Read Sports Geek and Loyal Homer’s arguments on which teams they feel could be a surprise contender for the BCS Title Game.
All good things must come to an end, and for head coach Pete Carroll and his USC Trojans, the curtain may be falling on what has been one of the most impressive (and dominant) performances in college football over the past decade. The Trojans, who have won at least a share of the Pac-10 title for seven consecutive seasons, could be in danger of seeing that streak come to an end in 2009.
After losing 11 players from last season’s team in the NFL draft (including quarterback Mark Sanchez and the entire linebacking corps of Rey Maualuga, Brian Cushing, Clay Matthews Jr, and Kaluka Maiava), the Trojans will be putting a lot of young and inexperienced players on the field in several critical positions. Most notably, Carroll announced earlier this week that true freshman Matt Barkley is starting at the quarterback position. While Barkley’s performance in training camp was strong enough to make him the first ever true freshman to start a season opener at USC, that does not mean it will be strong enough to claim an eighth consecutive Pac-10 crown.
The two teams most likely to challenge USC’s supremacy in the Pac-10 this year are Oregon and California. While Oregon returns two very dangerous offensive threats to the highest scoring team in the conference from a year ago, senior running back LeGarrette Blount and junior quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, they have a new head coach in Chip Kelly and may have some early struggles before finally settling in.
The California Golden Bears are a team full of upside and pose the most serious threat to finally ending USC’s streak at the top. Cal’s most exciting player to watch this season will be junior running back Jahvid Best. My pick as the dark horse for the 2009 Heisman Trophy, Best is an explosive playmaker that becomes a threat to score every time he is handed the ball. He finished second in total yards in the NCAA last year, rushing for 1,580 yards and 15 touchdowns along the way, and should at least match those totals this season.
Best, however, is not the only bright spot for Cal in 2009. The Bears are bringing back a very experienced group of players at wide receiver, including seniors Nyan Boateng and Verran Tucker. Junior Kevin Riley will also be returning behind center for his first full season at quarterback, after throwing for more than 1,300 yards, 14 touchdowns, and only six interceptions while splitting time with Nate Longshore in 2008.
Defense should be the strongest point for the Golden Bears in 2009. Eight of last year’s 11 defensive starters are returning to the field this season. Leading the defense is senior cornerback Syd’Quan Thompson, who last year racked up 70 tackles, two sacks, and four interceptions (on special teams, Thompson also had 344 punt return yards with a touchdown). Thompson anchors a defense that ranked in the top 15 in the nation for sacks in 2008, and ranked third overall for interceptions (picking off 24 passes, three of which were returned for touchdowns).
Also leaning in Cal’s favor this season is their schedule. During the 2009 season, the only road game that really poses a challenge for Cal is the September 26th matchup at Oregon (keep in mind that Cal has not lost to Oregon since 2005, including a win in Eugene in 2007). The rest of their road schedule includes games at UCLA, Arizona State, Stanford, and Washington. They get to play the “tougher” teams of USC, Oregon State, Arizona, and Washington State all at home, and their non-conference schedule includes Maryland and Eastern Washington at home, and a trip to Minnesota (who started 4-0 last season before losing six of their remaining nine games and do not look to be much improved for 2009).
Conditions seem right for California to make a strong run to the top of the Pac-10. Sure, they will need some help from Florida, Texas, or Oklahoma if they are going to push for the National Championship, but so will every other team in the nation! If Cal can finish the season as the Pac-10 champs, having beaten USC and Oregon, and with no more than one loss (which is entirely possible when you consider their returning talent and their 2009 schedule), look for them to be right in the thick of the National Championship conversation.
