BOWL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

Some Things to Watch For

By John Scheibe
watcher@collegeblitz.com

USC will introduce its version of the Four Freshmen, UCLA hopes a new attitude and coaching staff will put an end to the blues in Westwood and pollsters could be singing "California, Here I Come" when the Pacific 10's marquee teams open the 2006 college football season Saturday.

USC at Arkansas: C.J. Gable, Emmanuel Moody, Allen Bradford and Stafon Johnson. They are a group of inexperienced but eager freshman that will attempt to cover Reggie Bush and LenDale White when the sixth-ranked Trojans play the Razorbacks at Fayetteville. Coach Pete Carroll isn't asking this quartet to carry the whole tune, just keep the offense in harmony and running at the right pitch. The frontman for the Trojans is quarterback John David Booty who has had to wait the last three years off stage while Matt Leinart sang lead. Now it is Booty's turn to run the offense, which is returing just four starters.

USC's most potent threat is wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett. Although the offensive line lost Winston Justice and Deuce Latui to the NFL, the unit is a strong one and only lacks depth.

The defense, bolstered by linebackers Oscar Lua and Rey Maualaga, is weak on the line but strong in the backfield. Observers at Howard Jones Field note that the defensive backs made most of the tackles during scrimmages.

USC defeated Arkansas last September, 70-17, in Los Angeles. The Razorbacks have been reminded daily of that result, with the coaches making them do 70 jumping jacks, 70 push-ups, 70 everything.

Carroll will be happy if Booty and the Freshman can score half that. The group will be a hit if it just comes home with a win.

Utah at UCLA: There's a new quarterback in left-hander Ben Olsen, a new running back in Chris Markey and a den of new coaches. Coach Karl Dorrell brought in six new assistants in the off season in an effort to give his program a well-needed shot of vitamin B, as in Bruins. The swagger has been missing since the glory days of Bob Toledo and Terry Donahue. The residue of the pounding UCLA took from USC last year, 63-19, still lingers over the Westside of L.A. like the marine layer in June.

The Bruins had the offense last season, with Drew Olsen, Maurice Drew and Marcedes Lewis as the headliners. But the defense, especially the line, was pitiful. Dorrell has brought in Jim Colletto, a former NFL assistant and Bruin player and coach, to rebuild the front seven. Dorrell expects it to be an on-going project throughout the season, which is why most experts are picking the Bruins to finish no higher that fourth in the Pac 10. Saturday's nonconference opener at the Rose Bowl should be a good test because Utah still has some quality players left from the days of Urban Meyer.

California at Tennessee: The Bears open the season with some national TV exposure, the kind that Cal Coach Jeff Tedford believes his team deserves. California is ranked ninth by the Associated Press, its highest preseason status in 54 years. It returns 18 starters including Heisman candidate tailback Marshawn Lynch, who rushed for over 1,200 yards and scored 10 touchdowns last season. The Bears Nate Longshore and Joe Ayoob, who started last year, have been competing for the quarterback job and Tedford announced Sunday that he won't decide who starts against the No. 23 Vols until Friday or possibly Saturday. In the Bay Area, the talk among college football fans is Stanford's new stadium and the Bears' chances for a rare national title. Those chances could swing on Cal's late-season showdown with USC in November.