Outlook:

In the Pac-10, it's seemingly USC and then everybody else. Although there are a few much improved teams in the conference that will try and slay the Trojan behemoth, USC is still perennially considered to be the very best program in the conference year-in and year-out. That goes the same coming into 2008.

1. USC - The Trojans never rebuild, they just reload. Head coach Pete Carroll has his choice of the best recruits every year. No matter who graduates, it seems Carroll can just plug in one talent after another and continue to get great results. When Ohio State comes to Los Angeles on September 13, we may be seeing a No. 1 vs. No. 2 match-up.

2. Oregon - Losing the versatile Dennis Dixon and the productive Jonathan Stewart will hurt the Ducks, but their defense should be rock solid.

3. UCLA - Karl Dorrell was a good coach, but could not get the Bruins from out of USC's shadow and was this let go. Enter the ever controversial Rick Neuheisel back to his alma mater. Neuheisel will have some good players to work with before his recruits gel, so don't be surprised if UCLA sneaks up from behind on some teams.

4. Arizona - Head coach Mike Stoops will be most likely be canned if the Wildcats are not bowl eligible this year. Arizona's winning chances come on the arm of Willie Tuitama. Look out for former Williamsville North Spartan Rob Gronkowski who starts at tight end.

5. Arizona State - Last year's Sun Devils team surprised many by winning 10 games under head coach Dennis Erickson and a resurging quarterback in Rudy Carpenter. They won't sneak up on anyone this season.

6. Oregon State - The Beavers will have difficulty matching last year's nine wins unless they can find someone to replace running back Yvenson Bernard's productivity.

7. Washington - The fate of head coach Tyrone Willingham's future with the Huskies lies in quarterback Jake Locker and a defense that returns a number of key starters.

8. California - This could be an off year for the Golden Bears after seeing their wide receiver core being depleted by the NFL Draft and graduation. Cal will also need to find someone to replace Justin Forsett's 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground.

9. Stanford - The gears are turning under head coach Jim Harbaugh, especially after last season's upset of USC. However, the Cardinal will need steady quarterback play if they want to continue to improve.

10. Washington State - The Cougars break in new head coach Paul Wulff this season and will be hard-pressed to match last year's five win total under a new system.

Players to Watch:

Willie Tuitama QB Arizona - He threw for over 3,600 yards last season and could see that number go up as his top four receivers and the team's top two rushers come back.

Jake Locker QB Washington - Locker has proven to do damage on the ground, racking up over 900 yards rushing last season and 13 touchdowns. However, he needs to improve on his passing game, which may be hard to do with his top four receivers from last year not coming back.

Javid Best RB/KR California - After seeing some time on special teams and serving as backup tailback, Best will now get the bulk of the carries for the Golden Bears with Forsett gone.

Brandon Gibson WR Washington State - Gibson was Alex Brink's favorite weapon last season with over 1,100 yards receiving and nine scores and should quickly develop as the team's top target with whoever becomes signal caller in Pullman.

Nick Reed DE Oregon - Reed led the conference in sacks last year with 12 and will continue to be vital to the Ducks' defense.

Patrick Chung SS Oregon - From his spot in the secondary, Chung made an outstanding 112 tackles last season.

Kai Forbath K UCLA - He showed good accuracy from a far, going 5-5 from beyond 50-yards with a long of 54. Forbath went 25-30 on the season as a whole in 2007.

Aaron Perez P UCLA - Punted over 90 times last season and still managed to average 42.3 yards per boot. He landed 35 punts inside the 20.

Terrance Austin WR/PR UCLA - After averaging 10 yards per punt return in 2007, Austin will be looked at to help produce at wide out as well this season.