(Written by jsnell)

Great post on ESPN from Ted Miller, its Pac-10 beat writer, about USC’s problematic dominance of the conference.

This line made me smile, ruefully:

In 2004, Cal was knocked out of the Rose Bowl when Texas coach Mack Brown successfully lobbied poll voters to manipulate the system.

Succinct, isn’t it?

But this one made me laugh out loud:

The Bears have 17 starters, including Heisman Trophy candidate Jahvid Best, back from a team that won nine games in 2008.

USC, meanwhile, is breaking in a new quarterback and replacing eight starters from one of the best defenses in college football history.

Are the Trojans vulnerable?

“No,” Jahvid Best said.

“I’ve heard the same thing every year after they lose seven or eight guys to the NFL. Everybody says they’re not going to be as good this year. But they come back [every year] and are just as good if not better than the year before. They’ve proven that no matter how many people leave, they are still going to be one of the best teams in the Pac-10. So we’re not counting on them being vulnerable. We’re counting on our execution on offense and defense to beat them.”

Not only is that a funny line from Best, but he’s right — you can’t ever, ever underestimate USC. After Cal’s early games with Oregon and USC, I get the feeling we’ll know exactly where Cal falls in the conference. Cross fingers.