Pac Ten Alley

We are only few days away from the start of Fall camp and it is time once again after our brief hiatus to check in with our friends down the coast, and our out of conference opponents to see what is going on as we get ready for the season to begin. Things are still slow for the most part, but expect that to change next week when camps open up across the country.

One great piece of news for Husky fans. QB Dominique Blackman has verbaled to Washington, and he is trying to sway a number of highly rated California recruits to follow him to UW. Blackman has the potential to be a big time QB, but he is in a different mold than Locker, or Tui who are obviously more mobile at this point. He has great size, and that means he should be able to take control of the pocket. A good comparison would by Byron Leftwich. One of the more interesting parts of his recruitment was the fact that he wanted to go to a school that had a history of being fair to black QB's. UW has a legacy of doing that which spans thirty years from Warren Moon, to Isaiah Stanback. I personally think the point is kind of mute these days with coaching staff's. Coaching staff's try to get the best eleven players on the field. IS spent some early time at WR, and that could end up being where he plays in the pro's because of his speed. Blackman weighs in at around 250 lbs, and the tempatation to move him to TE might be great if he doesn't pan out at QB in the future, but all Husky coaches see with this kid is QB at this point. I agree, I think he will provide a great presence in the pocket one of these days for UW.

Pac Ten Alley

USC's John David Booty is a Heisman candidate entering the 2007 season. He talks about what a good thing it was for him to wait his turn before becoming the starter.

"Everybody's telling you how good you are and how you're going to play right away and do this and that," Booty said. "I was the same way. I wanted to come in and play. But looking back on it now, I don't think that would have been the best thing for me. I knew I could play at this level, but I wasn't ready to do it."

Will this be the year that Cal breaks through from runner up status in the Pac Ten?

Cal returns seven starters on offense, though tailback Marshawn Lynch took his talents to the NFL. Bears coach Jeff Tedford has always raved about the ability of Justin Forsett, who rushed for 626 yards in backup duty last fall and is now the primary ballcarrier. What's more, Tedford has a game breaker in receiver-returner DeSean Jackson (21 touchdowns in 24 career games) and defensive anchors in cornerback Syd Thompson and linebacker Worrell Williams.

The focus is still on baseball at Oregon State, but that is about to change as soon as football practice begins. The Beaver's were picked to finish 5th by the Pac Ten media.

Ever since sitting directly behind Kevin Gunderson for a game of the College World Series in Omaha, I've wanted to start updating you on the happenings of OSU players in the minor leagues on a somewhat daily basis. It obviously hasn't happened yet, but I want to start. While we're on the subject, Jacoby is on the DL now with a strained groin, and it appears that Mitch still has his medical issues to deal with.

Our friend Nestor from the UCLA blog mourns the passing of Bill Walsh.

As a lifelong Niner fan (going back to late '60s) the passing of Bill Walsh hit me especially hard. I'm still amazed at the way he rejuvenated a moribund franchise in such short time. While his legacy will be the West Coast Offense, I will always remember how well prepared his teams were for each and every game (with the exception of 1987 playoff loss to the Viking) and how well they executed -- because, in large part, they were so well prepared. Walsh's philosophy was based on a boxing principle that you had to beat your opponent to the punch and by continuously doing so, would ultimately wear down the opposition. It all goes back to preparation -- running demanding practices that strive toward perfection.

I don't know where the WSU blog is going with this, but what exactly are you guy's smoking over there?

Put plain and simple: this upcoming year is going to be the most anticipated season of Cougar sports since our last Rose Bowl Appearance.

Stanford of course doesn't really have an official blog, and that is pretty predictable, but Jon Wilner always manages to keep us entertained. Wilner of course was the guy who insists that Mike Belotti and Pete Carrol are better coaches than DJ.

I’ll say it right now, right from the start, the best game I’ve ever seen is not on this list: The 2006 Rose Bowl/BCS title game between USC and Texas was the best game I’ve ever seen.
It had everything: massive stakes, great performances, controversy, a thrilling finish … And you won’t find it here. My list of the best Pac-10 games of the past 20 years does not include bowl games. And throughout most of the research process, the list wasn’t even going to include non-conference games.

Things are still slow at Arizona State, and one of our favorite blog authors has moved to Tallahasee. The House of Heat is always amusing.

So I've moved to Tallahassee with some money in the bank but no job. The move to the smaller market has proved tougher than originally thought and thusly I have a lot of free time on my hands with zero friends so far. If you know anyone with construction management/real estate development connections in Tallahassee, by all means provide. On a whim I vowed to stay completely sober until I find work, leaving me with a heap of original thought and motivation. With not much else going on, I've turned to my OCD tendencies to help me through this quiet time.

This is a hilarious line, and one of the reasons we love the House of Heat!

Dennis Erickson inked his fourth signee of the 2008 recruiting class, local offensive lineman Patrick Jamison, who was suited by Erickson since his last name is a fantastic whiskey. Jamison also received scholarship offers from UCLA, Tennessee, Oregon State, Boise State, UNLV, and Arizona.

Finally something other than Softball from the Arizona blog. Seems like the Wildcats are doing what the Huskies are doing and that is getting their incoming freshmen acclimated early.

University of Arizona football newcomers appeared relaxed, ready to go and unfazed by what lies ahead for them in the upcoming days. Getting the chance to attend school during the summer has been a huge aid for the incoming class, especially the freshmen. Reporting in for their jersey’s used to symbolize the start of their college careers. Now it is just another day.

The guys at Addicted to Quack have done a great job covering Oregon football. Since our good friend Michael Wines is on vacation let's check in with these guys.

Okay, so I want to take some time to talk about two seemingly unrelated topics: the idea of a playoff in college football, and expansion of the Pac-10. They may seem to be unrelated, but they are connected in that they are largely controlled by one man. Unfortunately, that man is Tom Hansen, whom I wouldn't trust to run a conference any more than I would trust Bill Bavasi to run a baseball franchise.

Out of Conference Blogs

Colt Brennan and the Warriors have BCS hopes, and why not? If Boise can do it, they can do it.

It's mental toughness, a grind. It's a unique pressure, and how Hawaii handles it will probably have a lot to do with the cues the guys take from Colt Brennan. Brennan seems born for this stuff, shrugging off the hype and taking all this Heisman craziness in stride. He is the great star who shows you his humility - his best leadership decision may be that he is smart enough to have the linemen run the team.

Nothing from the Boise State blog since March, so perhaps it has gone away. There was a recent blip about all the hate letters their running back received after proposing to his girlfriend on TV. that of course put's the state of Idaho in an unfair light as a haven for racists.

Ian Johnson and Chrissy Popadics, the cheerleader he proposed to after scoring the winning points in the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma, were married Saturday in a traditional ceremony at Cathedral of the Rockies First United Methodist Church.

Syracuse in the Big Eleven? Not as long as there is chance that Notre Dame could join.

It is not surprising to see that the Big Ten Conference's announcement that expansion is back on the league's agenda has captured the intrigue of the college football community. Syracuse, according to the Des Moines Register, is an apparent target for membership. Many individuals and media outlets have weighed in on Syracuse's candidacy. The sentiments have ranged from surprise to knee-jerk acceptance.

Ohio State is strong as usual, but they are not going to be the same team they have been the last few years when they journey to Seattle. Inexperience at QB will have to be overcome if the Buckeyes plan to win the Big Ten.

So, the sunset of the Troy Smith era is upon us. If you mute your television and listen closely, you can hear Michigan fans rejoice worldwide. Todd Boeckman, who is actually older than Troy, becomes our new quarterback and he has two years of eligibility! Though he's been in the program for years, he lacks appreciable game experience but he did throw a beauty of TD to Ted Ginn a few years ago. We have to start somewhere.