By
Sports staff
April 17, 2007
1. USC
Goodbye Dwayne Jarrett; welcome Patrick Turner and Jamere Holland. That is the way the Trojans and their ultimate recruiter, Pete Carroll, do things. The year after losing Reggie Bush and LenDale White to the draft, the stables were teeming with talented runners ready to make an impact. Add second-year starter John David Booty to the mix and the result is one of the most potent offenses in the country, not just the Pac-10.
2. Oregon
While people around the Ducks may be wearing thin of Mike Bellotti's inconsistencies in the win-loss column, they cannot argue with his offensive production. The spread offense has done wonders inside the confines of Autzen Stadium, producing the likes of Jaison Williams and Kellen Clemens. Next in line is powerhouse running back Jonathan Stewart, who will finally get a chance to shoulder the load.
3. California
Coach Jeff Tedford has been classified as an offensive genius by several prognosticators and analysts the nation over. It is no surprise that he has crafted one of the most devastating offensive attacks in the country. That will continue this year, with Justin Forsett in the backfield and superman DeSean Jackson wreaking havoc at wide-out and as a return man. Jackson could move into contention of the Heisman Trophy this year — he's that scary.
4. Arizona State
While the final product may be suspect, no one ever accused a Sun Devil football team of having a poor offensive attack. Rudy Carpenter will continue in his quest to be another quarterback in the long line of quarterbacks to light up conference opponents with outrageous numbers worthy of video game football.
5. Oregon State
Wide receiver Sammie Stroughter and halfback Yvenson Bernard have both drawn comparisons to some of their predecessors. However, these two are doing something that the others did not — win. After coming out of nowhere to beat USC and finish third in the conference, the Beavers are now poised to do some damage in the Pac-10.
6. UCLA
The Bruins had maddeningly inconsistent performances out of the backfield last season, but hope a year of experience and a chance to rehab an injury will do wonders for quarterback Ben Olson. He and tailback Chris Markey will carry the load and look to return the offense to its 2005 status.
7. Washington
The Huskies are coming off one of their most confusing offensive seasons ever. Isaiah Stanback dominated when he was healthy, but after going down with an injury, the offense sputtered, leading to several questions heading into spring ball. Will the running game become a factor? Can they get production out of their five senior wide-outs? Will Jake Locker be a savior out of the gate? Time will tell, but if at least two come true, then life could be good on Montlake.
8. Arizona
After breaking onto the scene with an amazing freshman campaign, Willie Tuitama has since regressed. Mike Stoops has not brought along his talent as much as he may have hoped, but he'd better hope for a swift turnaround, lest the seat underneath him reach the boiling point.
9. Washington State
The Cougars are sans wide receiver Jason Hill, quarterback Alex Brink and former starting running back DeMaundray Woolridge. That's 3,819 yards and 28 touchdowns combined missing from the offense. Translation: it's going to be a long year for coach Bill Doba and the rest of the Palouse.
10. Stanford
The Cardinal is the perfect example of a team that gets old in a hurry and has no way to replenish itself. Ex-coach Walt Harris was supposed to bring in some fresh talent, but all he did was bury the Cardinal with a 1-10 record and leave them with a bevy of questions, like, "How the hell are we going to score points?" and "What is our offensive identity?" Hopefully for them, Jim Harbaugh has the answers.
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