Jahvid Best is for real,but is the rest of the Pac-10?

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Let the Heisman talk begin.

Jahvid Best is the real deal. But is the rest of his team, or any other in the Pac-10?

To this point, California has to be considered the best looking team in the conference. With a 3-0 record, Cal has been a machine offensively. While it all starts with Best and his eight touchdowns, Kevin Reily has led an extremely efficient passing game for the Golden Bears, who have scored 20 touchdowns to start the season. Defensively, Cal has been as strong as they come, allowing just 13.7 points per game. But let's remember that these numbers have been put up against Maryland, Eastern Michigan and Minnesota.

Cal's next opponent, Oregon, was supposed to be a solid Top-25 team, but a Week 1 loss to Boise State and the resulting absence of LaGarrett Blount has been a major blow to the Ducks. They have won their next two, including knocking Utah out of the rankings, but when they take on the Golden Bears and win, you have to wonder whether or not the Ducks really are that good or if Cal rode their success against bad teams to a No. 6 ranking they don't deserve.

But perhaps the biggest team in this conversation has to be USC. Coming into this week, they were ranked as the No. 3 team in the nation. After this weekend and a monumental collapse against a Washington team that didn't win a game last year, they are ranked 12th and suddenly find themselves being doubted as able to win their own conference. Looking back at it, it marks the second week in a row the Trojans have sputtered offensively. You can blame Aaron Corp if you want, but even with Matt Barkley in, USC has played the most conservative offense seen by Pete Carroll in years. Perhaps he knows he doesn't have the talent level he's had in the past? Defensively, the Trojans still are tough to beat, but scoring 31 points over its last two games has to be alarming to Southern Cal.

That's not to say Washington hasn't been a quality team this season. They put up over 400 yards of offense against LSU, but lost, then manhandled Idaho before taking on USC. The real strength for this team has been the offense, led by Jake Locker. Against a team that has had trouble stopping teams on defense in Notre Dame next week, the Huskies could solidify themselves as a truly surprising Top-25 team.

But are any of these teams really a group that could be considered a serious contender for the national championship? At this point, not one has put up a resume that is gleaming by any stretch of the imagination. It's quite possible that the mediocrety of the conference will cause all of these teams to beat up on each other and kill their shots.