[viciouspenguin]

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

I think my most debatable picks are ASU at 5, Arizona at 6, and USC at 8.

ASU was a very well coached, rapidly improving team by the end of the team last year with limited talent. They nearly beat UCLA and USC just by being well coached. With more talent (more specifically Harden), their frustratingly slow style, tough D scheme, and excellent coaching, I expect them to be the 2006 WSU of this year. I would put them higher but Oregon fans would get mad at me. I'm personally not very high on Oregon because I think the loss of Brooks will impact the team much more than people think, but I can't rank them any lower since they're obviously still a good team. But I am curious what will happen when those open 3 point shots arent there anymore becuase Brooks isn't breaking down the D and kicking the rock out. I also dont like the idea of Porter running the point permannetly. Taylor and Hairston will need to prove themselves but if they do Oregon is a top 2-4 team, otherwise i put them at middle of the pack in such a tough PAC10

Arizona will not meet expectations this year. Chase will find trouble scoring because all the focus will be on him. All those open looks he had last year will be gone. He's overhyped by the media. The Arizona defense is still soft and weak. The team is inexperienced as well. Most of the players are still raw and very undisciplined. Chase is just an athlete and pretty selfish. Look up Trent Suzuki.

What people don't realize about USC last year compared to this year is the defense. Pruitt, Young, etc. were all excellent defenders. Their offense, leadership, and experience will also be missed obviously. OJ Mayo is not a team player and I expect them to finish near the bottom of the PAC10. SC's defense is horrible this year. In such a deep PAC10 the one man team of OJ Mayo is not going to win. Especially with some of the great defensive teams that will just shut him down with their help D. UCLa, Stanford, WSU, ASU come to mind. If OJ can't beat Mercer by himself, USC is NIT status. It's not going to get much better.