Pac Ten Football Preview '07: Top Five Players

Coming up with a list of the best players in the Pac Ten conference is no easy task. It would be very easy just to go down the roster of the University of Southern California and pick at random and you'd probably come up with five players that are arguably among the best at their position. We tried to resist the urge...but came up short. Enjoy the list.

1. John David Booty, QB, Southern California

If the Heisman Trophy is going to return to the West Coast this year, it will be going to Trojan quarterback John David Booty. In his first year as a starter for the Men of Troy, Booty only led his team to a Pac Ten title and a win in the Rose Bowl. Not shabby, but not quite what Trojan fans have come to expect. If Booty hopes to finish his career with as few losses as his predecessor, he'll have to run the table and he just may.

Booty is not without his shortcomings, however. His mechanics mean that the Trojan signal caller has a low trajectory when he releases the ball--which can lead to some inopportune tipped balls in key situations, especially with a short field. What's more, Booty lost his two favorite targets--receivers Dwayne Jarrett and State Smith--to the NFL, meaning he'll have to earn every plaudit laid upon him in the 2007 season.

2. DeSean Jackson, WR, California

Expectations are high for the University of California's DeSean Jackson. Rivals.com and The Sporting News have him ranked as the nation's leading receiver and Rivals says he is the best special teams player in all the land. Jackson is on several watch lists for post-season honors, including the Belitnikoff and Randy Moss Awards--and something in the air in Berkeley has his name being touted as a potential Heisman Trophy candidate.

Last year, Jackson averaged 18 yards a catch on 59 receptions and was the lone bright spot in the Bears' loss to Arizona, with a career-long 62-yard touchdown catch and a 95-yard punt return en route to 285 all-purpose yards. Nearly one out of ever five times the ball is punted to Jackson, he returns it for a touchdown--making him a dual threat for the Golden Bears.

3. Yvenson Bernard, RB, Oregon State

The 5'9, 202 pound Yvenson Bernard starts his senior season in third place on the Beaver's all-time rushers list, with 2,648 career rushing yards. If he can keep up the pace of previous seasons, Bernard's name will be up there with Carles White and Marcus Allen among the Conference's best of all-time.

In 2006, all Bernard did was earn first-team conference honors at his position and led his team to a 6-0 record when he ran for more than 100 yards. If Bernard can stay healthy, expect the Beavers to not-so-quietly remain in the conference's top three and in the national top-25 polls.

4. Keith Rivers, LB, Southern California

Frankly, we could have chosen any number of USC linebackers and they'd deserve a spot on this list. Junior Rey Maualaga gets the University's nod as they're selling his #58 jersey, and Brian Cushing earned the Defensive Player of the Game award in the Rose Bowl, but it is the quiet leadership of #55 that makes Keith Rivers the tops in a very talented Trojan defensive corps.

5. Joe McKnight, RB, Southern California

OK, this is alot of pressure to put on a true freshman, but we're giving USC recruit Joe McKnight the fifth and final spot on our list of the Pac Ten's best players as a tribute to the career of Reggie Bush, even though we have yet to see #4 play. If McKnight is as good as Bush, then he should be listed at #1.

The comparisons to Bush are everywhere for the Louisiana native and it's not just because of his amazing high school highlight reels. With a crowded backfield in Troy, mcKnight will most likely make his impact this season catching the ball, then showing us what he can do with it after that. And for conference historians, you should recall that Reggie Bush's first start came at Notre Dame four years ago and he lined up, not as a running back, but at Wide Receiver. We'll see if McKnight does the same on October 20.