Pac-10

How They'll Finish

[This article contains a table. Please see hardcopy of magazine or PDF.]

Players to Watch
Top performers from unranked teams in the conference

Dexter Davis
DE, Sr., Arizona State
This underrated pass rusher is one of four players who had at least 10 sacks in each of the past two seasons. His career total is 27.

Rob Gronkowski
TE, Jr., Arizona
The 6'6" 265-pounder has great hands (47 catches last year), averaged a touchdown for every 4.7 receptions and is a physical blocker.

Jake Locker
QB, Jr., Washington
This dangerous runner (1,116 yards in 16 games) has to improve his accuracy (48.7%) in Steve Sarkisian's West Coast offense.

Brian Price
DT, Jr., UCLA
He led Pac-10 interior linemen with 14 tackles for loss in '08, including 12 in the last nine games; he has 21 in his last 16 games.

Syd'Quan Thompson
CB, Sr., Cal
The four-year starter developed into a lockdown corner (four picks, 18 passes defended in '08) and doubles as a punt returner.

Extra Points
UCLA quarterbacks threw nine touchdown passes and were picked off 21 times in 2008 for an offense that ranked 109th in the country. Coach RICK NEUHEISEL will turn things over to redshirt freshman KEVIN PRINCE, who suffered a knee injury in the opener of his senior season at Crespi Carmelite High in Encino, Calif., in 2007 and hasn't played in a game since.... Before he took the job as Cal's offensive coordinator, ANDY LUDWIG had never worked with coach JEFF TEDFORD, but the two do have a history. Ludwig replaced Tedford as Fresno State's offensive coordinator in 1998 and followed Tedford in the same job at Oregon four years later.... Oregon State must replace all four starters in the secondary, who combined for 141 career starts. The last time the Beavers were so inexperienced in the defensive backfield was in 2005, when they finished 117th in the country against the pass.... USC may have lost four linebackers—they were all taken in the first four rounds of the NFL draft in April—but that doesn't mean the Trojans will be short on experience at the position. CHRIS GALIPPO (left), MICHAEL MORGAN and MALCOLM SMITH, all juniors, have appeared in a combined 63 games.

Notable