The nation may be enthralled by the most exciting Heisman Trophy race in decades, what with a legitimate candidate on each of the top three teams in the nation, but the Division-I schools peppering America’s Southwest and West Coast will have their own intriguing story lines.

Will USC find a quarterback capable of extending its streak of seven consecutive AP Top 4 finishes with a true freshman at the helm? Will UCLA find a quarterback who can actually throw a football without being injured? Can California finally have a breakthrough season and capitalize on their early season successes? How will Oregon affect the race for the BCS National Championship? Can Steve Sarkisian bring his USC magic to Washington? Will the Pac-10, as a whole, be properly represented in the postseason?

Indeed, there are several storylines within the Pac-10 Conference to make every game worth paying attention to. As usual, the biggest story is whether USC can repeat as conference champion for the eighth year in a row and perhaps earn a spot in the BCS National Championship Game, coincidentally taking place at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

With that, let’s take a look at what to expect from USC and UCLA this season, as well as a quick glance at the rest of the conference.



USC TROJANS

Final 2008-09 Record: 11-1 (8-1 in Pac-10)

2008-09 Bowl Game: Rose Bowl, defeated No. 8 Penn State, 38-24

2008-09 Final Rankings: No. 2 (Coaches), No. 3 (AP)

Key Players Lost: Mark Sanchez, Rey Maualuga, Patrick Turner, Brian Cushing, Clay Matthews

Key Recruits: Matt Barkley, Patrick Hall, Devon Kennard

Key 2009-10 Games: at Ohio State (9/12), at California (10/3), at Oregon (10/31), vs. UCLA (11/28)

Southern Cal is loaded yet again, and this year, Head Coach Pete Carroll has a relatively young team to mold. While this may be the first year where Carroll does not have at least one potential Heisman Trophy candidate, he still has a lot to work with.

One of Carroll’s biggest luxuries is the fact that he has all five starting offensive linemen of last season returning this year (with the exception of Armond Armstead who is likely to be sidelined for six weeks with a broken foot), an asset that will definitely help quarterbacks Aaron Corp and Matt Barkley.

While the quarterback spot appears up for grabs for the first time since the pre-Carson Palmer era, Carroll believes Barkley is best suited for the role, despite the fact he is a true freshman. Corp, a sophomore, appeared to have the edge, but an off-season injury hurt his cause. In choosing Barkley, Carroll told reporters that the freshman looked comfortable on the field and did not play like a freshman.

Thankfully, Barkley has a strong frontline and an even more talented backfield to take some of the pressure off him. That talented backfield includes some of the best tailbacks in college football: C.J. Gable, Joe McKnight and Stafon Johnson.

With a Top 5 recruiting college, a tight defensive unit and solid coaching core, the only real questions facing Southern Cal is whether they will be able to recover from the loss of offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, who accepted the head coach gig at Washington.

The Trojans will not win the Pac-10 by a landslide this year, but there is no reason to believe USC will finish any lower than second in conference. (Though, Oregon might have something to say about that.)



UCLA BRUINS

Final 2008-09 Record: 4-8 (3-6 in Pac-10)

2008-09 Bowl Game: None

2008-09 Final Rankings: None

Key Players Lost: Kahlil Bell, John Hale, Brigham Harwell, Micah Reed

Key Recruits: Jayson Allmond, Damian Thigpen

Key 2009-10 Games: at Tennessee (9/12), vs. Kansas State (9/19), at Oregon (10/10), vs. California (10/17), at USC (11/28)

The 2008-09 season was one UCLA would rather forget, as they finished near the bottom of virtually every single category in the Pac-10. After a disastrous debut season as head coach, Rick Neuheisel may actually have some decent tools this year to make some noise in the Pac-10.

Interestingly enough, Neuheisel’s situation at starting quarterback is not too different from what Carroll is facing across town – a young kid with limited experience taking over the offense. While the Trojans have Barkley learning the ropes, UCLA is hoping Kevin Prince will be able to step into the void and run Norm Chow’s offense. The redshirt freshman was given the nod over senior Kevin Craft, who has not impressed Neuheisel or Chow very much.

Yet, with a solid front line, an even better defense and nine returning starters taking the field this season, UCLA should be able to rebound from last season’s debacle and post a winning record this season. Their schedule is actually quite manageable, and six wins is actually not out of the question.

With their pass defense being the sole bright spot last season, Defensive Coordinator Chuck Bullough will have a lot of defense on the other side of the ball to work with this year. In fact, the defense is solid enough for UCLA to be considered for a bowl game this year, should they hit the magic number of six wins.

The one place UCLA has to work on improving is their rushing game. Last season, they finished dead last in Pac-10 rushing – and that was with Kahlil Bell. This year, the Bruin running attack has no clear heir apparent, meaning Derrick Coleman (who only rushed for 285 yards last year) will probably start in the backfield early on.

Either way, 2009 promises to be a big season for college football, both nationally and locally, as USC will probably have a chance to play for the national championship and UCLA may actually qualify for a bowl game.

Oh, and Texas quarterback Colt McCoy will walk away with the Heisman.