, Northwestern's improbable '95 Rose Bowl season, Wisconsin's rise to national prominence, Michigan State's continuous ability to screw things up, and the year in and year out classic that is Michigan- Ohio St., the Big Ten never fails to disappoint me. Each year there are multiple story lines, multiple surprises, and multiple great games.

Call me a homer, but i love it. You can have your flashy, high scoring offenses of the SEC and PAC 10. Give me some old fashioned, smashmouth, run the ball at will offense and i'm content. There is something fascinating about a team deciding, 'You can't stop me, i'm going to run the ball wherever i want, as much as i want, and there's nothing you can do to stop it'. Take a look at the the '04 Outback Bowl between Iowa and Florida for a perfect example of this.

As for this year? Look for more of the same. The Big Ten will never change, nor should it. Michigan and Ohio St. will be stellar once again. Wisconsin looks to have another dream season like they did last year, where they finished 12-1 and ranked 5th in the nation. Penn St. is back to its winning ways the last few seasons, after scuffling a bit at the beginning of the decade. And every year one team has a big season and contends for the title, making for an exciting season. The Big Ten is football at its best, and this year looks to be no different...

Team To Beat: Michigan
Very, very obvious and easy choice. In a word, Michigan is LOADED. With returning quarterback/running back tandem of Chad Henne and Mike Hart, Michigan will score early and often, on anyone and everyone. They only have ten returning starters, but it won't matter. As the saying goes, Michigan doesn't rebuild, they reload. Their non-conference schedule is tough, with Notre Dame and Oregon, but both games are at home. They avoid Iowa completely, who has been tough on them lately, and get Ohio St. at home to finish the regular season. Michigan should be undefeated heading into the showdown with the Buckeyes, and that game will once again determine the Big Ten champion and BCS qualifier. While Michigan has struggles against Ohio St. lately, i think they will beat them at home this year.

Surprising Team: Iowa
Yeah, it's a homer call. But it's one with a good basis. After a very disappointing 2006 season which saw the Hawkeyes finish 6-7, with a 2-6 record in the Big Ten, head coach Kirk Ferentz took a new approach to the program during bowl preparations. Iowa played perhaps its best played game of the year in their Alamo Bowl loss to Texas, and except for some more bad officiating in bowl games, Iowa may have won that game. They are breaking in a new quarterback, Jake Christensen, but return two great running backs in Albert Young and Damien Sims. They return 8 starters on defense, and 14 overall. Their defense should be stout, and the Hawkeyes will be a ball control, running team. Their schedule couldn't set up any better, they avoid Michigan and Ohio St. completely. And while i think it is a joke they don't play either of them, it will help their record. Look for the Hawkeyes to finish 9-3, and possibly upset either Penn St. or Wisconsin, both of whom they have basically owned the last 7 years.

Disappointing Team: Michigan State
(Sigh)... The Spartans kill me, every year, without fail. No other team in the Big Ten squanders talent and expectation repeatedly quite like them. Whether its blowing a 21-point lead with 8 minutes left against Notre Dame, starting the season undefeated then collapsing down the stretch, or their own announcers practically having a heart attack while flipping out about their ineptitude (Go here to listen- It's kinda long, but freaking hilarious), the Spartans never fail to entertain me. Even with a new coach, this year should be no different. Their schedule is difficult, with road games at Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Ohio St., and Iowa. Look for Michigan St. to finish with about 4-5 wins, very few of which in conference play.

League MVP: Michigan Offense
Between Henne, Hart, and returning receivers Mario Manningham and Adrian Arrington, the Michigan offense will be nearly unstoppable. Hart and Henne will get all the attention, both will be invited to the Heisman ceremony, and both will compete for league MVP honors. I'm guessing Henne will probably get it, because quarterbacks get all the love, but it could easily go to Hart. Either way, the Wolverine offense in general will be the most valuable anything in the Big Ten.

Extras...

In case you were wondering where the NFL Previews were... Well, blame my brother. I was supposed to do the College Previews, he was supposed to do the NFL. Technically he's still got a week and a half yet, but we'll see. I know for sure he'll throw something together on the Vikings, as he follows them religiously. Ok, so we both do. I'll be finishing up my conference previews either tonight or in the morning before heading to Chicago. All i have left is the Big Ten (sorry smaller conferences, i just don't watch enough of you to know enough for a post), which could be interesting this year. In the meantime leave some comments! Who's going to the National Championship game this year? Which conference is going to be the best? Which team is going to surprise the nation, and which team is going to disappoint? And which player that no one has ever heard of is going to make a name for himself this season? Come on people, it's college football! It starts tomorrow! Let the discussion begin!

Pre Season Previews: SEC Conference

I'm back with my on-going College Football Previews, with just two left on the docket. Today i'm taking a look at the SEC, a conference many consider to be the best in the country. And, frankly, it's hard to argue with them. The SEC is stacked, from players to coaches to stadiums to traditions. The SEC is college football, and other than my beloved Big Ten, SEC football is the conference i most enjoy watching.

While winning last year's National Championship with a full-out throttling of Ohio St., Florida returned the SEC to national glory, not that it had been far away. The SEC always puts together a title-contending team (or two), including LSU's share of the National Title in 2004. Florida looks to be loaded yet again for another run at the National Title, Georgia is always in the mix, Alabama and South Carolina can't be discounted based solely on their coaches, Arkansas should once again be good with preseason Heisman favorite Darren McFadden, and LSU might have the most talent of all of them.

On paper, this is stacking up as a venerable powerhouse conference, and looks like they could run roughshod over anyone, anytime. The SEC's problem however, as it always has been, is that precisely because it is so good, it it nearly impossible to survive the conference schedule unscathed, especially when you throw in their conference Championship game at the end of the year. Not being able to emerge undefeated at the end of the season has hurt the SEC teams in the past, when you have teams like USC and Oklahoma/Texas running through jokes of conferences like the Big 12 and the PAC 10. Sorry homers, the PAC 10 and Big 12 do not stack up against the SEC from top to bottom. By a lot.

Florida got lucky last year in that there was only one undefeated team, Ohio St. (Sorry Boise St. fans... you guys were awesome, but if you think the PAC 10 Conference is bad, well, you play in the WAC... Great year and great finish though). And due to the SEC's power, Florida got rewarded for only losing once and was given the BCS Championship slot over other 1-loss teams such as Michigan and Louisville. And by the way, a rematch of Ohio St. and Michigan in the National Championship game would have been the worst thing to happen to the BCS since it's inception, and I'm an admitted Big Ten homer...

So the SEC goes into this year with strong hopes of placing a team in the National Championship game for the second year in a row, and has the teams strong enough to do it. The question remains whether or not they can escape each other first. Without further adu...

Team To Beat: LSU
Sorry Florida fans, i know Tebow is going to be good, but you lose too many starters and have too tough a schedule, with games at LSU, at Georgia, and at South Carolina. LSU, on the other hand, returns 14 starters and has a relatively easy schedule, with only Alabama being a tough road game. LSU gets Florida, Auburn, and Arkansas all at home in Death Valley, which is a tough place to play. And while their non-conference schedule is difficult with Va. Tech, they also get them at home. It's too easy of a schedule for too good of a team not to escape with 1 loss at the most. The rest of the contenders in the conference also have a tough road game schedule, so LSU is the pick here.

Surprising Team: Alabama
While much has been made about Nick Saban returning to the SEC in Tuscaloosa, his team hasn't been given much chance to really succeed this year. But Saban is, despite his trouble in the NFL, a great college coach. And Alabama is a tradition rich school ready to return to its glory years. They do have some talent down there, returning 14 starters from last year, including returning quarterback John Parker Wilson. The Tide's schedule is as favorable as one in the SEC can be, with only road games at Florida St. and Auburn being major road hurdles. They host Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee and LSU at home, and avoid Florida all together. It's still the SEC, but behind Saban and a more experienced Wilson, the Tide should surprise a few people and finish with a better record than they did last year (6-7).

Disappointing Team: Arkansas
After on off-season filled with turmoil, including the transfers of two highly-touted players and one coach, the Athletic Director announcing his retirement, attacks on coach Houston Nutt from all kinds of players parents, and allegations of Nutt's infidelity due to someone getting a hold of his cell phone records, the Razorback program enters the season under a cloud of uncertainty. Add to the mix they are returning only 10 starters from last year, and you have a team that looks on the verge of taking a step backwards from last year's 10-4 record. Then again, they have the best player in the nation in McFadden, so who knows. But with games at Alabama, at Tennessee, and at LSU, Arkansas will be hard-pressed to finish with double digit wins again. I expect them to finish with something like 7 or 8 wins. And while not a bad year, it's not 10 wins and a January bowl like last year.

League MVP: Darren McFadden
Even though i don't expect Arkansas to be quite as good as they were last year, i do expect McFadden to run wild over defenses again. The guy is electric, and lines up all over the field, from running back to receiver to quarterback. With another off-season to tinker with their wildcat package, in which McFadden lines up under center, expect even more wrinkles from Nutt. Do not be surprised if McFadden flirts with 2,000 yards rushing and 20 TD's, plus a few more TD's catching and throwing. He will be the favorite in the Heisman race all year, and unless he gets injured expect him to be hoisting the trophy in December.

Pre Season Previews: Big 12 Conference

Ahh the Big 12. Being an admitted Big 10 homer, i've never had a lot of respect for the Big 12. Granted they usually field two really good teams every year (Texas and Oklahoma), the rest of the league is mostly patently horrible, including the entire North Division, which is a complete joke of half of a conference. While seeming to be incredibly top heavy, the conference is stuck with perennial underachieving and talentless teams, such as Baylor (talentless, which is surprising considering they're a world-class track and field school), Kansas, and Iowa State (perennially underachieving is being kind for the Cyclowns...).

And while Colorado, Nebraska, and Oklahoma State have at times been very good, as of late they have been stinking out the joint, particularly the on-going butcher job of one the country's best programs in the 90's, Colorado. Nebraska is at least showing some signs of life the last two years...

Throw in the quirky offense of Texas Tech, which is good enough to win 6-7 games a year but get blown out by anyone remotely good, Texas A&M, which is virtually the same as Tech only without the quirky offense, and Missouri, and you have a conference void of any competition outside of the top two. There is a reason the Red River Shootout each year between Texas and Oklahoma is always the biggest conference game of the year, even though it is played the first week of October. If the Big 12 was smart, they would move that game away from the Texas State Fair and put it as the last week of the season, a la Michigan-Ohio St. Of course, that game would then overshadow the Big 12 Conference Championship the following week, so it will never happen.

Then again, the Conference Championship game is a joke anyway. There hasn't been a close competitive game since 2001. Texas or Oklahoma has represented the South Division in every game since 1998, and the South Division has won 4 of the last 5 years, the only exception being Kansas State's upset of Oklahoma in 2003. That being said, as i stated earlier the top two in the conference are usually very good, and have appeared in the National Championship game five times out of seven since the start of the decade, winning two of them.

This year would seem to be no different, with Texas and Oklahoma each poised to make a strong run through the conference and no other real contenders popping up, with the possible exception of Texas A&M, who is generating a lot of buzz going into the season. The rest of the league will once again be stuck playing second fiddle, trying to angle into mediocre, mid-level bowl games. The winner of the North Division will once again get pasted in the Conference Championship game, leaving the winner of the South Division in prime position for a high ranking and great bowl game.

Team To Beat: Texas
Oklahoma also looks ridiculously loaded heading into the season, but has no proven quarterback to lead them. Contrast that with Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, who entered last season as a questionable starter, being just a freshman and trying to fill the gigantic void Vince Young's shoes left behind. McCoy walked away at the end of the year with one of the best seasons by a freshman quarterback in history. This year McCoy should be even better, with the experience and leadership abilities brought about due to last year's fantastic start. Even with an offensive line that suffered significant losses after last year (losing three All-Big 12 selections), the Longhorns return a good running back in Jamaal Charles, and should have no trouble putting up points on anyone. Their defensive front will be solid, and they should once again be contending with Oklahoma for the right to paste someone from the North in the Conference Championship game, this year conveniently played in Texas at San Antonio.

Surprising Team: Iowa State (I hate myself for this...)
I looked at both Nebraska and Texas A&M for this slot, but didn't pick either of them for certain reasons. A&M has too hard of a schedule, with a non-conference game at Miami, and going on the road for both Nebraska and Oklahoma. Nebraska also has a tough schedule, especially in the non-conference. They go on the road to Wake Forest (yeah i bashed them in my ACC post, but they still won the conference last year...), then faces USC at home in consecutive weeks. And even though they miss Oklahoma completely this year (which should be a crime), they go on the road to face Texas. Plus i watched their quarterback Sam Keller go through the ringer down here at Arizona State before transferring, and am still not convinced he can lead a team anywhere. Also, both Nebraska and A&M are getting too much publicity for them to surprise anyone.

So i picked ISU. With new coach Gene Chizik, formerly the Texas and Auburn defensive coordinator, the Cyclones should have a much improved defense. They also return senior Brett Meyer at quarterback, who has plenty of experience with 36 career starts. Their schedule is somewhat favorable, with them getting Texas and Oklahoma, as well as their biggest game of the year against Iowa, at home. Their only tough road games will be at Nebraska and Texas Tech in successive weeks. They finish the year at Kansas, which should be an easy game, though for the Cyclowns Kansas has proved to be a formidable foe. Kansas has beaten them two straight years, including an overtime game in 2005 in which ISU had the lead in the fourth quarter and a trip to the Conference Championship game on the line. While i don't expect great things from ISU this year, they should be better than their 4-8 record of a year ago. Watch for them to go about .500 and make a bowl game this season, as well as surprise a team or two along the way.

Disappointing Team: Colorado
It seems like a cop out to pick Colorado, as they were horrifically bad last year (2-10). Even so, as stated earlier they were one of the elite programs in the country in the 90's, and their fans have come to expect more from them. But with a schedule that starts with rival Colorado St. on a neutral field, at Arizona St., and home against Florida St., don't expect them to start off strong. They also have home games against Miami (OH) and Oklahoma, but finish the year at Nebraska, so don't expect them to finish the year strong either. With another first-year starter at quarterback and no proven receivers, plus a defense that is shaky at best, don't look for much out of the Buffaloes this year.

League MVP: Colt McCoy
An easy choice, to be sure. McCoy looks poised to be a bigger star than he was last year, the returning starter on a championship-caliber team. He should post monster numbers this year, and best his TD total of 29 from last year. And because of all this, expect him to be in the Heisman talk early and often.

Pre Season Previews: ACC Conference

In my last Pre Season Preview, i talked about the rise of the Big East in the last couple of years. This Preview is about a conference sliding the opposite direction the last few years, the ACC. In their first year after adding Miami and Va. Tech, Va. Tech took the conference with a pretty good 10-2 record and lost to a really good Auburn team in the Sugar Bowl.

In 2005, a mediocre Florida State team took the conference with a paltry 8-4 record, the most losses by a BCS Conference champ since 2002, when Florida State again won the ACC with four losses. In fact, those two teams are the only four loss BCS Conference Champs in the last 10 years. FSU lost in the Orange Bowl that year to Penn State.

In 2006, somehow the Wake Forest Demon Deacons won the conference, managing to go 10-2 and making it to the Orange Bowl, where they were defeated by Louisville. While 10-2 sounds like a good record, the ACC was not good last year. In fact, since it was labeled as becoming a 'super-power' when it took on Miami and Va. Tech, the conference has not fared well. FSU and Miami have both gone through a downturn in recent years, and Va. Tech has slipped just a bit from its National Championship contending days.

Team To Beat: Va. Tech
Tech has all the tools to win this conference, and that is before you add to the mix the factor of the team and fans banding together because of the tragic campus shootings earlier in the year. Their schedule looks very favorable, with the exception of the second game of the year at LSU. They get their two biggest challengers, FSU and Miami, both at home, albeit in consecutive weeks. Regardless, they should be the team to beat in the conference and look for them to have only one or two losses heading into the conference championship game.

Surprising Team: North Carolina
That's right folks, I'm picking the ol' Tar Heels to surprise some people in the ACC this year. This is my first, real, go-out-on-limb pick, but i think it has some merit. First, a new coach. Carolina did a smart thing and brought in former Cleveland Browns and U. of Miami head coach Butch Davis. And while Davis wasn't great in the pros (how many college coaches are?), he put together a National Championship caliber team while he was at Miami. And while Carolina is no Miami, i still think Davis can instill some confidence and provide a winning attitude in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels get Miami at home, and perhaps more importantly avoid FSU altogether. Many people are picking Carolina to finish near the bottom of the ACC, but i think they can win 6-7 games and possibly get to a bowl game.

Disappointing Team: Florida State
FSU is once again expecting big things from its football team, and while i think they will be good, they won't be anywhere near as good as they should be or as they have been in the past. As i've mentioned, FSU has slipped the last few years, based on a number of reasons, not the least of which i believe is Bobby Bowden's determination not to leave the sidelines until he dies. I understand that he's a great coach, but he is getting awfully old and his aww-shucks, good ol' boy persona is wearing thin. Not to mention the fact that he hasn't been able to pull a quality quarterback recruit to his program in about five years. FSU has a brutal schedule, with games at Clemson (against Bowdens son), at Va. Tech, at Wake Forest, and at Florida, plus a 'neutral' game against Alabama in Jacksonville. Add all that up, and you have another 4-5 loss season for the Seminoles, which is not a good year in Tallahassee.

League MVP: Toss-up
The best player on the best team? Hard to say at this point, as there are no clear-cut superstars or Heisman hopefuls returning in the ACC. I'll say Brandon Ore from Va. Tech, if for no other reason than their quarterback will be a first-year starter and Ore should get the ball early and often. He will be the main playmaker on a team that should run through the league, so will probably get rewarded for it. That said, look for an unknown guy to make a big splash at either FSU at Miami, as typically happens.

Pre Season Previews: Big East Conference

Ok, it's been a while, but i'm back with more previews of college football conferences. This one focuses on the Big East, or the Big Least as it has come to be known in the years since Miami, Va. Tech, and Boston College left for the riches of the ACC.

As much as i make fun of and disparage the Pac 10, the Big East, at least until last year, was worse. With the departure of Miami and Va. Tech, the conference was rendered almost completely irrelevant, sending 8-3 Pittsburgh to the BCS in it's first year after the big boys left. Pitt was matched against Utah, the first non-BCS Conference team to make the BCS, in the Fiesta Bowl that year, creating quite possibly the least-watched and least-cared about BCS game since it's inception as Utah took Pitt behind the woodshed.

The following year, 2005, W. Virginia won the conference, and the BCS bid, with an entertaining and actually good team, putting on quite a show in the Sugar Bowl as it jumped out to a 28-0 lead and holding on for a 38-35 win over Georgia. It was this year, and mostly this bowl, that started the Big Least onto the path to respectability, culminating in a fantastic 2006 season that had W. Virginia, Louisville, and newcomer Rutgers playing some of the best football games of the season battling it out for the Big East crown. Louisville ended up winning the conference and going to the BCS bowl game, beating Wake Forest (how the hell did they win the ACC?) in the Orange Bowl.

This year looks to be a break-out year for the Big East, with Louisville, W. Virginia, and Rutgers all expected to compete for the championship again, with Pittsburgh possibly making some noise behind the big three. So, without further adu, here is my take:

Team To Beat: W. Virginia

With the dynamic duo of Pat White and Steve Slaton returning to Morgantown for their junior, and in all likelihood last, season, the Mountaineers have title hopes all around them. Include the fact that they are returning 15 of 22 starters on both sides of the ball, and you have a confident and battle-tested team. Their schedule is fairly favorable, with the exception of back to back games at Rutgers and home against Louisville. If they can win one of those games, they should finish no worse than 10-2 and take the conference.

Surprising Team: Pittsburgh
As much as i love to rag on the Panthers to our resident Pitt alumni, Smitty Friend (The Girl), they might actually be able to put together a decent season this year. Although star quarterback Tyler Palko has departed, the Panthers return four of their offensive linemen and have a good receiving core. The defense returns 6 starters from last year, including the entire line. Pitt has a fairly easy non-conference schedule, but their conference schedule is brutal, playing W. Virginia, Louisville, and Rutgers all on the road. Though i don't think Pitt will contend for the conference title, I think they have a good shot to contend for third place and a respectable bowl game.

Disappointing Team: Rutgers
This is mainly due to the fact that last year was a magical run, and a lot of people are expecting the same from them again this year. I don't believe they can create that same magic two years in a row, and thus will finish below where most people are picking them. They do, however, a ridiculously easy schedule, opening with five straight at home, and overall playing 8 of their 12 games at home. Their only tough road game will be at Louisville to finish the season. Even with the schedule, i think Rutgers loses a few of the games they won last year, and will battle with Pitt to finish in third in the conference.

League MVP: Pat White/Steve Slaton
It's too hard to tell which of these teammates is going to have the best year. Both of them have been sensational their first two years, and both figure to be prominently involved in the race for the Heisman Trophy. Much like USC and John David Booty in the Pac 10, these two players will help carry W. Virginia to Heisman hopes and National Championship dreams.

Pre Season Previews: Pac-10 Conference

This is the first installment of our previews of all things football, gearing up for the start of the football season in just over a month. We will be reviewing many NFL teams, as well as major college conferences. In this preview, i take a look at the Pac-10.

The Pac-10 has always been a top-heavy conference, with usually one or two really good teams, a couple decent teams, and a while lot of cellar dwellers. While this is a fact that many people use to trumpet the superiority of the league, seeing as how they've won or shared two National Titles in the last four years, and played for a third.

Personally, I think this is a joke. While USC has indeed been good, it has been much of a cakewalk for them throughout their own league. Playing the likes of Arizona, Arizona St, Standford, Washington, and Washington St, that's half the league that is terrible year in and year out. And between Oregon and Oregon St, one of those teams is also terrible every year. Easy conference schedule.

This year looks to be no different, with USC once again being the cream of the crop and the rest of the Pac-10 looking up at the Trojans. I expect USC to run through their league once again, and challenge for another National Championship.

Team to Beat: USC
As the saying goes, the Trojans don't rebuild, they just reload. USC is back with 10 starters from last years defense, as well as returning starting quarterback John David Booty. While the loss of Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith could hurt the passing game, figure the running game to be prominent once again, even if you haven't heard of any of their running backs heading into the season.

Surprising Team: Oregon
While a lot of people are going with the trendy pick of ASU and new Head Coach Dennis Erickson, Oregon is a team who could get looked past this year. Returning quarterback Dennis Dixon, as well as back-up Brady Leaf (yes, Ryan's younger brother), will provide stability behind center. They also return running back Jonathan Stewart, as well as all their top return men, which was a strength last year. Their away schedule appears to be favorable as well, with road games against Pac-10 doormats Washington, Stanford, and Arizona.

Disappointing Team: Arizona St.
I am going the opposite direction with the Sun Devils this year. With new coach Dennis Erickson, they are once again generating pre-season buzz. The problem, however, is that they are still ASU, continual under-achievers. Rudy Carpenter was inconsistent at best last year at quarterback, and the O line doesn't look to be much better this year. Their defense lost key players from last year, and could struggle throughout the season.

League MVP: John David Booty
The leader of the best team, an easy call. Booty should come into his own this year, even with a shaky receiver corp. And because USC is USC, he will most likely be in the running for the Heisman trophy throughout the season.


Back later this week with my next preview.