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If you think the Pacific-10 Conference, after its recent makeover – new commissioner, new schools, new logo – is in the midst of an identity crisis, then consider where the conference was nearly a year ago.
The Conference of Quarterbacks – Elway, Fouts, Bledsoe, Palmer et al. – seemed to be without any of substance.
Or that’s how it looked last September, when the one quarterback generating Heisman Trophy buzz was Matt Barkley, an 18-year-old freshman whose major accomplishment over the first month was leading USC to a single touchdown drive in an 18-15 win over Ohio State.
Oregon was carried to the Rose Bowl by Jeremiah Masoli, who was built like a running back and threw like one, too, when the Ducks were held to 152 yards in a loss to Boise State and he completed 4 of 16 passes in a win over Utah.
Thanks to the New Orleans Saints, who selected Oregon State quarterback Sean Canfield, the Pac-10’s leading passer, late in the seventh and final round of the NFL draft, the Pac-10 stretched its streak of having a quarterback drafted to 16 years.
And that's where the Pac-10 had always made its mark. There might be the occasional great team – USC this decade, Washington in the early 90s – but the Pac-10 has been always been an assembly line for NFL quarterbacks.
Even today, as many as one-quarter of NFL teams could start a Pac-10 player at quarterback: Carson Palmer (Bengals, USC), Mark Sanchez (Jets, USC), Aaron Rodgers (Packers, Cal), Matt Cassel (Chiefs, USC), Matt Moore (Panthers, Oregon State), Matt Leinart (Cardinals, USC), Trent Edwards (Bills, Stanford) and perhaps Dennis Dixon (Oregon) with the Steelers.
Now, with USC on probation and Masoli dismissed from Oregon for disciplinary reasons, the Pac-10 race is as wide open as it has been in a decade.
And all those quarterback problems? A distant memory. In the Pac-10, the quarterback is back.
In fact, two of them, Washington senior Jake Locker and Stanford redshirt sophomore Andrew Luck are being mentioned as possible No. 1 overall picks. In some mock drafts, they are Nos. 1 and 2.
Those are heady projections, considering that no conference has ever had two quarterbacks drafted in the top 10.
But Luck and Locker are not alone. Nick Foles, a junior who took over as Arizona's starter in the fourth game in 2009, is not far behind. Barkley is expected to make improvement in his decision making – and if not, apparently improving Mitch Mustain – the senior and former Arkansas quarterback – is waiting in the wings.
Meanwhile, California’s Kevin Riley, has won more games and thrown more touchdown passes (37) than any other Pac-10 quarterback.
All five of those quarterbacks were named to the preseason Manning Award watch list, and all but Riley were named to the preseason Davey O’Brien Award watch list.
"Historically in this conference the teams that have won Pac-10 championships or have been in that race at the end have had veteran leadership at that position," said Washington coach Steve Sarkisian. "Ultimately, if you really want to win a Pac-10 championship, you have to find a way to win on the road. We will take the advantage of having that senior quarterback who has been in those environments."
Even those with questions about their quarterbacks know that they are not glaring.
At Oregon, Nate Costa, a senior with brittle knees, and Darron Thomas, a fleet but green sophomore, have to replace Masoli, who was suspended and then kicked off the team after a couple of run-ins with police. But whoever the quarterback is will line up alongside nine returning starters – only tight end Ed Dickson, now in the NFL, is not back. "It’s always a question mark when you lose your quarterback," Oregon coach Chip Kelly said. "We have two competent players. They will have a supporting cast around them.'' Steven Threet, who is competing with Brock Osweiler for the job at Arizona State, started eight games at Michigan in 2008, and thus shouldn't be overwhelmed by anything he sees.
UCLA’s Kevin Prince and Washington State’s Jeff Tuel were beaten up as freshmen, but still showed enough to warrant promise. Prince, after returning from a broken jaw, outplayed Barkley, his crosstown rival, over the second half of the season. Tuel, who has gained 20 pounds since last season, passed for 354 yards for the woeful Cougars against Cal before being sidelined with a knee injury.
Then there is Oregon State sophomore Ryan Katz, who Coach Mike Riley has called the most talented quarterback he's coached at the school – a list that includes NFL quarterbacks Matt Moore and Derek Anderson.
"The transition always provides a mystery," Riley said, even if in this conference it's a little less so.
