Pac-10 Media Poll

Hello Followers. Hope you all have been having a great summer.

As for me, I’ve been busy. In the past four weeks, I’ve not only moved cross country, I’ve also assembled a new Pu ram in the Southern Tier of New York State. And, with that, I am proud to say that after only three weeks of Rolls Royce “explorations” through said area, we now have a total of 32,761 followers and settlers!

And, I want you all to be the first to know that, in the months to come, we plan on extending our Broome-Tioga County presence westward. In fact, we should conquer the entire metropolis of Corning-Elmira by the fifth of December!

While my conquest of the Empire State has taken up most of my time, the spirit of the Cougar faithful is still strong in my transom. One way in which that spirit has been manifest is through my Pac-10 football media ballot, which I have pondered daily while getting my daily massage from twenty, very fine Vestal Virgins. You see, this ballot is a particularly fine gem, because it represents the only BLOG ballot that I know of that is summoned annually by the Conference.

(We’ve enjoyed that status now for the past three years. And that is a testament to YOU, the faithful!!!)

So, without further ado, please ponder my takes on the upcoming conference pecking order in silence (e.g. Read On).

Followers, as I’ve meditated on the fortunes of the Pac-10’s Ten Teams, I’ve been in search of a constant. Namely, what is the most consistent element that has predicted the past 7, 8, 9, or 10 Pacific-TEN conference champions? My answer: While depth across the lines, speed, talent, and coaching are still requisites for Pac-10 supremacy, this point seems clear to me: YOU DON’T WIN THE PAC-10 WITHOUT A DOMINANT STARTING QUARTERBACK.

(And I mean dominant. For instance, while Sean Canfield was 1st Team All-Pac last year, did he ever seem to [cosmically] dominate games the way Jeremiah Masoli did for the Quack????)

So, as we all peek toward the upcoming season, one has to think that most of the teams in upper half of the Pac-10 will be characterized by, all else being equal, the best and most consistent play at QB.

With that in mind, here is my official ballot:

1) Stanford. I know, tough pick here. Defense is still a bit slow and undersized, and, of course, there’s the HUGE issue of replacing a kid that SHOULD HAVE won the Heisman Trophy. But, when I look at the Trees, I see lots of room for Luck. And I mean that. When you have a kid that is as gifted as A. Luck is, with a deep threat WR in the fold, a stable full of strong RBs, three seasons of top 10 recruiting, and the best coach in the conference, you have a conference co-champion right on your doorstep.

2) Oregon. We all know that speed kills. And, while Oregon’s overall size and strength still might not be at the caliber of the TOP SEC schools, their team speed sure is up to par. While last year’s Oregon team looked like lightning on the screen, this one might look even faster. More depth=Stronger Legs=More Team Speed as the season unfolds. A shocking home loss to Stanford will steal their attempt at a repeat, but the Ducks will nonetheless flirt with the top 10 and a BCS birth through November.

3) Oregon State. By now, we should all know the drill. The Beavs will start the year off 1-2, heck maybe even 0-3, and then will have their usual mid-season resurgence that will carry up to the Civil War. The Beavs will beat SC in Corvallis again, they’ll beat the Defeateds at Montlake, they’ll beat the Zona’s, they’ll beat CAL (AGAIN). But, playing once again for the Rose Bowl in the Civil War, the Beavs will lose once again to their Hated Rivals. Even worse, it will be for the second time in a row AT HOME.

4) Washington. Tough to figure out where to put the Defeateds. On one hand, part of me truly believes that the first few weeks of the season are critical to their fortunes. A 1-2 start, coupled with Locker getting banged around, could mean that a bowl season will not be in the cards for Tyee and Company once again. On the other hand, part of me believes that Washington could crack the top 3—especially if Locker and his WRs stay healthy. In the end, it’s hard to go higher than the four spot for a UW team that hasn’t won on the road since 2007.

5) USC. Once again, the trendy pick to win the Conference. And quite frankly, I don’t know why. To be sure, last year’s SC team was young—especially at Quarterback. And to be sure, they were hurt by key injuries throughout the year last year. But, in my book, SC looked like they had lost their edge. And quite frankly, I don’t that the Kiffin’s have what it takes to get them back on track—not in this first year of non-bowl eligibility. Enjoy watching the train wreck for two more years—cuz after Lane gets canned in 2012, they’ll come right back to the top.

6) Arizona. Stoops seems to me to be on the Mike Price train—albeit one that rides more efficiently and consistently. Last year, the Cats kept themselves in the conference title race well into November—the first step for an upcoming program. Expect a similarly loud 5-4 conference record to be “in the Folds” this year.

7) UCLA. Tough to know where to put the Bruins. On one hand, Tricky Ricky has really amassed a stockpile of young talent over the past two years—and with that, he looks like he’s ready to start a real slugfest with the Kiffin’s. On the other hand, history suggests that, like Dennis Erickson, Ricky usually wins EARLY in his tenure. Well, its about put-up or shut-up time for him in Westwood. Here’s to thinking that he gets to 5 conference wins and makes us all wonder about how he might have done in Pullman.

8) CAL. Every year, SeanHawk writes something in the fish-wraps that makes me think that this is CAL’s year. And every year, I give the same response during our near daily phone conversations-  “Well, I just don’t like their quarterback play, so I’m not going to pick them in the top five.” And then I give in and pick them to finish in the top 3 or 4. But this year, NO WAY!!!!!! I don’t like Riley–never have, never will! And I don’t like Sweeney much either as a back-up. While I am sure that CAL will BLOW a few teams out this year (guess who), this still looks to me to be a 4 win team in conference (and if so, should Tedford be put on the hotseat????)

9) WSU. I know, a bit of a homer pick. And honestly, I have NO STINKING IDEA where the two conference wins are going to come from. But, when I compare the two doormats (ASU and WSU), I can only go with intangibles. Namely, one program (us) seems DESPARATE to prove itself, and the other seems just desperate. Here’s to thinking that Marquess Wilson gives us the deep threat that we need to open things up, and that Gonzales and Jacobson not only play well, but stay healthy throughout the year.

10) ASU. When SeanHawk called me to tell me that Dennis got the job at ASU, my response was to say “Good, he’ll destroy them.” And, after a few short years, Dennis will have proven that once again, I AM ALWAYS RIGHT!!!!!! To be sure, their defense will have their days, but the Big O looks more like Sean Deeds than Drew Bledsoe to these Holy Eyes. Goodbye, Dennis!!!!!

So, there you have it, the one vote from the mainstream media that will not have WSU finishing 10th this year. Please feel free to add your thoughts

Unless, of course, you’re Ted Miller. And in that case, double or nothing???