Picking a champion easy as U-S-C.

Byline: Curtis Anderson The Register-Guard

Seldom has there been such consensus.

Not only was USC a unanimous pick in a preseason media poll to win its fifth consecutive outright Pac-10 title this season, but with the exception of a few pockets of dissent in Louisiana and West Virginia, the Trojans are seemingly cloaked with an aura of invincibility nationwide.

In fact, given its recent string of success, several observers are willing to take USC against the entire field this year when it comes to predicting which team will walk off with the BCS national title.

Who am I to argue?

While California and UCLA are highly regarded squads with championship aspirations, a spot in the Rose Bowl, as the Trojans skip off to the BCS title game, is a more likely best-case scenario for either of those two teams.

And then it gets crowded.

Oregon, Oregon State, Arizona State and Arizona are all striving to reach the upper tier of the Pac-10 this year, which leaves Washington State, Washington and Stanford battling over the scraps.

Here's one reporter's take as the season begins:

1, USC

A Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback in John David Booty, a deep stable of fleet and talented tailbacks, 10 returning starters on what might be the best defense in the country, and everybody's favorite head coach in Pete Carroll.

Need we go on?

OK. Some wideouts need to step up, and the road slate is daunting - at Nebraska, Notre Dame, California and Arizona State - but the Trojans (11-2 overall, 7-2 Pac-10 in 2006) are likely to be favored in every game they play this year, and good enough to win them all.

Two-time all-American Sam Baker is a rock at left tackle, the linebacker trio of Brian Cushing, Rey Maualuga and Keith Rivers has been touted as the best in the land, and even the departure of offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin to become head coach of the Oakland Raiders was cushioned by the seamless transition to Steve Sarkisian, who worked closely calling plays with Kiffin as quarterbacks coach the past two years.

2, California

With 16 starters back, a solid quarterback in Nate Longshore, and one of the most explosive players in the nation in wideout DeSean Jackson - four touchdowns on 25 punt returns last year - the Bears (10-3, 7-2) have the look of a Pac-10 title contender.

But do they have enough firepower to offset the loss of several defensive playmakers?

Cal graduated three first-team all-league performers on defense: cornerback Daymeion Hughes (defensive player of the year), linebacker Desmond Bishop (led league in tackles) and lineman Brandon Mebane.

Offensively, the 5-foot-9, 185-pound Justin Forsett will be asked to replace Marshawn Lynch, the Pac-10 offensive player of the year, who bolted for the NFL after his junior season.

If the Bears can fill their defensive holes, they should be good enough to rattle off nine or 10 wins, and possibly reach Pasadena as an at-large team. Beating Tennessee at home to open the season would be a good start.

3, UCLA

The Bruins (7-6, 5-4) return more starters than anybody in the league with 20 players back in the fold.

The question is this:

Will they build upon last year's stunning 13-9 upset of USC to end the regular season, or more closely resemble the group that suffered a sloppy 44-27 loss to Florida State in the Emerald Bowl?

The coaching turnover continued under the stewardship of Karl Dorrell, with Jay Norvell stepping in as the team's fourth offensive coordinator in the past five years, and two other offensive coaches leaving the program.

Ben Olson is the quarterback and Chris Markey is a 1,000-yard rusher, but the Bruins will count on defense to show the way. UCLA allowed just 91 rushing yards per game last year, after allowing 233 in 2005.

They might not be able to catch their crosstown rivals, but the Bruins could finish ahead of everyone else.

4, Arizona State

This pick is all about Dennis Erickson.

The Sun Devils (7-6, 4-4) fired Dirk Koetter after six turbulent seasons and brought in a guy with a proven track record - two national titles at Miami and the finishing touches to the resurrection of the dormant Oregon State program - in hopes that his resume will attract enough recruits to get ASU back in the national picture.

He's got some weapons to work with.

Junior quarterback Rudy Carpenter should bounce back from a forgettable sophomore season marred by hand injuries and the controversial mess with Sam Keller, who transferred to Nebraska.

The 6-1, 213-pound Ryan Torain carried the ball 233 times last year, and he should be the focal point of the offense.

Don't forget. Erickson coached three conference-leading running backs in previous stops at Oregon State (Ken Simonton and Stephen Jackson) and Washington State (Steve Broussard).

The final piece to ASU's puzzle is a favorable schedule with eight home games, including Erickson's Pac-10 debut against the Beavers.

5, Oregon

As usual, the Ducks (7-6, 4-5) should have no problem scoring points.

Newly hired offensive coordinator Chip Kelly brings his spin on the spread offense from Division I-AA New Hampshire, and he plans to pick up the pace as evidenced by all of the work on a no-huddle offense.

The offensive standouts include two potential 1,000-yard rushers in Jonathan Stewart and Jeremiah Johnson, a big and athletic offensive line anchored by center Max Unger, and a slew of physical wideouts.

Triggering the attack will be senior quarterback Dennis Dixon, who took a step back last year, but still possesses electric running ability and a strong arm.

The key statistic could be turnovers.

Oregon led the league in yardage last season, but 32 turnovers - 18 interceptions and 14 lost fumbles - hurt the Ducks' consistency. They also had trouble stopping the run with an injury-plagued defensive line. A sterling secondary, with three starters back, is a good start for an improved defense.

6, Oregon State

The Beavers (10-4, 6-3) have decided to open the season with sophomores Sean Canfield and Lyle Moevao sharing duty at quarterback.

It's anybody's guess how long that scenario will last.

One of the problems for either player is the fact that senior wideout Sammie Stroughter, a third-team all-American last year, who returned three punts for touchdowns and caught 74 passes for 1,293 yards, might not play this year.

Stroughter issued a statement explaining that his absence from fall camp was due to his grief over the deaths in the past year of two family members `who were important male role models in my life,' and the passing this summer of former OSU assistant coach Jim Gilstrap, his primary recruiter out of high school.

OSU does have 15 starters back, and senior Alexis Serna, the 2005 Groza Award winner, returns as its kicking specialist, although he will also be the punter after the departure of Kyle Loomis.

It will be hard for the Beavers to repeat last year's 10-win season, which included four wins by three points or less against USC (33-31), Oregon (30-28), Hawaii (35-32) and Missouri (39-38).

7, Arizona

Say this for head coach Mike Stoops.

After compiling a lackluster 12-22 mark in his first three seasons, a reign characterized by an impotent offense which averaged just 16.9 points and 252.8 yards per game last year, he knew something had to change.

So he brought in Sonny Dykes, the former co-offensive coordinator at Texas Tech, for a complete offensive makeover.

Look for junior quarterback Willie Tuitama, who was cleared to play after suffering three concussions last season, to line up in the shotgun formation as the Wildcats (6-6, 2-5) switch to a wide-open spread passing attack.

Arizona's strength remains on defense with 10 starters back, featuring all-American candidates Antoine Cason and Wilrey Fontenot at cornerback, each of whom enter their fourth season as starters.

The Wildcats are hoping that an improved offense will be enough to earn a trip to their first bowl game since 1998.

8, Washington State

Bill Doba is another coach on the hot seat.

The Cougars (6-6, 4-5) were on their way to a bowl game last year when a late season swoon saw them drop their final three games to teams that finished below .500 in the Pac-10 - Arizona, Arizona State and Washington.

On the plus side, former Sheldon High standout Alex Brink returns for his senior season at quarterback. WSU finished with the league's second-rated passing attack last year, and once again, they will try to make up for a porous defense with a solid offense.

Special teams and a lack of overall depth are big concerns.

The Cougars finished last in the league in punt returns, kickoff returns and kickoff coverage last year, and they need to upgrade those areas, while keeping their fingers crossed that their frontline players can remain healthy.

9, Washington

The savior has arrived in the form of redshirt freshman quarterback Jake Locker, a local product from nearby Ferndale High School, who has already been hailed as the `future of the program.'

The 6-3, 210-pound Locker is a dual-threat who will be tested early in his career.

That's because the Huskies (5-7, 3-6) have one of the toughest, if not the toughest schedule in the country.

They open the season by traveling across the country to play at Syracuse, followed by back-to-back home games against Boise State and Ohio State. Their first four Pac-10 games are road trips to UCLA and ASU, and home games with USC and Oregon.

If Locker is still standing at that point, there might be hope.

Third-year coach Tyrone Willingham probably doesn't need to be reminded that no UW coach has ever had three straight losing seasons.

10, Stanford

With eight home games and a new coach in the excitable Jim Harbaugh, conventional wisdom would seem to suggest that the hapless Cardinal (1-11, 1-8) can only go in one direction.

Time will tell.

They do have 15 starters back, plus their kicker and punter, but not much speed and not much talent.

Remember: This is an outfit that only scored 10.8 points per game last year (which ranked 118th in the nation), and the defense yielded 31 points and 388 yards per contest. To make matters worse, Stanford must replace its only all-league position player in linebacker Michael Okwo.

Stanford is vulnerable in all areas, most notably a revolving offensive line, a nonexistent running game, and an inexperienced secondary.