When it comes to selecting a conference's top college football team to begin a season, the Pac-10 has had perhaps the most obvious go-to choice of any in recent years.
As media pundits cast their ballots for preseason favorites, USC has been the no-brainer as the top squad.
But as new commissioner Larry Scott works to put a new face on the conference — Have you seen the new logo? — its old trusty football mug may need refreshing this season, something that should bring excitement to all fans outside Troy.
While the Trojans will no doubt still compete with any team in the Pac, they are hardly a sure thing as the 2010 college football season approaches. In the midst of a two-year ban from postseason play handed down by the NCAA this spring, USC is mostly playing for pride.
New coach Lane Kiffin has had experience coaching in hostile situations (Anyone who survives under the scorching eye of Al Davis has earned some stripes), but there is just too much distraction surrounding the Trojans to believe they will be able to reclaim the Pac-10 throne it relinquished to Oregon a season ago. Which means this thing is wide open.
Oregon will certainly be a favorite, even with the loss of quarterback Jeremiah Masoli. With the Rodgers brothers returning, rival Oregon State will also be a contender after falling a game short of the conference crown last season.
Save for Washington State (Sorry Cougar fans, there are still cold days ahead in Pullman), it wouldn't be out of this world to expect any of the conference's teams to compete for its title. Sure, some are more of a long shot than others (see: the team in our own backyard), but as much as it has been in recent memory, the Pac-10 is up for grabs.
