The question, as of late, is the same every year, "Can anyone challenge USC for the Pac-10 title?"

The funny thing to me is, someone always challenges, it's just that no one has succeeded in beating USC for the title outright. There have however, been several shared titles.

The consensus around the internet among sports writers and analyst is that Cal, Oregon, and Oregon State are the main challengers for the 2009 season.

Stanford and Arizona have been deemed the teams to cause problems but have a low probability of winning the conference.

Arizona State and UCLA are looking to improve on lack luster 2008 seasons where both missed being bowl eligible by one game.

Washington and Washington State are bringing up the rear, but with coaching changes, WSU in 2008 and UW in 2009, they could start climbing back up.

Over the last few seasons we have seen that USC is beatable.

In 2006 it was Oregon State and UCLA.

In 2007 Stanford and Oregon did it.

Last season Oregon State did it again.

After being disrespected and hearing how the only team out west worth anything is USC, the rest of the Pac-10 is catching up to them slowly but surely.

I am at a place where I believe that yes, USC is possibly vulnerable this season due to personnel losses and some coaching staff changes. At the same time, USC reloads and has very good talent stepping in to those roles vacated by players graduating and heading to the NFL.

I am not just going to say this because I am an Oregon fan, I really truly feel that the Pac-10 race will be one of the better ones in all the conference next season. I would not be at all surprised if in the final weeks of the regular season, there are still three or four teams still in the hunt.

There was a lot of noise made by the rest of the country about the fact that the Pac-10 went 2-6 against the Mountain West.

A closer look at that record shows that four of the six wins were against Pac-10 teams that were under .500.

The Pac-10 vs. Mountain West only has a few entries for the 2009 season .

San Diego State will go to UCLA

Oregon State travels to UNLV.

Last seasons Mountain West champion visits Oregon.

It looks like the Pac-10 will likely be favored in all three but, as we learned last season, that doesn't mean they will win them all.
There was also a lot of noise made about the Pac-10 going 5-0 in bowls. That was more from the west coast and the Pac-10 fans though.

Yes it is nice and gave a bit of redemption to the conference but it by no means made the Pac-10 even close to the best conference.

Really, the Pac-10 couldn't even fulfill all of their bowl agreements leaving two bowls to find replacement teams.

If the Pac-10 wants more respect, they need to be able get more than half their members to bowls.

Like the Big East, the Pac-10 is going to be having a new commissioner soon.

Tom Hansen will step down July 1, 2009.

Unlike the Big East, a successor has yet to be named.

There have been all kinds of rumors as to who will be the next commissioner from Condoleezza Rice to Sandy Alderson of the San Diego Padres, have been tied to the position, but the position is still vacant.

Hansen has been widely criticized for the lack of exposure the Pac-10 receives due to poor television deals. The criticism also includes that bowl deals the Pac-10 has and how, out side of the Rose Bowl, the Pac-10 does not have another bowl in January.

The incoming commissioner is going to have these and a few other issues to deal with right away. It is important to remember that the commissioner still has to serve the member institutions.

So while some expect some changes like expansion, if the schools don't want it, it doesn't matter who the commissioner is.

A lot of people would say the conference was down in 2008, so here is to hoping the conference rebounds and 2009 is one to remember.