There are three conferences that have teams on the West Coast, the Pac 10, the Mountain West and the Wac. The only conference of significance is the Pac 10 conference.
The Mountain West fashions itself as a major conferences but with the regression of Colorado State and the struggles of San Diego State, there has been only two quality programs in recent years: Utah and BYU. Wyoming, Air Force, New Mexico, UNLV and San Diego State just aren't good football programs. BYU has a very good team and has a very good chance to make the BCS this year. I really like their quarterback Max Hall. He started his career at Arizona State and was there for one season before leaving on his Mormon mission. He cut his mission a year short and came back after less than a year. He decided to transfer to BYU and has been the starter since John Beck graduated after the 2006 season. He will lead a very solid offense. Most prognosticators peg them as the non-BCS program that will get into the BCS this year. I haven't decided whether it is because they think BYU is really good or they like their schedule. I'm leaning toward an extremely easy schedule. As long as they beat UCLA at home in September they should roll through the conference towards an end of season showdown with Utah.
The WAC conference sent its second school to the BCS last year when Hawaii was sent to slaughter at the Sugar Bowl against Georgia. Those same Warriors are headed to Florida to open the season. A return to the BCS is highly unlikely for Hawaii. Boise State made the BCS during the 2006 season when they beat Oklahoma in the 2007. Chris Peterson is still the head coach and Ian Johnson is still (still!) the running back. We'll never forget Ian Johnson because of this:
We like Fresno State to have a break out season and Brent Guy at Utah State to get fired. He was a terrible defensive coordinator at ASU and nobody was quite sure why they hired him.
The Pac 10 conference should be solid once again. While 2007 was a banner year for the first two and a half months of the season with Oregon, Cal, USC and Arizona State all playing extremely well, the injury to Dennis Dixon, Cal's November fade and ASU losing to USC and Texas by convincing margins, significantly hurt the conference reputation. USC is again tabbed to win the conference by the media, while ASU and Oregon were picked second and third.
We really like Oregon's team except their quarterback situation. Last season, once Dennis Dixon went down their offense really struggled. Injuries have already hurt the position as the successor to Dennis Dixon, Nathan Costa, went down with a second knee injury (he hurt his knee last fall and missed the season). Another area of concern for Oregon is their schedule. They play at USC, at Cal, and at ASU. If they win one of those three, they probably will finish second in the conference. Their offensive line, running backs, wide receivers and defense should be very good. We think their defense is probably the second best after USC.
ASU had a great season a year ago and won 10 games. The schedule is significantly tougher and we wouldn't be surprised to see a better Sun Devil team lose 3 games this year including the early season clash with #1 Georgia. Running back and the offensive line are areas of concern but the defense looks young and talented. Our friend Chris Karpman over at www.asudevils.com has been to just about every fall practice and reports a solid secondary and good defensive line play. Linebackers are experienced but talent level is a question for the returners. Gerald Munns, Travis Goethel and Ryan McFoy, all juniors, are expected to start, while talented newcomers Shelly Lyons and Brandon Magee battle for playing time at the middle and weak outside linebacker positions respectively. Rudy Carpenter returns for his senior season and has a shot to break every ASU record in the books. He can break Danny White's win record, Andrew Walter's touchdown and yardage record, and can go 4-0 as a starter against UA.
USC is the class of the West Coast. Pete Carroll has more talent than anyone in the conference and maybe the nation. They have 6 runnings backs who could start for most schools: Joe McKnight, C.J. Gable, Stafon Johnson, Allen Bradford, Marc Tyler, and Brodrick Green. On their depth chart they list the starting running back as the first four running backs listed above with an -or- in between them. Carroll, trying to keep everyone happy, decided not to make a decision at that spot. He has however made a decision at Quarterback, Mark Sanchez is the starter and although an injury derailed his training camp, he is on schedule to return for the season opener at Virginia. Sanchez can play and should play well. The question is who he will be catching his passes. Those close to the program are not extremely high on Patrick Turner, though he is their leading returning receiver. Vidal Hazelton is the guy most say is the most talented receiver but injuries have hurt his preseason. Sanchez will have a deep and experienced offensive line protecting him but injuries have been an issue during training camp. Senior Jeff Byers and Sophomore Kris O'Dowd figure to anchor the line.
As always, Pete Carroll prides himself on the defense. Keith Rivers was a top NFL draft pick but Rey Maualauga owns the police (http://articles.latimes.com/2005/nov/13/sports/sp-plaschke13) and he owns Pac 10 offenses with his fierce hits
USC will likely win the conference behind its strong defense. Everson Griffen, Brian Cushing, Taylor Mays and Kyle Moore are the other stars on the defense. The Trojans biggest tests all come at home where they face Ohio State, ASU and Oregon. A mid season trip to Notre Dame does not look problematic. West Coast Bias picks them to go 11-1 slipping up in one game but still making the BCS championship game.
West Coast Drama preseason top 7
1. USC
2. ASU
3. Oregon
4. BYU
5. Cal
6. Fresno State
7. Boise State
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