ESPN College Football

Bruce Feldman ranked the top-10 quarterback competitions in the country, and four involve Pac-12 teams: No. 4 UCLA, No. 7 Washington, No. 9 Arizona State and No. 10 California.

He also predicts whom he believes will win the job.

Here are some of his thoughts. And, of course, mine.

UCLA Bruins -- Kevin Prince vs. Richard Brehaut vs. Brett Hundley

Feldman: The offense has been Neuheisel's biggest issue, and if he can't get the passing game cranked up, he's probably not going to keep his job past 2011... The hope of most Bruins fans is that Hundley, the No. 5 QB in the 2011 class, will be mature enough to take this job. He is the most dangerous runner of the trio and might have the strongest arm. This is a program that desperately needs a spark, and perhaps Hundley has, as they say, "It." Folks around Westwood have already started calling him 'the savior.'

Feldman's prediction: Hundley.

My take: I promise I am not related to Kevin Prince, nor am I an investor in Kevin Prince. I may be the last one holding this position, but I think Prince is a pretty good QB, if healthy. That's a big "if," though. If I were a betting man, I'd take Hundley, too, but just don't count Prince out.

Washington Huskies -- Keith Price vs. Nick Montana

Feldman: Sophomore Price, Locker's understudy this past fall, has the experience edge, having played in eight games in 2010. His athleticism also will help his cause. His challenger is redshirt freshman Montana... is said to be very poised, and he throws well on the run despite a decent but not powerful arm, which sounds a lot like his dad. Montana could be the type of guy who doesn't wow anyone in practice but would be very tough to unseat if he won the job.

Feldman's prediction: Price.

My take: I'd pick Price, too, but just based on experience. Guessing the competition will continue well into the fall, though.

Arizona State Sun Devils -- Steven Threet vs. Brock Osweiler vs. Michael Bercovici

Feldman: It remains to be seen how much action Threet will see during the spring. Six-foot-8 Osweiler, a former Gonzaga hoops recruit, did a lot of good things when he was in the lineup last year. In his two starts at the end of the regular season, both wins, he threw for 647 yards, five touchdowns and zero picks, also running for 91 yards. His ability to be consistent is the real question with Osweiler.

Feldman's prediction: Osweiler.

My take: Ditto. The most important thing I saw from Osweiler was the proverbial "tale of two halves" he produced at Arizona. He was awful in the first half, which made his strong play in the second half even more impressive. You can't underestimate the value resiliency in QBs, particularly in a rivalry game on the road.

California Golden Bears -- Brock Mansion vs. Allan Bridgford vs. Austin Hinder vs. Zach Maynard vs. Beau Sweeney

Feldman: In this quintet, there are guys with strong arms, great size, intelligence and athleticism, but is there one who is able to display several of those attributes on the field all at once? At the very least, the bloodlines here are noteworthy: Hinder's grandfather is former NFL coach Jim Hanifan; Sweeney's granddad is former Fresno State coach Jim Sweeney; and Maynard's half-brother is budding Cal wide receiver standout Keenan Allen. Maynard, the most athletic of the group, is also the most intriguing. He started 12 games at Buffalo, throwing for almost 2,700 yards with 18 TDs and 15 INTs. He is a playmaker, but the question will be whether he can avoid big mistakes and be a guy Tedford can count on

Feldman's prediction: Maynard.

My take: If I were going to be honest, I'd repeat what Tedford is saying publicly and told me on signing day in a casual telephone conversation: "I have no idea." If Tedford doesn't, then I certainly don't. Feldman is correct that many are intrigued by Maynard's experience and athleticism, but he doesn't fit in with the typical profile of a Tedford QB -- read: pro-style pocket passer.

I'm going off the grid here and tapping Bridgford. Why? Why not! If I'm right, I will hound Feldman about it. If I'm wrong, Feldman probably will be too busy writing a book to remember.

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

The backup quarterback is just a bruised shoulder or broken jaw away from taking over the most critical position on the field -- just ask USC or UCLA.

There's already been plenty of quarterback movement in the conference -- injuries, depth chart changes, etc. -- so it seemed like a good time to see where the Pac-10 QB depth stands.

Ready to roll

Lyle Moevao, Oregon State: Heck, it's hard to even call Moevao a backup to Sean Canfield, who was Moevao's backup last year. Moevao owns an 11-4 record as a starter and is only on the bench because he's still recovering from off-season shoulder surgery.

Tavita Pritchard, Stanford: Pritchard is not going to play in the NFL, but he's a smart and experienced quarterback who started 19 games before being beaten out by talented redshirt freshman Andrew Luck. By the way, his first start was a win over USC.

Matt Scott, Arizona: He started the first three games this season but lost his job to Nick Foles after a poor performance at Iowa. Still, the sophomore has enough experience that if Foles went down the Wildcats wouldn't go into panic mode.

Marshall Lobbestael, Washington State: He started three games last year before a knee injury ended his season and two games this year before coach Paul Wulff opted to go with true freshman Jeff Tuel. He's battle tested, so if he's called upon again, it won't be like he's being fed to the wolves.

Nate Costa, Oregon: Before the 2008 season, Costa was the touted heir-apparent to Dennis Dixon. Then he blew out his knee -- for a second time. A healthy Costa is a nice backup plan for Jeremiah Masoli. And No. 3 Darron Thomas is no slouch -- he nearly led a comeback against Boise State in 2008.

Has the hype

Brock Osweiler, Arizona State: Folks around the Sun Devils program were so excited about the mature, 6-foot-8 Montana native that many thought he'd beat out senior Danny Sullivan for the starting job. The true freshman still might be a factor this season.

Mitch Mustain/Aaron Corp: Corp was the starter coming out of spring. Mustain practically disappeared until reemerging this week as Matt Barkley's potential backup. Both were prep All-Americans. Mustain was good enough to go 8-0 in the SEC at Arkansas, but offenses are more complex in the Pac-10.

Richard Brehaut, UCLA: The true freshman competed -- briefly -- for the starting job during spring practices and was listed as the backup until starter Kevin Prince went down with a broken jaw and coaches opted to go with the more experienced senior Kevin Craft. Brehaut was a top-100 prospect in 2008 and offensive coordinator Norm Chow was supposedly quite taken by his potential. When Prince returns, UCLA would change categories to "Ready to Roll," unless of course Craft implodes at Stanford on Saturday and falls back to No. 3.

Who knows?

Beau Sweeney, California: Sweeney, a redshirt freshman, recently eclipsed sophomore Brock Mansion on the depth chart. He's got great bloodlines. His father, Kevin, was a record-setting QB at Fresno State who had a cup of coffee in the NFL. His grandfather, Jim, was a highly respected college head coach, with tenures at Washington State and Fresno State. But Beau Sweeney hasn't seen any significant game action.

Ronnie Fouch, Washington: New Washington coach Steve Sarkisian went out of his way all through the preseason to praise Fouch, who struggled mightily when he came off the bench to replace an injured Jake Locker for the final eight games last year. He threw 13 picks with just four TDs and was sacked 123 times, plus or minus. But circumstances were awful last season, and Fouch got little support. It's hard to say what kind of player he would be if called upon this season.