... a year in which its teams went 1-5 in bowl games and saw its national powerhouse, Southern Cal, plummet from the country’s elite to finish out of the top 25 for the first time since 2001.

Trying to make the jump towards respectability may be difficult this season, though. USC was hit with a postseason ban and Oregon lost starting quarterback Jeremiah Masoli to a case of bone-headedness, resulting in his expulsion from the university.

In the past six years, those two teams have represented the Pac-10 in the Rose Bowl and both could struggle due to off the field issues.

It is up to some of the middle-of-the-Pac teams, then, to make a difference and this year there are plenty of sleepers in the conference.

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