FanHouse Steve Sarkisian

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Charlie Weis' weekly Tuesday noon press conference this week, a Seattle-based scribe had the temerity to go somewhere no Notre Dame-based writer ever does. The writer asked, in an indirect fashion, for Weis to evaluate the man who is both his predecessor in South Bend and that of Steve Sarkisian at Washington as a recruiter.

The question was a phone-in, but I imagine the inquisitor could still feel Charlie's stare. Weis' reply was to the effect that, "I would never say anything derogatory about a former head coach at Notre Dame ... or Washington."

Which is curious, because just by introducing the term "derogatory," I believe Weis made his point.

USC once again followed a tired pattern Saturday, losing its Pac-10 road opener to Washington thanks to a bevy of offensive problems. Sophomore quarterback Aaron Corp, starting in place of injured freshman Matt Barkley was ineffective, tossing a pair of interceptions inside the Washington 30-yard line as USC fell to the Huskies 16-13. Washington kicked a 22-yard field goal with seconds remaining to eclipse the No. 3 Trojans.

USC's Pac-10 troubles are well established, having lost to Oregon State in 2008, Stanford and Oregon in 2007, UCLA in 2006 and Cal in 2003. The road openers have been predictably troublesome, with the Cal and Oregon State losses in that mix. Of particular embarrassment, USC coach Pete Carroll lost to disciple Steve Sarkisian, who only last week snapped a 15-game losing streak for the troubled Washington football program.

The University of Washington should be relieved that quarterback Jake Locker signed a professional baseball contract with the Los Angeles Angels because it could potentially free up another scholarship.

Locker, a 10th round pick of Los Angeles, confirmed Saturday night that he has agreed to terms on a deal and likely will receive a signing bonus. Because of that he will need to relinquish his scholarship to retain his amateur football status, giving coach Steve Sarkisian another coveted scholarship.

Locker said he will play his final two seasons for the Huskies and may pursue the NFL. Baseball, something he played in high school and during college summers, is merely a fallback.

So is this the year someone besides USC wins the Pac-10 title and gains the automatic BCS bowl berth?

If there is ever a year for USC to get chased from behind and caught, this is this year. The Trojans are breaking in a new quarterback in Aaron Corp and replacing several departed starters to the NFL draft.

So who's it going to be? Cal? Can the Golden Bears overcome early-season trap games and win the games they are supposed to and make it interesting? Can Oregon beat USC at home and win difficult road games and take the title? And how about Oregon State? Do Mike Riley teams always have to start 1-3 before getting into high gear?

And what about the rest of the field? Is this Stanford's breakout year? Is UCLA ready to become a Pac-10 factor again? And is Arizona really the third worst team in the conference as it was picked by the media? These are all intriguing questions that will be worked out in the coming weeks.

Our standings preview and records predictions are after the jump.

LOS ANGELES -- USC was picked to win the Pac-10 football title for the seventh consecutive year by the media, and yet the coaches from all nine competitors -- including Arizona's Mike Stoops (right) and even USC coach Pete Carroll -- touched on the uncertainty of the Trojans this season.

USC received 28 of the 32 votes with California receiving three while third-place Oregon collected one vote. The Trojans will be breaking in a new quarterback and several new defenders since 11 players were taken in the NFL Draft. Perhaps this is the year another school emerges and takes the crown out of Los Angeles, but they approached Thursday precariously and with respect. There were no declarations that USC is going down or the reign is over -- not even from UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel.

LOS ANGELES -- Steve Sarkisian is trying to restart a winning tradition at the University of Washington and having quarterback Jake Locker will help that cause.

Yet, he realizes that Locker is such a gifted athlete, there will be other demands for his services, such as baseball. And Sarkisian said he believes Locker will sign a professional baseball contract with the Los Angeles Angels, who drafted him in the 10th round in June's amateur draft.

Locker, a rising junior, coming off missing the final eight games with a broken finger, is slated to start for the Huskies and finished 16-for-18 in the UofW Spring Game.

"Eventually that will probably get done," Sarkisian said. "He's been very patient (but) I think it will get done, a deal with Angels."

LOS ANGELES -- Perhaps there was a reason Pete Carroll pleaded with Mark Sanchez to return to USC for his senior season. He knew his Trojans would lose their gorilla grip on the Pac-10, and that is the enduring theme entering the conference's media day Thursday at the LAX Sheraton Hotel.

The Trojans are not the prohibitive favorites, but the precarious favorites with a slew of teams chasing them. But there's one major catch in their pursuit, most of the conference teams -- outside Washington -- are breaking in a new or less experienced quarterback. USC should be voted the favorites Thursday, but who is second?

Nick Montana, the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Montana, has given an oral commitment to the University of Washington, his Oaks Christian High School coach, Bill Redell, told FanHouse.

Montana, who is listed at 6-feet-1, 180 pounds, is ranked the No. 13 quarterback in the class of 2010 by Scout.com and gives new Washington coach Steve Sarkisian a potential program-changing quarterback. Montana threw for 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions as a junior and possesses many of the same skills as his famous father, according to Redell.

"He can run, he's got tremendous feet, he's got great timing on his passes," Redell said. "He's got great touch on the ball. He's got great leadership ability. He's the type of kid who can throw on the run, like his dad could."

New Washington football coach Steve Sarkisian wanted to make major strides with in-state recruiting, but that campaign was dealt a blow Thursday when Skyline High School (Sammamish, Wash.) quarterback Jake Heaps announced his intentions to attend BYU for the 2010 season.

College Football Spring Storylines 2009 looks at the key developments and big news from spring ball.

Since 2002, the Pac-10 has been derisively called USC and the nine dwarves. Its more than a little unfair, but that's the prevailing wisdom. Although the conference is consistently among the deepest and most competitive around, USC's monopolized that top spot. Any chance of that changing this year begins with decisions those programs make this spring.