The Experts
Among ESPN's analysts. Lee Corso, Ed Cunningham and Lou Holtz pick USC to win the Pac-10. But more analysts pick Oregon. Here's the results:
ESPN Analyst
Winner
Comments
Kirk Herbstreit
Stanford
Jim Harbaugh obviously built this program from the ground up. I think they'll show that there's more to this team than Toby Gerhart, and Andrew Luck could be the best player in the Pac-10.
Lee Corso
USC
Monte Kiffin's defense and they've got Oregon and Cal at home.
Desmond Howard
Oregon
Nick Costas is not a great quarterback but he has great talent around him.
Ed Cunningham
USC
Don't forget, Tennessee got better in the second half of last season.
Bob Davie
Oregon
Even without Masoli, they still have the best spread scheme in the conference.
Lou Holtz
USC
One of three teams with a proven QB, still the most talented team in the Pac-10. They will rally together because of the probation and people are writing them off.
Craig James
Oregon
I worked their spring game and I didn't see one bit of distraction within the team from off-field stuff. The Ducks are focused and talented and have a very good coaching staff.
Jesse Palmer
Oregon
17 starters return to a team that must overcome the loss of QB Jeremiah Masoli, however they still have the talent to survive conference road tests at USC and Oregon St.
jesse palmer?
i thought you said 'experts'...
Nick Costas? Please tell me that's Scott's typo... if not, Desmond should have his "expert" label removed immediately.
Craig James cannot stand USC. Like Wolf, most of his past comments about USC have been negative. His son should be made to stand in a closet as a result.
Lance Kiffin - I think these predictions were made before Oregon recently announced that Darron Thomas won the starting QB job from Costa, who had more experience coming into fall camp.
I'll go with Corso. He was the only one who thought that USC would beat Oklahoma in the 2005 Orange Bowl.
Nevertheless, it's Nate Costa, not Nick Costas.
What about old Suffering Succotash Lou Holtz saying Barkley was one of only three proven quarterbacks in the PAC-10?
I think Barkley has the talent and potential to be good, but what has Barkley proven? I'd say Nick Foles and Kevin Riley have proven as much thus far. In fact, when you look at every quarterback closely, no one has really proven a thing. Locker's been hurt half of the time, and the time he's played (as a true freshman and even last year) it hasn't always been pretty. And I think Andrew Luck has a total of 13 career touchdown passes. (Foles has 19, Riley has 37, Locker has 36, Barkley has 15)
Just to put those numbers in perspective, Matt Leinart (just off the top of my head) had 99 career touchdown passes and Case Keenum (looked it up) has 102 and still has one year to play.
You're going out on a super thin limb to say any of these guys is "proven".
Desmond Howard = moron
Craig James = pussy
Bob Davie = failure
Lou Holtz = douche bag
I Dig Go Go = Right on!
for sureshot;
Kevin Riley has had 3 years of terribly inconsistant play, so that's the only thing he's proven.
As for the experts, I think Holtz picked USC so that he would be perceived as astute and impartial, instead of goofy looking which he is on the tube.