LOS ANGELES - Defending national champion Southern California was the unanimous choice to repeat as Pac-10 champions in preseason media balloting.<br>
<br>
Washington coach Keith Gilbertson has his own idea about the Trojans.<br>
<br>
"I picked them third this year - in the NFC West," Gilbertson joked Wednesday at the conference's media day.<br>
<br>
USC was picked to win the conference on all 24 ballots, the first time a team received all the first-place votes since the Pac-10 era began in 1978.<br>
<br>
"We're looking forward to camp opening up, coming off last season with all the high expectations," Trojans coach Pete Carroll said.<br>
<br>
"This presents a fantastic challenge for our coaches and our players and for highlight players such as (quarterback) Matt (Leinart) to come back and answer with a strong season."<br>
<br>
USC won the title last year and finished tied atop the standings with Washington State the previous season.<br>
<br>
California, the only team to beat USC last year, finished second in the preseason voting. The Bears, who finished 8-6 last season in coach Jeff Tedford's second year, previously had not been picked higher than fourth in the Pac-10 poll.<br>
<br>
Based on 10 points for a first-place vote down to one point for last place, the Bears had 210 points this year to the Trojans' 240.<br>
<br>
"We're very grateful that everybody's watching us and giving us respect, but at the same time, we're just trying to remain focused and not pay any attention to the hype," Bears wide receiver Geoff McArthur said.<br>
<br>
Oregon (192 points) was picked to finish third and was followed by Oregon State (138), Washington State (133), Arizona State (131), Washington (100), UCLA (98), Stanford (40) and Arizona (38).<br>
<br>
The poll has predicted the conference champion correctly for the past four years and five of the last six. But in the 43 years the poll has been conducted, including when the conference was the Pac-8, the voters have correctly predicted the champion only 21 times.<br>
<br>
Arizona, picked to finish 10th this year, can take hope from past balloting; in two of the past three years, the team picked to finish last posted a winning record.<br>
<br>
"The expectations of our staff and players are higher than those others out there," first-year Arizona coach Mike Stoops said, alluding to opinions of the Wildcats.<br>
<br>
Arizona State was picked by voters to finish as high as third and as low as ninth.<br>
<br>
Asked how he saw the Pac-10 race this season, Sun Devils coach Dirk Koetter grinned and replied, "I see the Pac-10 as Arizona State, then everybody else. I don't see that on this paper (the voting results), though. Of course, I'm paid to think that way."
