Huskies take on Heisman Trophy winner

By Kshell

For this bowl game Washington Huskies head coach Steve Sarkisian will be under the spotlight of the nation. The nation won't be watching the Alamo Bowl tonight to watch the Huskies though as they'll be watching Robert Griffin III who is the heisman trophy winning quarterback from Baylor. This will be the first time since Tim Tebow won the heisman in 2007 that a heisman trophy winner isn't playing in a BCS game. RGIII which is what most call him led the Baylor Bears to a 9-3 record as he completed 72.4% of his passes for 3,998 yards(10.8 YPA). He threw for 36 touchdowns to only six interceptions during the season. His passing stats alone are terrific then you factor in his 644 yards rushing(4.0 YPC) with nine touchdowns and you can see why he won the heisman trophy. This won't be the first time the Huskies have faced a heisman trophy winner in fact the Huskies have only beaten the Heisman twice in their history. They have lost five games in a row to the Heisman trophy winner which had three of them being coached by Sarkisian at the time.

The Huskies recently haven't played well against Heisman trophy winners as they've been blown out as well. The last time the Huskies played an eventual Heisman winner was in the trainwreck season of 2008 when Sam Bradford  came to town. Oklahoma destroyed the Huskies 55-14 as Bradford was 18-21 passing for 304 with five passing touchdowns and also rushed for a touchdown. In 2005 the mighty USC trojans came to town featuring eventual heisman winner Reggie Bush. The Trojans won 51-24 as Bush ran for 51 yards on just eight carries with a touchdown, also caught two passes for 18 yards. He also electrified college football with a spectactular 84 yard punt return for a touchdown. The year prior the Huskies faced the Trojans again losing 38-0 in 2004 as Matt Leinart who won the Heisman that year was 24-43 passing for 217 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. In 2002 the Huskies faced the Trojans losing 41-21 as Carson Palmer was 21-34 passing for 348 yards with four touchdowns three of which were to Mike Williams. The Huskies faced a Heisman winner seven years prior in Eddie George as the Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Huskies in 1995 over in Columbus 30-20. George ran for 212 yards with two touchdowns and ran for 149 with a touchdown at halftime as the Buckeyes led 23-7 over the Huskies. The two previous times the Huskies faced a heisman winner though they actually won those games.

Heading into the 1992 Rose Bowl the undefeated Washington Huskies led by Don James were hoping to win back to back Rose Bowls and win a National championship. Standing in their way was Heisman Trophy and future Super Bowl MVP Desmond Howard of the Michigan Wolverines. The Huskies won that game 34-14 as Howard was held to just one catch which was late in the game too. Mario Bailey of the Huskies scored a touchdown and he possed for the Heisman. Despite having 18 receiving touchdowns Bailey was snubbed from being invited to New York that year. Howard was the first heisman player the Huskies had faced in a decade as in 1981 Marcus Allen and the USC Trojans came to town again with the Rose Bowl on the line. The Huskies won 13-3 in a rain storm as Allen had 155 rushing but would lose to the Huskies for the second straight year after scoring the winning touchdown in 1979. That year the Huskies lost to the Trojans and eventual heisman trophy winner Charles White. The Trojans won 24-17 at Husky stadium as White ran for 243 yards on the day but was held out of the endzone. Don James actually went 2-1 against Heisman trophy winners while no other Huskies coach has defeated a heisman trophy winner.

In conclusion, every heisman winner with the exception of Howard had a good game against the Huskies. Look for Griffin III to have a good game as well. Sarkisian is hoping Griffin III has a good game instead of a great game as the Huskies pull off the upset. Defeating a heisman trophy winner is difficult but that is mainly because they are also on the national championship team. That isn't the case this game as the Baylor Bears already have three losses. The Huskies are going up against College Football's best and were already routed by the runner up Andrew Luck 65-21. The Huskies defense has been scary bad this year which will be quite the test given this is best player they have faced all year which is saying something considering they already played Luck, Matt Barkley and LaMichael James. Hopefully the Heisman jinx starts a little bit early at 6 p.m. PT tonight in the Alamo Bowl and Sarkisian can join James as the only Huskies coach to defeat a Heisman trophy winner.

Oregon closes out Husky Stadium with win over Huskies 34-17

By Kshell

The #6 Oregon Ducks(8-1,6-0) defeated the Washington Huskies(6-3,4-2) 34-17 in the final game at old Husky Stadium. The Ducks who rushed for 212 yards were led by LaMichael James who ran for 156 yards including a touchdown. The atmosphere was electric as the Huskies honored their 1991 National Championship team amongst others. Unfortunately, the Huskies couldn't suit up the 1991 team and their current team struggled offensively. For the first time all year Steve Sarkisian saw his team struggle which was highlighted by Keith Price throwing two interceptions in the opening half which set up 14 points for the Ducks. The Huskies battled the Ducks but once again came up well short of the victory against their rivals and against top tier opponents. For the Ducks this win sets up a Pac-10 showdown this week as they take on undefeated Stanford Cardinal.

The game started off terribly for the Huskies. After Keith Price completed a 13 yard pass to Chris Polk down the middle it was all downhill from there. Price two plays later threw an interception which was returned to the Huskies 38 yard line. Darron Thomas completed a pass for 13 yards to the Huskies 25 yard line. Then LaMichael James took over first rushing for seven yards to the Huskies 18 yard line. James then finished off the drive with an 18 yard touchdown run to give the Ducks an early 7-0 lead. On the following series the Huskies offense continued to be shutdown and went three and out. The Ducks would take over possession with the ball on their own 35 yard line.

That is when the Huskies caught a break. The Ducks Darron Thomas went back to pass but fumbled the ball. The Huskies recovered on the Ducks 32 yard line. Price immediately completed a 13 yard pass to Jermaine Kearse. After that the Huskies would go backwards and would have to settle on an Erik Folk 42 yard field goal to cut the lead to 7-3. On the ensuing kickoff DeAnthony Thomas busted it 69 yards and was tackled from behind by Justin Glenn to the Huskies 21 yard line. The defense got tough and pushed the Ducks high powered offense backwards. The Ducks would have to settle on a 40 yard field goal to give them a 10-3 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Huskies were driving into Oregon territory after the teams had traded punts. The Huskies were on the Oregon 43 yard line when Price threw another costly interception which was returned 49 yards to the Huskies 34 yard line. James started the drive off with an eight yard run to the Huskies 26 yard line. James again ran for 16 yards to the Huskies 10 yard line. Darron Thomas kept it for six yards to set up second and goal from the four yard line. Thomas then hit David Paulson for the wide open four yard touchdown to give the Ducks a 17-3 lead. The Huskies offense continued to struggle on the next possession giving up another sack. While this time the defense three and outed the Ducks giving the offense the ball back at midfield with over six minutes left in the half.

The Huskies would go on a perfect drive which ate up all the clock so Oregon could respond. The drive began with four straight runs to Chris Polk which he gained 19 yards to set up a third and one from the Oregon 30. Price on a play action hit fullback Tim Tucker for a gain of five yards to move the chains. Once again Price was sacked for a loss of two but Polk would gain eight yards back setting up a crucial third and four. Price hit Jesse Callier in the flat for a gain of five yards to the Oregon 14 yard line. After a short run by Polk the Huskies once again went to the pass as Price connected with Kearse for a gain of nine yards to the Oregon three yard line. Sarkisian called for a fake to Polk and have Price keep it which appeared Price scored a touchdown but was ruled out at the one yard line. On the next play the Huskies faked the fullback dive to Polk as Price hit a wide open Michael Hartvigson for the one yard touchdown pass. The Ducks would drive down but would run out of time as they missed a field goal. The Huskies were only down 17-10 at halftime.

The Ducks began the second half with the ball first. After a penalty the Ducks were starting on their own 10 yard line as well. James began the drive with a 22 yard run  to the 32 yard line. Thomas completed a 12 yard pass then James rushed again for 16 yards to the Huskies 40 yard line. Thomas completed back to back passes to the Huskies 26 yard line. Facing a third and six from the Huskies 26 yard line Kenjon Barner rushed for eight yards to pick up the crucial first down. James ran for six yards to the Huskies 12 yard line setting up a third and four. Barner would again pick up the first down with a gain of eight yards. Facing a second and goal from the one yard line Barner would cap the drive with a touchdown to give the Ducks a 24-10 lead. The Ducks went on a 12 play drive for 90 yards to open up the second half to silent the Huskies crowd. The Huskies were once again trailing in the second half by 14 points to the powerful Ducks team who had crushed the Huskies by over 20 points the previous seven meetings. The third quarter was typically the Ducks big quarter as well so the Huskies offense had to respond to the score.

The Huskies knew the Ducks offense was about to wake up so they had to respond. After an incomplete pass from their own 25 yard line Polk ran for 14 yards to their own 39 yard line. Price completed a seven yard pass to Polk. Facing a third and four Price hit Polk again for six yards to the Ducks 49 yard line. True freshman Bishop Sankey then had the longest run of the game for 19 yards to the Ducks 30 yard line. On the next play Price would hit Devin Aguilar over the middle for a gain of 20 yards. The next play Price threw an out route in the back of the endzone to true freshman Kasen Williams. Williams went up and caught the ball while dragging his feet for the touchdown. After the review the play was confirmed Williams made the spectatular touchdown catch to pull the Huskies within 24-17. For Price he bounced back from two interceptions with two touchdowns giving him 25 touchdown passes on the season which puts him at three behind the school record. More importantly the Huskies answered the Ducks touchdown with a score of their own hoping to make this a game unlike the past seven years. The Huskies defense would have to make a key stop on the Ducks offense to truly make this a game.

The Ducks were facing a crucial third and nine from their own 31 yard line. The Huskies defense had a chance to three and out the Ducks after scoring a touchdown. That is when the Ducks made the play of the game when Thomas hit Paulson down the middle for a gain of 34 yards to the Huskies 35 yard line. Thomas completed a 19 yard pass to the Huskies 16 yard line. James ran for seven yards to the Huskies nine yard line. The Ducks called an option play as Darron Thomas pitched it to DeAnthony Thomas for the nine yard score giving the Ducks a 31-17 lead. The Huskies on the following drive after Price hit Aguilar for a gain of 14 yards were at midfield. Trailing by 14 points the Huskies were facing a fourth and four from the 49 yard line. That is when Price was under pressure tried to shovel pass to Polk but he was stopped well short. The Ducks then put the game away going on a nine play drive ending in a field goal putting them up 34-17. The Huskies fumbled on the following drive but the Ducks missed the field goal.

The Huskies had one last chance to make this a game in the fourth quarter. Price completed a pass to the fullback Tucker for a gain of seven yards to the 27 yard line. Price on the following play was sacked and was laying on the ground appearing to have hurt his non throwing shoulder. Nick Montana came into the game facing a third and 10 from the 20 yard line. Montana completed a long pass down the sideline to Kasen Williams for 53 yards down to the Oregon 27 yard line. Price then immediately came in for Montana and hit Kearse over the middle to see Kearse drop the ball. On third and 10 Price had Kevin Smith in the endzone wide open but Smith had the ball hit his number for the drop. On fourth down Price was rushed out of the pocket and threw an incomplete pass. From there on out the Ducks ran out the clock for the 34-17 victory over the Huskies.

The Ducks won the game 34-17. They were led by LaMichael James who ran for 156 yards(6.2 YPC) with a touchdown. Kenjon Barner ran for 41 yards(4.1 YPC) with a touchdown as well. Darron Thomas was 13-25 passing(52.0%) for 169 yards(6.8 YPA) with a touchdown. David Paulson had three receptions for 65 yards and a touchdown. For the Huskies their offense struggled behind Keith Price who was 24-35(68.6%) passing for 143 yards(4.1 YPA) with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Nick Montana in relief was 1-1 passing for 53 yards. The running game struggled as Chris Polk rushed for only 80 yards(3.3 YPC) but did have six receptions for 31 yards. Bishop Sankey had 21 yards rushing on two carries including the longest run for the Huskies. Another true freshman had a breakout game in Kasen Williams who had six receptions for 79 yards(13.2 YPC) with a touchdown. The receptions and yards were a career high for Williams. Aguilar was next in line with two receptions for 34 yards. Kearse was held to just 24 yards receiving on three receptions. Kevin Smith had just one reception for 14 yards. The Huskies offense was just shut down all game long.

All in all, the Huskies just aren't ready to beat top 10 teams like the Oregon Ducks. The Huskies in their last 13 games are 0-3 against top 10 ranked opponents but 10-0 against the rest. That shows the Huskies are a good program but not a great program. Steve Sarkisian has this program progessing pretty well which is taking time. The Ducks dominated the line of scrimmage and until the Huskies improve up front they aren't going to win these type of big games. In front of a great atmosphere under the lights Husky Stadium will be closed for a year. Even though the Huskies lost these seniors have helped change the program for the better. The Ducks are the class of the Pac-12 and until a team dethroans them they will remain on top.

Observations:

- The atmosphere was pretty incredible pregame. Very rarely does legendary head coach Don James go to the games anymore. There was definately a who's who on the sidelines. You had several big names as all the Husky legends were at the game. James did the opening coin toss and the crowd gave him a thunderest standing ovation. James while at Washington went to six Rose Bowls, won four Rose Bowls, won an Orange Bowl and most importantly won a National Championship in 1991. James was also 10-4 in bowl games while at Washington when he coached the Huskies from 1975-1992. The 1991 team was honored as well as other Husky greats throughout the contest. It was nice seeing Don James and Jim Lambright at the game as well as many other great legends.

- I'm a big fan of the Huskies wearing the black uniforms.This was the first and probably only time I was disappointed though. Most Husky fans were hoping the Huskies would come out in the 1991 uniforms to honor the 1991 team.

This was also the final game in old Husky Stadium so I was hoping the Huskies would wear traditional uniforms. Like I said I'm not against wearing the black uniforms the Huskies were previously 3-0 all-time when wearing the black uniforms. I think in the Apple Cup wearing the black uniforms would be terrific as well especially if the Cougars are wearing their all grey's. Had the Huskies won this game the uniforms wouldn't be an issue though.

- The Huskies have to stop killing themselves with dropped passes. Last week in a win over the Arizona Wildcats the Huskies receivers dropped several passes including a touchdown and two more that went for interceptions.

This week Jermaine Kearse continued to drop multiple key passes. Devin Aguilar had some key drops as well. No drop was bigger than Kevin Smith who as you can see let the ball hit off his number for a wide open touchdown. Price had poor numbers but his receivers aren't helping him at all. The Huskies receivers are too talented to be dropping as many passes as they have been dropping the last two weeks. Hopefully going forward the dropped passes problem goes away or the Huskies might lose another game or two.

- The lone bright spot on offense was wide receiver Kasen Williams. Williams has had a struggling first season with the Huskies. Prior to two weeks ago Williams season high for yards receiving in a game was only 30 yards. In the last two weeks though Williams has played really well. Last week in a win over Arizona Williams had two receptions for 60 yards including a key 48 yard reception.

This week Williams had easily his best game in a Huskies uniform. He had six receptioins for 79 yards with a touchdown including a 53 yard reception. The last two weeks Williams has been part of the offense and has made long receptions. For the year now Williams has 20 receptions for 236 yards with three touchdowns in eight games. Williams came in as a heralded five star recruit but the Huskies receiving corp has been pretty loaded. That was nice to see Williams have a breakout game in a big game. Williams touchdown catch in the endzone was an incredible touchdown reception. He went up to grab the ball and held on for the tough catch. Williams is a future star and look for Sarkisian to feature him more in the next coming weeks especially if the other receivers are dropping passes.

-  Chris Polk for only the second time all year was held under 100 yards rushing and was also held out of the endzone. First time all year he was held under 100 rushing and without a touchdown in the same game. Polk's longest rush of the game was only 14 yards as the Ducks defensive line dominated the Huskies upfront.

Polk for being shut down still had 111 total yards offense. Polk also tied for the team lead in receptions with six as he had six receptions for 31 yards. On the year Polk has rushed for 1,096 yards(5.3 YPC) with nine touchdowns. He has also caught 24 passes for 280 yards with three touchdowns on the season. Polk has yet to have a game where he was held to under 100 yards of total offense. Polk had a rough game but showing why he is a good player still had a productive game when it was all said and done.

-  Keith Price had his worst game as a Husky and has appeared to have slowed down since starting off so hot. Price was sacked six times last game and threw two interceptions. Price has thrown five interceptions the last two weeks after throwing only five interceptions his first seven games. Price was checking off way too much this game throwing the ball 35 times yet only passing for 141 yards.

Price had two interceptions that led to 14 points for the Ducks. For the year Price is still having a great season completing 66.8% of his passes for 2,133 yards(7.8 YPA) with 25 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. Price is only a sophomore quarterback so growing pains was bound to happen. He will have better days ahead of him and hopefully this was just one of those games. The receivers dropping all those passes are hurting his touchdowns and interceptions the last two weeks. With more help for his receivers and his offensive line Price can be comfortable and play "Keith Price" football once again.

In conclusion, this game was a tough loss but overall a great day. My friend Camden Rider went to high school with Jon Brockman so I had the pleasure of talking to Brockman prior to the game. You couldn't even tell he was an NBA player(besides his size) as he was just a low key person. As for the game itself the Huskies as a program will have better days. Sarkisian as a coach will have better days as will his quarterback Keith Price. The Huskies lost to a top 10 team and now must turn their focus onto USC. The Huskies are still a 6-3 football team who has a chance to be the third best team overall in the conference this week with a win over USC. The Huskies program is still going in the right direction while Husky Stadium is closed for over a year. I'm going to miss Husky Stadium quite a bit and I hope the Huskies open up their new temporary home Century Link with a victory in two weeks.

Interview with former Husky great Lincoln Kennedy

By Kshell

I've never done this before but in this piece I sat down and conducted an interview with Husky great Lincoln Kennedy over the phone. Lincoln Kennedy is a former two time All-American offensive lineman while at the University of Washington. He has appeared in three rosebowls, won a national championship. Then in the NFL he went to the pro bowl and a Superbowl with the Oakland Raiders. He was also on NFL Network when it first began.

Seattle Sports Blog: Compare the games in Lincoln, Nebraska vs the night game in 1992?

Lincoln Kennedy:

Both games were electric. It was an electric game, prior to the Nebraska game I couldn't imagine how a small city could produce such a great atmosphere. I'm from a big city so flying into Lincoln, the biggest building in the entire region was the football stadium which was full of nothing but red and white. There was a sense of do we belong? Can we hold our own? This was a chance to answer those questions.

I was just blown away at the night game. This was the first night game I had ever played in at Husky Stadium. It was like God intended this day to be great any other day it might have been bad weather but today it was beautiful. Clear sky and blue sky you couldn't have asked for a more special place. You had the boats out there and the crowd was loud it was pretty special. After 1991, we had the swagger we knew what it took to win these type of games since we proved the year before we could do it. We lost some key players but we also returned plenty of talent from the year before plus a healthy Mark Brunell and Napoleon Kaufman was a year older.

SSB: Facing the 21-9 deficit in Lincoln, Nebraska where nobody wins ever how did you guys feel?

Lincoln Kennedy:

I felt we weren't out of it. I knew with our defense and our big hitters they would keep us in it. I was young and naive to realize how big of a moment this was and how hostile the crowd was. We could do some things on offense it's not like we were getting stuffed just stalling. We did a great job of overcoming adversity and penalties to regroup and get it all together. We just had to get over the initial crowd noise.

SSB: I noticed in 1991 you were right tackle and in 1992 you were the left tackle. Was that because Mark Brunell who is left handed was supposed to be the starting quarterback?

Lincoln Kennedy:

Yes that is correct I was always supposed to be the blind side. Then we were going to switch but with both quarterbacks they just left me at right tackle in 1991 anyways.

It helps to have a great teammate in Sup Malamala who was also first team all pac-10 at left tackle.

SSB: You have have had the great opportunity to play in a Rose bowl and a Superbowl can you compare the two? I know its Apples to Oranges.

Lincoln Kennedy:

The Rose bowl I went my sophomore year and we beat Iowa(46-34) and then with the rest of our team basically being sophomore's and juniors it was expected. I knew it was going to happen we all did that we'd be back my junior and senior season so it was more expectations than thrill.

Superbowl wow there is so much hype to begin with than a Rose bowl. Both are very special games. The Rose bowl you have the prestige of playing on January 1st but you share that day with other teams. The Super Bowl you are the only game on T.V. and everyone in the world is watching you. Its just so difficult to get into the Super Bowl. I didn't get there until late in my career and even after getting there it was hard getting back. The Super Bowl is just a special game.

SSB: You have been very fortunate to win a National Championship and then the AFC Championship. I know one was on paper and the other was on the field. Can you compare the two?

Lincoln Kennedy:

On the National Championship we felt that everything that we did from execution, to hitting to the scores that we put up that we did everything we could have done to win a National Championship.

At the Marriott Hotel the little wing off the side was all UW. From players, to boosters, to alumni, to reporters. After the win over #3 Michigan(34-14) nobody slept we all stayed up waiting to find out the results. I don't know what time it was but it was late in the morning when it was announced we were national champions. You could hear the entire hotel freaking out on every floor. People screaming outside their windows it was just crazy. It was crazier than the wildest frat party you could ever imagine that's how insane it was.

Winning the AFC championship was a feeling of relief. I was starting to doubt would I ever get to play in a Superbowl. I had been close a couple of times but when the clock ticked to zero I was just happy. Also helps celebrating in Oakland with the black hole craziness.

SSB: How was "sharing" the 1991 National Championship with Miami? And was the goal to win a national championship?

Lincoln Kennedy:

We wanted a crack at Miami. The system back then had bowl alignment so we couldn't play them. With that year and a few other situations after that(1994, Nebraska wins title, Penn state undefeated gets nothing. 1997, Nebraska and Michigan share) the BCS game was started because of that.

The National Championship never once came in discussion. The goal was to go to the Rose bowl and win the Rose bowl. We had to just worry about what we can control. We took things one week at a time. We had to because we got everyone best game. Look at California that was a close game(UW won at Cal 24-17, Cal was ranked 8th). We always won the close games under Don James. The only time we would lose is when adversity in the locker room hit. If it wasn't for that Billy Joe crap we go undefeated in 1992 I believe.

SSB: I don't want to get into the details as I respect Billy Joe greatly but can you describe the circus that surrounded the 1993 Rose Bowl? Instead of celebrating your third trip in a row you are answering non football related questions.

Lincoln Kennedy:

When all that junk came out I was even mentioned and I didn't do anything! When I recruited Napoleon Kaufman(all-time leading rusher in Washington Huskies history) all I had to do was stand with Sup[Malamala] and be like we are blocking for you. That was the selling point once he saw us two he was like oh it's done I'm going to Washington to run behind you two I'll never get touched.

We were all just confused as anyone else. They wanted to have a scapegoat and its sad that they would give in and allow such a great man to take the fall.

SSB: How did you guys all react to the aftermath of the sanctions?

Lincoln Kennedy:

When we all got wind of what was going down we were all upset that they would allow James to take the fall. I have no respect for Barbara Hedges(Then UW athletic director). I lost ties to the program because of that. How can you not admit the wrongs that you did and just pin it all on Don James?! That just isn't right at all.

Probation really hurts you. You have no idea how badly it hurts you. Oregon and Oregon State are successful because of our probation. It allowed all these schools to catch up. We not only lost scholarships but other schools were using that against us. When I played every Northwest kid went to UW. Don James had a fence around the Northwest. I said this under the Willingham years as well it just hurts you. Taylor Mays, Jonathan Stewart and Stephen Schilling would all be Washington Huskies instead of helping beat us.

Now all anyone cares about is the facility's. We had a weight room when I was there in 1991 and it was packed. Husky Stadium is a great place to play and the surrounding beauty you can't get anywhere else.

Its just a shame how they allowed such a great man to step down and take a fall. Hedges claims she did this to help the program but in fact she killed the program.

SSB: How was playing for the man you obviously have a ton of respect for Don James?

Lincoln Kennedy:

He had a funny way of getting the best out of you. First of all unless you were one of the main players like a senior captain he never talked to you. He coached you through his coaches. It was weird because I'm used to some one on one coaching from a head coach but he was very distant from you. At first you wonder why you would ever play for him but when you are older you realized why. His methods worked and he demanded a lot from us.

He was a little guy but he demanded fear. I'm a big guy and he scared me. He demanded fear. He was like the principal at school. If he was talking to you or you were called in his office it was never good. That means you screwed up and you were going to get your butt chewed out.

He had a great system all three phases of the game were stressed. We could score a touchdown on offense, score on an interception. One year it was Beno returning punts for a touchdown(Beno Bryant led the Nation in punt return yards in 1990) or in 1991 with Napoleon Kaufman on kickoffs. We had great hitters and great speed and you add it all up the sky was the limit.

SSB: Now I heard Don James coached from the Tower how intimidating was that?

Lincoln Kennedy:

He always saw everything. The tower was right in the middle so he could see every mistake you made. The worst was when he'd get really angry and come down the tower you didn't want to see him do that. If he ran down the tower we had to start practice all over again. We would start at the goaline and start our jog then our stretch and start all over.

These kids are spoiled now a days with the 20 hour a week practice rule. A couple of times James came down and we had to start all over. One practice we started at 3 p.m. and didn't get done til 9 p.m. because we had to start all over. It was terrible but it made it made us pay attention to details more.

SSB: Last question Lincoln when you were a freshman did you guys know that you were going to make history at Washington? I mean your class featured you, Dave[Hoffmann], Mark[Brunell] and even Steve[Emtman] was supposed to be a senior.

Lincoln Kennedy:

To be honest with you no I didn't. My redshirt freshman year we couldn't beat anyone(went 6-5). We lost WSU and I think Oregon came into our house and beat us as well. College football sucked that year, the coaches kicked our butts all year long as they weren't used to a season like that. I remember Jon Volpe of Stanford running up and down on us and that was just embarassing.

Then it just came down to Steven, Dave and myself saying to ourselves this is our future. This is not the way we want to have our college careers be where we are just average. Lets do something about it and work our tails off.

SSB: Then the next year vs Oregon State you put in Donald Jones and won that game. Went on to beat Florida and shut down this guy named....Emmitt Smith and the rest is history as they say.

Lincoln Kennedy:

Looking back its funny how that worked out. During recruiting I came to Washington because they were the only school who let me play defense. I came in with Emtman and Mike Lustyk. Well the defense had changed to a quicker defense and they told me to switch. It was either I don't play or I switch to offensive line.

I switched the offensive line and it worked out. During that run of three straight Rosebowls we were all spoiled. Jose the equipment guy who still works there started in 1989 so he just figured we would do it every year.

Its crazy in my years at Washington I spent every December in LA(1989-played in Anaheim vs Florida, 1990-1992 Rosebowl).

SSB: Hey Lincoln I'm going to the Nebraska game this Saturday are you going?

Lincoln:

No I live in Arizona I will not be going to the game. I went to the ASU game last year and I'll be going to the Arizona game this year.

SSB: Is there anything special going on next year for your guys 20th anniversity(I actually slipped and said 10, its been 20 already?) of the National Championship?

Lincoln:

I haven't heard anything from the school. We have all gotton together and we'll be up there don't worry. We have something planned amongst ourselves and we'll be there.

SSB: Well Lincoln that sounds great and thanks for the interview I appreciate it

Lincoln:

No problem and thanks for the interview I really enjoyed it and go Dawgs!

2010 Pac-10 Preview and Predictions

By Kshell

This upcoming Pac-10 season appears to be wide open. For the first time in a long time there are seven teams who have a shot at the Rosebowl. The three teams who most people don't think have a shot are USC who is ineligible because the Reggie Bush scandal finally got resolved(Apparently players can't buy their parents houses in college who knew right?), ASU who is coached by Dennis Erickson who wins everywhere he goes and lastly WSU who is well rebuilding under Wulff. This conference features four quarterbacks who could potentially be drafted in the first round of the NFL draft. Even more amazing is none of those teams are the favorite to win the conference. I'll attempt to break down each school in one or two paragraphs then proceed with the predictions made by several contributors. I'll start in alphabetical order to not give away my predictions.

Arizona: The Wildcats return eight starters on offense and just four starters on defense from a team that finished last year 8-5 and took 2nd place in the conference. The Wildcats are led by one of the big four quarterbacks Nick Foles. Foles last season completed 63.4% of his passes for 2,485 yards(207.1 per game) while throwing for 19 touchdowns to just 9 interceptions. The Wildcats also return both leading rushers from last year Keola Antolin who ran for 638 yards and 5.6 YPC and Nic Grigsby 567 yards with a 7.2 YPC average.

Arizona last year suffered heartbreak in two losses last season. In fact during the regular season the Wildcats biggest loss of the year came at Iowa 27-17(A game Nick Foles didn't start). The Wildcats had Washington beat 33-28 up in Husky Stadium when Foles threw a pass to Delashaun Dean but it bounced off his foot which Mason Foster pick it up and ran it back for the game winning interception. Normally that would be the most heartbreaking loss of the season. The biggest loss by far was to Oregon.

The Oregon game was featured on ESPN and had its first every ESPN game day crew at its home stadium. The winner of this game was most likely going to the Rose bowl. For the Wildcats they have never been to the Rose bowl in their history. This was the biggest game in school history. Arizona led Oregon late in the 4th quarter 31-24 before Jeremiah Masoli capped an 80 yard drive which featured two 4th down conversations when he hit tight end Ed Dickson in the middle of the end zone for a touchdown. The crowd was about to storm the field instead they watched Oregon celebrate 44-41 in double overtime.

The Wildcats this year must learn to win those close games. They return alot on offense but they lost 7 starters from a quality defense last year. Mike Stoops has this program in the right direction having gone to a bowl game the past two seasons. The expectations in Tuscan this year is another bowl game.

Arizona State: Arizona State returns the least amount of starters amongst any team in the Pac-10 this 2010 season. The Sun Devils return just three starters on offense and four on defense. The Sun Devils are coming off back to back losing seasons. ASU started last season off 4-2 but ended the year in a tail spin losing six games in a row dropping their record to 4-8. The year before in 2008 also featured a six game losing streak in a disappointing 5-7 season.

Times have been rough for Dennis Erickson in his first three seasons in Tempe. Erickson began his career at ASU winning his first eight games and went 10-3 but now in year four he finds himself on the hot seat. Given that ASU has little experience and is just one of three teams breaking in a new quarterback this year look for them to struggle. The former two time national championship coach could find himself unemployed by seasons end.

Cal: Quick question which active Pac-10 quarterback is the leader in wins, games played and touchdown passes? Jake Locker you say? nope. Andrew Luck? To young. Its California quarterback Kevin Riley. California returns eight starters on offense including the senior Riley and six starters on defense. Riley last year completed only 54.7% of his passes for 2,850 yards(219.2 YPG) with 18 Touchdowns to just 8 interceptions.

California had a typical year under Jeff Tedford going 8-5. In fact this is a weird year for Tedford's Bears as they aren't ranked in the AP top 25 polls. Typically Cal is the preseason darling and is often ranked as high as 4th like last season then nose dives at some point during the year. One thing is certain Cal always has talent on its roster which will always make facing the Golden Bears under Jeff Tedford a very dangerous team.

Stanford: First of all I know I said alphabetical order but I'm also pairing the rivals together as well. Stanford is that program that everyone seems to like and why not? They return eight starters on offense including potential top 5 pick in the NFL draft quarterback Andrew Luck along with seven starters on defense. The team is led by Jim Harbaugh who despite being a former quarterback has turned Stanford into a smash mouth football team. Stanford last season went 8-5 and earned a trip to the Sun Bowl. The Cardinals are a bit in transition from last year.

Last season the Cardinals were led by senior running back Toby Gerhart who ran for 1,871 yards and 28 Touchdowns and finished 2nd in the closest ever Heisman race. The Cardinals leading rusher who returns is actually quarterback Andrew Luck who ran 354 yards(29.4 YPG). The team is fortunate as they return all five starting offensive lineman and Luck is a year older. Luck last season completed 56.2% of his passes for 2,575 yards(214.6 YPG) with 13 Touchdowns to just 4 interceptions. Many believe that this could be the year Stanford goes back to the Rosebowl. If the Cardinals have a big season look for Andrew Luck to leave early and if he does Jim Harbaugh could take the Michigan job if things fall as expected.

Oregon: Oregon fresh off its first Rosebowl appearance in 15 seasons returns nine guys on offense and eight guys on defense. Of course the big loss was first team all Pac-10 quarterback Jeremiah Masoli who was dismissed from the team for stealing a labtop amongst other things. Don't let Masoli absense fool you there is still plenty of talent on this team that went 10-3 a year ago. Darren Thomas will be asked to fill the shoes of Masoli. Thomas has only really seen action in mop up duty vs Boise State in 2008 where he looked pretty good. In a highly contested quarterback battle he beat out 5th year senior Nathan Costa.

The running game is the true strength of this spread attack. Thomas gives them a dimension they had back when Dennis Dixon was the quarterback back in 2007. Make no mistake about it had Dixon not gotton hurt in 2007 he would have won the Heisman trophy. LeMichael James is the star of this team. During his freshman year last year due to Lagarette Blount losing his temper in the first game of the year he was inserted into the starting role. James responded by rushing for 1,546 yards with 14 Touchdowns and a 6.7 YPC average. His backup Barner averaged 6.0 YPC last season. Teams in the Pac-10 have yet to figure out how to stop this spread rushing attack the past three seasons.

Oregon has a rough schedule this year having to go at USC, at California and at Oregon State. The Ducks return the most talent of any team in the conference. Can this finally be the year they break that 94 year streak of not winning a Rose Bowl? Its one thing to go to the Grand Daddy of them all but its another thing to win the game.

Oregon State: Growing up some things were always certain in life. Waking up going to school, watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and watching the Beavers suffer through another losing season. The Beavers went from 1971-1998 without a winning season. Those days are long gone as Mike Riley has turned this program around. Dennis Erickson was the head coach during the first winning season and Fiesta Bowl win but don't forget who recruited those players and that was Mike Riley. Riley has been very successful in his 2nd stint with the Beavers. This team returns eight starters on offense and seven starters on defense from a team that went 8-5 last year.

Riley is in the Jeff Tedford zone at Oregon State. He made a school that nobody noticed or cared about and made them something. Like Tedford he has also had a tough time getting them to that elite level. The Beavers have been knocking on the door the past two seasons needing just to beat hated rival Oregon to advance to the Rosebowl. Both times they lost to Oregon including last year blowing a double digit lead at Autzen Stadium. The Beavers lost first team all Pac-10 quarterback Sean Canfield but like Oregon don't let that fool you. Both Rodger brothers are back which makes Oregon State still dangerous.

Lets start with Jacquizz Rodgers who ran for 1,440 yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground. He also caught 78 passes for 522 yards. In a bigger market or on a team who was in the national spotlight he'd be the preseason favorite to win the Heisman Trophy award. His brother James Rodgers last year had 91 receptions for 1,034 yards and 9 touchdowns and he also ran for 303 yards. Both Rodger brothers can beat with their rushing or their receiving. They are very versatile and make defensive coordinators across the Pac-10 lose sleep.

The Beavers typically have a strong defense every year and also struggle out of the gate. This year will be no different seeing how they play at #6 TCU then two weeks later player at #3 Boise State. Don't let the Beavers slow start trick you into thinking this is finally the year Oregon State hits the wall. As long as Riley is coach you know this team will be playing and most likely winning its bowl game come December. Just don't expect that bowl game to be in January.

UCLA: This is former UCLA quarterback and Rose Bowl MVP Rick Neuheisal third year with the Bruins. In two seaons with the team he has gone 4-8 in his first season but last year went 7-6 with a bowl win. UCLA returns seven guys on offense but just five guys on defense.

Under former Rose Bowl winning Head Coach Rick Neuheisal and National Championship Offensive Coordinator Norm Chow people expected plenty of offense from UCLA. That hasn't happened in two years. UCLA leading rusher last year ran for just 566 yards and their quarterback Kevin Prince threw for 8 Touchdown to 8 interceptions and just 186.4 YPG. Defensively they return the conference best player Rahim Moore who had 10 interceptions last season.

UCLA appears to be a year away and given Neuheisal is alumni UCLA will probably give him another season. UCLA should be worried though as Neuheisal in his previous two stops produced more in his first two seasons and he did his last two seasons. If Slick Rick's best two seasons just happened then yikes!

USC USC last year lost to a team who had gone 0-12 the previous year yet fans would gladly relive that day over and over compared to what their offseason looked like. USC lost long time head coach Pete Carroll to the Seattle Seahawks. They were also hit hard with sanctions going on probation and receiving a two year bowl ban. If that wasn't ban enough they hired Lane Kiffin as well(I'm just teasing Lane no need to frown at me man). USC is hard team to project because they have no motivation at all and there a team who has proven in the past needs to be motivated. On the other hand there is still plenty of four and five star recruits on this roster.

The Trojans return six guys on offense and six guys on defense from a team who had a "disasterous" 9-4 season last year. The team returns freshman sensation Matt Barkley. Barkley last season completed 59.9 % of his passes but had 15 touchdowns to 14 interceptions. In a sign that Barkley has improved he began this season throwing for five touchdowns and 78% of his passes in a win over Hawaii.

The Trojans still have plenty of talent left on the roster. They are no longer the clearcut favorites to win the Pac-10 this year. With Matt Barkley apparently maturing as a college quarterback and legendary defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin running the defense you'd have to think USC is still going to be a force.

Washington: Jake Locker is awsome. Read my 2010 Washington Huskies season preview if you want to read about the Huskies. The Huskies return more starters out of anyone in the conference. Okay I'm moving on now.

Washington State: Good news Cougar fans you return 18 starters from last season! Now the bad news comes in when I have to tell you that group went 1-11 last season. Paul Wulff the former WSU football player has found himself on the top of the coaches on the hot seat list. Wulff has gone 3-22 in his first two seasons at WSU. He has won two of those three games in overtime(Having never led in either game) and his other win was against Portland State. WSU has been scored upon more times than Britney Spears has in the past two seasons.

Now the only bright spot on Wazzu's roster is Jeff Tuel. He became the first Cougar true freshman to start a game since former #1 pick overall Drew Bledsoe did back in 1990. Tuel last season completed 58.7% of his passes for 6 Touchdowns and 5 interceptions. The Cougars must find a way to keep Tuel healthy to have any chance.

Looking at the Cougars schedule this is going to be another long year for them. When Wulff took over the program he inherited nothing and didn't stand a chance. He brought in a top 40 recruiting class this past offseason. Hope is on the horizen for the Cougs its just a matter of will Cougar fans want to sit through another year or two of horrible football.

Now its time for predictions. Before I reveal everyone's predictions I'll post up the official Pac-10 media predictions.

Pac-10 media predictions:

1. Oregon (15) ...................314
2. USC (12) .......................311
3. Oregon State (3) ............262
4. Stanford (1) ...................233
5. Arizona (2) ....................222
6. Washington (1) ..............209
7. California .......................175
8. UCLA (1) .......................134
9. Arizona State ...................81
10. Washington State .............39

Here is an interesting stat on the Pac-10 media polls predictions. On the left is who the media had predicted and what they had finished.On the right is what the Pac-10 champion was predicted to finish.

1961 UCLA 1st UCLA 1st
1962 Washington 2nd USC 2nd
1963 USC 2nd Washington 2nd
1964 Washington 3rd Oregon State 6th
1965 USC 2nd UCLA 7th
1966 USC 1st USC 1st
1967 USC 1st USC 1st
1968 USC 1st USC 1st
1969 USC 1st USC 1st
1970 USC 6th Stanford 2nd
1971 USC 2nd Stanford 2nd
1972 USC 1st USC 1st
1973 USC 1st USC 1st
1974 USC 1st USC 1st
1975 USC 5th UCLA 3rd
1976 USC 1st USC 1st
1977 USC 2nd Washington 3rd
1978 USC 1st USC 1st
1979 USC 1st USC 1st
1980 USC 3rd Washington 3rd
1981 USC 2nd Washington 4th
1982 USC 3rd UCLA 3rd
1983 Arizona 5th UCLA 5th
1984 UCLA 3rd USC 3rd
1985 USC 4th UCLA 5th
1986 UCLA 2nd Arizona State 4th
1987 UCLA 2nd USC 4th
1988 UCLA 2nd USC 2nd
1989 USC 1st USC 1st
1990 Washington 1st Washington 1st
1991 Washington 1st Washington 1st
1992 Washington 1st Washington 1st
1993 Washington 4th UCLA 6th
1994 Arizona 2nd Oregon 8th
1995 USC 1st USC 1st
1996 USC 5th Arizona State 2nd
1997 Washington 4th Washington State 7th
1998 UCLA 1st UCLA 1st
1999 Arizona 6th Stanford 8th
2000 Washington 1st Washington 1st
2001 Oregon 1st Oregon 1st
2002 Washington State 1st Washington State 1st
2003 USC 1st USC 1st
2004 USC 1st USC 1st
2005 USC 1st USC 1st
2006 USC 1st USC 1st
2007 USC 1st USC 1st
2008 USC 1st USC 1st
2009 USC 5th Oregon 3rd


Now onto the predictions.....

Isaac Rope from 1080 the Fan

The Pac-10 Media poll is out and to give you an idea of how wide open it is, seven teams received at least one first place vote. This is by far the toughest season to predict. I rank based on four criteria: #1. schedule #2. experience at QB #3. returning starters #4. coach. Here’s my poll:

1. Stanford - I’m on a limb, I know. 16 returning starters from the Pac-10’s second-place team a year ago. I love Jim Harbaugh and Andrew Luck is the best QB in the league. Key to the Rose Bowl will be road games at Oregon and Cal.

2. Oregon - Schedule doesn’t set up as nice this year and the QB situation, particularly with Nate Costa’s history of injuries, scares me. I keep going back to Costa’s performance at UCLA a year ago. Still one of most talented teams in the league and I love Chip Kelly’s ability to scheme. They’ll be in the hunt.

3. California - Watch out! No one’s talking about em’ but they won 8 games a year ago and the schedule sets up perfectly. The offense is balanced with experienced QB Kevin Riley and junior RB Shane Vereen. The defense will be much improved under new D Coordinator Clancy Pendergrast. Sleeper to make the Rose Bowl.

4. Oregon State - Very few holes to fill off a team that was sniffing the Rose Bowl. Ryan Katz is a dynamite QB but the Beavers chances rest on his ability to grow and get better. The schedule is extremely difficult but 17 starters are back. I fully expect another strong end product with a few bumps along the way.

5. UCLA - Converting to the “pistol” offense says it all. Rick Neuheisel and Norm Chow don’t have faith in QB Kevin Prince. This way, they’ll run more and take pressure off him. Schedule is solid and the defense is as experienced and talented as any in the league. They’ll be in alot of ball games.

6. Washington - I love Jake Locker and the Huskies dynamic offense. They are bowl bound in 2010 but I don’t see them winning a ton of road games and they have tough ones @ BYU, USC, Arizona, Oregon and Cal.

7. USC - Going through the motions due to probation. Just 5-4 in the Pac-10 last year. I don’t buy the new coach and keep in mind the Trojans have the fewest returning starters in the Pac-10. Back to reality for USC.

8. Arizona - Everybody loves em’ and I see why. The schedule sets up wonderfully. However, Mike Stoops scares me and they are only return 4 starters on defense. If any team will burn me it’ll be the Cats but somebody has to be eighth, right?

9. Arizona State - Fewest returning starters and they brought their kicker to Media Day. Enough said.

10. Washington State - 18 returning starters but the talent still isn’t there.

Ben Zimmerman Sports Editor of the Longview Daily News
1. Stanford
2. Oregon
3. Oregon St.
4. Washington
5. California
6. UCLA
7. USC
8. Arizona
9. Arizona State
10. Washington State

Marc Hewitt High School Referee and Former Highschool Football/Basketball coach

1. Oregon Ducks- There Defense has just about everyone coming back, James-Burner in the back field will be hard to stop.
2. Stanford- Luck is the best QB in the league, it's hard to believe there not ranked in the top 25, there still a good team without Gearhart.
3. Oregon State- Rogers brothers are tough to stop, if katz plays well they can win it.
4. USC- There defense will struggle but there offense is good. They will be in alot of shoot outgames this year.
5. Arizona- Love there defense and Foles will be a good quarterback.
6. Washington- Locker will be good, but Defense/special teams I do not believe in.
7. California- Should be interesting who replaces best.
8. ASU- Erickson needs to retire and get a place in Courtside for his retirement.
9. UCLA- Prince will keep them in some games.
10. WSU- Slowly getting better.

Tyler Keefe of the Mean Green Report
Oregon 10-2
USC* 10-3
Washington 9-3
Oregon State 7-5
Arizona 7-5
Stanford 6-6
California 5-7
UCLA 4-8
Arizona State 4-8
Washington State 1-11

Christian Caple of the Moscow-Pullman Daily News and formerly Sports Editor of UW's the Daily

1. Oregon: Too much offensive firepower for anyone else in the conference to handle. People might forget Jeremiah Masoli ever played for them by the end of the season.

2. Stanford: If not for Jake Locker, Andrew Luck would be the most hyped player in this conference. Losing Toby Gerhart hurts, but this team is going to be tough despite that fact. Luck could go down as one of Stanford greats.

3. Arizona: Wildcats really look like a solid team in all aspects. Only question is if they can find the extra boost to separate themselves from the conference's elite.

4. USC: The Trojans will win in spite of Lane Kiffin, who only seems comfortable when everyone else hates him. Postseason ban doesn't impact USC's athleticism, of which it still has plenty.

5. Oregon State: Jacquizz and James Rodgers are still the big weapons, but don't be surprised if Ryan Katz is the next OSU quarterback to put up big numbers. As long as nobody gets arrested, the Beavers could compete for the Pac-10 title.

6. Washington: Probably the best example of how high the parity rate in the Pac-10 is this season. Nobody would be surprised to see them finish here, and I don't think too many people would be stunned to see them finish as high as third, either. It hinges on Locker, obviously, and whether they can keep him and Chris Polk healthy all season. More speed and strength on defense is going to have to be apparent for the Huskies to really make the kind of statement they want to this season.

7. California: Tough to pick the Bears this low, but just don't see a reason for putting them higher. Of course, that means they'll probably win the conference. First season in a while there haven't been lofty expectations in Berkeley.

8. UCLA: Bruins probably at least a year away from seeing Slick Rick's offensive prowess really come to fruition. If Kevin Prince comes back healthy, they might surprise some people. But that offense has been too weak the past two seasons to put any faith behind.

9. Arizona State: Might have the best defense in the conference, but no offense to speak of at this point. Though isn't it hard to imagine a Dennis Erickson-coached team having two poor offensive seasons in a row? His job might be in jeopardy if that's what happens.

10. Washington State: Cougars could be most improved team in the conference and still finish 1-11. That's how bad things have been for them recently. Only sure thing is Montana State, and it'd be asking a lot for WSU to beat anyone in this year's Pac-10. Best case scenario is Jeff Tuel stays healthy, has a decent season, and Paul Wulff can point to promise for next year as justification for keeping his job.

SeattleHawk94 contributer to the Seattle Sports Blog

PacSoonToBe-12
1. Yucks
2. University of Spoiled Children
3. Crudinal
4. Wildkittens
5. Ugly Caucasians Living with Asians
6. Fuskies
7. Calistan
8. Beavos
9. AzzU
10. Wulffgang Suck

Patton Richard contributer to the Seattle Sports Blog

1.) Oregon St
The last 2 years they have played for the conference title in the last game of the season. I think they have a stronger squad this year (After not losing much) and will win the Pac-10

2.) Oregon
Is tough to figure out, they have a lot of speed everywhere and multiple scary running backs, however they are starting Darron Thomas at QB and although he's a pretty good fit for the system they run, he's not a very good qb.

3.) Washington
And hopefully going to the Holiday Bowl!

4.) USC
I'm one of the few people who thinks Lane Kiffin can actually coach, I also think the staff around him can as well. Tennessee was not a good team last year and he played most teams tough.

5.) Stanford
I like Andrew Luck as an NFL QB, I don't like him to carry the Cardinal,

6.) Cal
Could be much better if Shane Vereen goes crazy and launches himself onto the heisman scene.

7.) Arizona
Nick Foles is the 2nd best QB in the Pac-10, but they have no one for him to throw the ball to.

8.) UCLA
Still a year away from all the talent doing anything

9.) Arizona St
Needs more talent, everywhere except wherever Burfinct is.

10.) WSU
Will not be good. But they will lose a lot closer this year opposed to last.

misanthropicsportsfan contributer of the Seattle Sports Blog

Umm, college football, not really my strong point. I know, I know, I'm supposed to be all excited about the love of the game. But being a student at a university where half the members of the student body aren't even aware you have a football team tends to reduce one's pure love of the game. Still, the Pac 10, lots of feeder talent for REAL football. So how will it all play out this year, welp, here's my guesses based on minimal logic and a whole lot of hearsay.

1. Oregon - My inside source (okay, an Oregon fan I know) swears that Nate Costa won't make it past the first half of the first game before he gets shown the bench for the new super athletic young black QB that Chip Kelly has recruited. I can't wait to read about his upcoming arrest for domestic violence...what, too soon?

Addendum: So I've learned that in fact Costa couldn't even make it to the regular season. Sorry kid. But hey, you're just two serious arrests away from getting another shot at the job. Keep up your hope.

2. USC - Until proven otherwise, I pencil them in here. Shame it won't get them post season play. Oh well, that's the breaks when you get caught with yer hand in the cookie jar as my momma always said.

3. Oregon State - Only because we will blow at least one or two games early in the schedule against teams we're better than (Yes, I'm a Beavers fan. No, I don't need your pity. I'll take my 8-9 wins and a bowl game every year, thankyouverymuch).

4. UCLA - Because I need more Slick Rick in my life.

5. Washington - Because top flight QBs are worth at least two to three wins you don't deserve.

6. Stanford - See Washington, but more like one to two 'cause there's really only one Jake Locker.

7. Cal - Jeff Tedford continues to tread water. Berkley continues to not care. But hey, at least we were all wrong about his ability to produce NFL QB's.

8. Arizona - Because they're not Arizona State.

9. Arizona State - Because they're not Washington State.

10. Washington State - Because sometimes, it's just a rough few years.

Pinnin4gold contributer and co-manager of the Seattle Sports Blog

1. Oregon
2. USC
3. Oregon State
4. Stanford
5. Washington
6. Arizona
7. California
8. UCLA
9. Arizona State
10. WSU

Kshell the coach, gm and owner of the Seattle Sports Blog

This pains me but my predictions are

1. Oregon- They will win the conference with two losses including one at home
2. USC- Still very talented and explosive. The program is on the decline
3. Oregon State- Same ole Beavers, good team who finishes in the top half but doesn't win the conference
4. Stanford- Losing a guy who finishes 2nd in the Heisman hurts. Having a quarterback drafted in the top 5 sure helps though.
5. UW- Huskies have a brutal road schedule this year which isn't good for a team who hasn't won a road game since 2007. Jake Locker and plenty of talent should be enough though.
6. Arizona- Arizona is going in the right direction and Nick Foles is a future NFL quarterback
7. Cal- They doesn't feel right but Cal doesn't have that big time game changer this year unlike years past.
8. UCLA- Funny putting the only Rosebowl winning coach 8th but the offense just isn't there.
9. ASU- Returns few talent, the only National Championship coach in this conference is about to lose his job.
10. Washington State- After this year Wulff's record will be 4-33. I guess theres always cow tipping season for the Cougs.

I put them in tiers. I think in the first tier is Oregon, USC and Oregon State. Then Next tier is Stanford, UW and Arizona. The following tier is Cal. The next tier is UCLA and ASU and then the final tier is Wazzu.

If you have finished reading this entire column then more power to you. The great thing about predictions is they don't matter. We'll find out on the field this up coming year so if your favorite team was picked low on here just remember this Pac-10 race is wide open.