USC Trojans (-300 to win Pac-10)

Pete Carrols’s troops were a frustrating 7-6 against the spread (ATS) when trying to cover the oddsmakers, but still ended up No.2 in the polls by year’s end. They demolished their opponents in the Rose Bowl and were a near entry for the BCS Championship. Will this year be one of continuing madness for the Trojans, or can they get over the hump and into the BCS?

Truthfully, they have one of the best defenses in the league, with Rey Maualuga leading the way at the backer position. They’ll be easier to run on with Sedrick Ellis drafted to the NFL, but they lost three defensive starters and that is a big deal.

On top of that, seven starters left USC, including quarterback John David Booty. Now quarterback Mark Sanchez who enters the season injured. That can’t be too much of a concern for those willing to dabble in USC’s betting futures because their defense will hold them steady. However, I don’t have the faith in Sanchez that I’ve had in the recent string of USC quarterbacks.

As far as the regular season goes, however, I’d say that USC is going to be a tough call throughout the season until their offense finds its rhythm with Sanchez.

Oregon Ducks (+850 to win Pac-10)

With Dixon at the helm, anything was possible for the Ducks. This upstart team went 9-4 ATS and was one of my favorite college plays last season because of Dixon’s versatile talents. Now him, and running-back Jonathan Stewart, have departed for the pros and they’ve lost four defenders on the front-seven.

The Ducks were an easy play last season because they averaged 38.0 points per game. With a no-name quarterback at the helm, and so many questions surrounding this team on both sides of the ball, I’d say the Ducks are grounded this coming season. That definitely puts their chances of winning the Pac-10 in lethal jeopardy.

Arizona State (+450 to win Pac-10)

The Indians were a bit of a letdown last season going 5-7 ATS despite their talented offense. Quarterback Corey Leonard threw 2,235 yards, 16 touchdowns but also chipped in an ugly 15 interceptions. They have the talent to be one of the more entertaining offenses in the league, but they have to keep producing mistake-free football.

Their defense got vultured due to graduation so it will be interesting to see if ASU can stop anyone from throwing the ball against them. They lost all four of their starters in the secondary. If you like offense, ASU is going to be explosive, but their defense won’t stop anybody.