By Adam Karon
Daily Bruin Contributor The Pac-10 is back. Sick and tired of
hearing the rest of the country laugh as team after team runs over,
around and through them, the teams out west are ready to fight
back. The 2000 season will mark the year that the Pac-10 regains
national respect. And the UCLA Bruins will lead the attack.
Already, three teams in the top five have fallen to the Pacific
upstarts this year. Prior to the season, USC linebacker Zeke Moreno
commented on conference’s image. “I root for any player
in the Pac-10 except when we play them. We need to go out there and
earn respect,” he said. Arizona State linebacker Adam
Archuleta agreed. “We want the Pac-10 to start making some
noise on the national scene,” Archuleta said. “We need
to help get the Pac-10 back on track to get the recognition it
deserves.” The conference seems to be taking these words to
heart, and after the third week of play teams were 24-5 against
non-conference opponents. While most “experts” pick the
Huskies to take the conference crown, it will in fact be UCLA that
ends up smelling the sweet scent of roses on New Year’s
Day.
1. UCLA No major publication picked the Bruins to win the
Pac-10. In fact, it was said that UCLA could be the best 0-3 team
in the country at this point. How about the best 3-0 team? Why will
the Bruins endure their toughest schedule in years to finish atop
the Pac-10? Because it appears the coaching staff has been watching
the powerhouse Big Ten, and the UCLA scheme leans in that
direction. The Bruins win with power. They are more physical than
last season, and this time it is the running game and defense that
cuts and plows through opponents. With his six touchdowns in three
games, junior tailback DeShaun Foster has Bruin fans talking more
about the present than longing for the glory days of Cade McNown.
The UCLA defensive unit has been the heart of the team thus far.
The Bruins stifled a tough Alabama offense, and aside from a few
late miscues, held Fresno State in check for most of the game.
Against Michigan, it was the Bruin defense that came up big to seal
the victory. The major question mark for the Bruins is at
quarterback. With Cory Paus out for the first weeks of the season,
the Bruins have had trouble putting the ball in the air. “We
need to get better production out of our quarterbacks,” head
coach Bob Toledo said after the Fresno State game. This should
happen as Ryan McCann continues to become more comfortable with the
offense. Big-time victories over Alabama and Michigan will prepare
the Bruins for late season showdowns with USC and Washington.
2. Washington The Huskies will be tough contenders for the
title. Quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo is a legitimate Heisman
candidate, and he has nine offensive returning starters to support
him. Defensively the Huskies are very solid. Led by linebacker
Jeremiah Pharms and Hakim Akbar, they have already forced 15
fumbles, and were large contributors in beating No. 4 Miami. The
Huskies might have an advantage when UCLA is forced to travel to
Seattle for a key showdown late in the season. Tuiasosopo will need
to live up to his Heisman hype if Washington is to have a chance at
the title.
3. USC Good things are expected out of Southern California this
year. Like cross-town rival UCLA, USC has turned its focus to
defense. Zeke Moreno and Sultan Abdul-Malik lead a talented bunch
that helped the Trojans down Penn State and later Colorado. Penn
State has since lost to Toledo, however, and Colorado is not in the
top 25. The key to the Trojans’ season rests directly upon
the powerful right arm of USC’s latest golden boy, Carson
Palmer. The Trojan running game has been solid so far, and if it
continues to keep pressure off Palmer, USC will be tough to handle.
Both Washington and USC are at an advantage because they will not
play each other this year.
4. Oregon The Ducks still miss Akili Smith and Rueben Droughns,
but they proved they can move on after a convincing effort in
Madison, Wis. Despite the loss, Oregon out-gained the No. 4 Badgers
454-367. Junior college transfer Maurice Morris will be expected to
get the running game in gear for a team that returns just nine
starters. With a 2-1 start, the Ducks seem to be right where they
expected. They are tough to beat at home, currently riding a
15-game winning streak at home. But Oregon’s 2000 home
schedule includes both Washington and UCLA, leaving the Ducks in
potentially troubled waters.
5. Oregon State The Beavers have long been known as the Pac-10
doormat, consistently getting walked on by the rest of the
conference. But this year should be different in Corvallis. The key
to Oregon State’s season is locked in the legs of junior
tailback Ken Simonton. A long shot for the Heisman trophy, Simonton
has rushed for 100 yards or better in 12 out of his last 15 games.
Defensively the Beavers return seven starters and should be able to
control opposing teams. This unit held New Mexico to just 42 yards
on 31 carries earlier this year. Just the same, the Beavers do not
have the firepower to contend with the Pac-10 frontrunners.
6. Arizona They are steaming in the desert after a disappointing
1999 season for the Wildcats. Picked by many to contend for a
national title, Arizona finished a dismal 6-6. Senior Ortege
Jenkins leads the way at quarterback. Used as both a QB and wideout
last year, Jenkins will have sole control of the offense for the
first time ever. So far the Wildcats have looked rather impotent in
wins against San Diego State and Utah, and not much better in a
loss to Ohio State. Road games against USC and Washington will take
the heat out of Arizona, leaving the Wildcat faithful counting the
days to March Madness.
7. California You know things aren’t going well when your
best offensive weapon is your punter. Nick Harris seems to be on
every coach’s mind as they prepare for Cal, but how bad can a
punter hurt you? There is no doubt that the Bears have talent.
Sophomore quarterback Kyle Boller has a large caliber rifle for a
right arm, but will not get enough time to throw the ball this
year. Tailback Joe Igbar is in the same predicament ““ lots of
talent, very little blocking. The defense is led by end Andre
Carter, but he is one of just four returning starters to a unit
that should see a lot of time on the field this year.
8. Arizona State Tempe was looking forward to the 2000 season
before the Sun Devil’s starting quarterback, senior Ryan
Kealy, ran into off-field trouble. Arizona State has the best tight
end in the Pac-10, and possibly the nation, but Todd Heap has no
one to throw him the ball. On defense Arizona State returns just
five starters, two of which are sophomores. A close win over San
Diego State gave way to an upset of Colorado State, but it
won’t be enough for ASU this year. A lack of depth and
experience will take the sizzle out of the Sun Devils in 2000.
9. Stanford It’s hard to pick a team that beats No. 6
Texas to finish ninth. Then again, it’s tough to pick a team
that gives up 40 points to San Jose State to finish much higher.
Stanford faithfuls will point to the fact that they lost to the
Spartans a year ago and still went to the Rose Bowl. This is true,
but 2000 is a whole new season in Palo Alto. The Cardinal is going
to have a tough time replacing the big play guys who took them to
the title last year. DeRonnie Pitts is a good receiver, but he is
no Troy Walters. The rest of the Stanford lineup is a shadow of the
Rose Bowl team.
10. Washington State Washington State fans will want to cling to
those memories of Pasadena on New Years Day 1998 because relief
from their current torment is not in the near future. The past two
seasons have found the Cougars in last place, and the third time
will be no charm in 2000. The offensive line’s lack of
effectiveness will be the biggest of many problems for Washington
State. The lone bright spot could be defensive back LaMont
Thompson, but even superman couldn’t stop the Coug’s
from sliding to the back of the pack.