Oregon QB Costa Injured???

That’s the report out of Oregon.  He may have injured his knee in practice last night.  There is no official word, so we don’t know if it is true, and whether or not it is the same knee that was injured last season.

What we do know is that backup Justin Roper looked good in the scrimmage on Saturday.  He was 7-8 for 155 yards, this is the same guy who lead the Ducks to a blowout victory over South Florida in the Sun Bowl last December. 

With the UW game only 9 days away, it’s looking more and more like Roper will be starting the season against the Dawgs. 

You never know, this may be a blessing for Oregon, although you have to feel bad for Nate Costa.  All the kid wants to do is play, yet his body keeps failing him.

Bellotti Done At Oregon In 2009???

The Ducks were a healthy Dennis Dixon away from the National Championship Game last season, Mike Bellotti has a .619 winning percentage since 2002, and Phil Knight is pumping more money into Oregon athletics than USC boosters were into the Bush family.  How then, can Coaches Hot Seat be predicting that Bellotti is entering his final season in Eugene?

Frankly, we think it’s ridiculous.  You don’t fire a guy who has been at the helm of the program through its’ most successful run ever.  You can’t use the schedule as an excuse, it’s tough every season, with 9 conference games.

Predicting that Oregon is going to lose to a middle-tier Big 10 team is laughable.  Purdue’s RB is likely done and West Lafayette isn’t the most intimidating place to play.  Yes, the Ducks play USC, Arizona State, and California on the road, but they are very capable of stealing one, if not two, of those games. 

Do we expect Oregon to win the Pac-10? No. Do we expect Mike Bellotti to be the coach at Oregon in 2009? Without a doubt.

Pac-10 Projections

Isn’t it the staple of ever blog to predict the upcoming season?  While we don’t fancy ourselves experts, therefore making these predictions meaningless, we do think it’s best to put them out there. 

This way, when were way off, you can ridicule us.  But, if we are even close to right then bragging rights for all of 2009.

So, without any more ramblings, here’s how RWTP believes the 2008 Pac-10 season will shakeout:

1.) USC – Can’t really say anything that hasn’t all ready been said.  The defense will be great, the offense may falter some, but overall they are still the best team in the conference.

2.) Arizona – No, that isn’t a typo.  We didn’t forget the State at the end.  The Wildcats will finish #2 in the conference.  The value of a experienced QB is undervalued sometimes.  This is one of those cases.  Willie Tuitama will lead Arizona to their highest finish in years and give Mike Stoops a contract extension in the desert.

3.)Arizona State – A tough schedule, facing USC, Cal, and Oregon in three straight weeks will leave the Sun Devils in 3rd place.  The game that decides 2nd and3rd will be for the Territorial Cup.  QB Rudy Carpenter will get hurt behind that weak O-line and ASU won’t be able to challenge USC for the conference title.

4.) Oregon – The Ducks have playmakers: WR Jaison Williams, RB Jeremiah Johnson, and RB LeGarrette Blount.  Even though they are breaking in a new QB, an easy nonconference slate gives the Ducks another top tier finish in the Pac.

5.) California – Last year California went from #2 in the nation and National Championship Game hopes to the Armed Forces Bowl and a 7-6 season.  Jahvid Best may be the best running back no ones talking about, but the uncertainty at QB, will it be Kevin Riley or Nate Longshore?, will cause Cal to once again finish near the middle of the conference. 

6.) Oregon State – You can’t lose 8 defensive starters and your 1,000 yard RB and expect to not lose anything in the standings.  The Beavers, who the last two seasons have finished with the best record in conference not named the Trojans, can expect their run defense to suffer.  

7.) UCLA – You don’t want to be a QB at UCLA right now.  They’re dropping faster than USA Basketball opponents.  They have a master coaching staff (Neuheisel, Chow, Walker) but it’s going to take more than one year to make a difference in Westwood.

8.) Washington State – New coach, new offense, new mindset.  The Cougars will be a different team this season.  They will have the mental toughness to finish games, something they severely lacked under Bill Doba.  Will a quick tempo offense and an improved defense, the Cougs will manage to win 4 conference games and finish ahead of the Dawgs and Cardinal.

9.) Washington – People are giving Jake Locker and his young offense to much credit.  With only one receiver on the roster who has caught a pass in a college game, the Husky offense will have a hard time moving the ball against some good defenses in the Pac-10.  The Husky defense is questionable, with 3 new defensive linemen up front.

10.) Stanford – The Cardinal just don’t have the talent to compete right now.  Tavita Pritchard beat USC last year, but will be lucky to win 3 Pac-10 games this season.  They lose both their top WR, but return a decent defense including S Bo McNally.

Roaming With The Pac: August 21, Seven Days ‘Till OSU-Stanford

***Can you believe real, live college football is only one week away?  It feels like Christmas Eve around here.  This means that Michael Phelps has more gold medals in 2008 than we do days until the gridiron.***

Eugene, OR – Who’s gonna be Oregon’s starting QB against Washington? Who knows, but an announcement is expected Friday.

Los Angeles, CA – USC starting QB Mark Sanchez participated in 7-on-7 drills Wednesday. Causing further speculation that he may be able to play August 30 when the Trojans travel to Virginia.  Also ESPN’s Ted Miller sat down with Pete Carroll.  Here is  Part One and Part Two. It’s a good read, so take the time.

Bristol, CT – Former Pac-10 football analyst-turned-play-by-play man Dan Fouts has been signed by CBS to bolster their football coverage team. Fouts was let go by ABC/ESPN last year.