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The reality of college football is that all players eventually leave and the best players often leave sooner -- for the NFL draft -- than fans and coaches would want.

So while many view a count of returning starters as a great measure of what things might look like in the future, filling voids is really what spring practices are all about.

Many key conference players are off to the NFL. But which leaves behind the biggest hole?

For four years, Jake Locker was the face of Washington. While his numbers weren't good in 2010, he was the Huskies unquestioned leader, not to mention being good enough to go eighth overall in the NFL draft.

Just like Locker, Jacquizz Rodgers was the face of Oregon State, starting with his thrilling debut in the 2008 upset of USC. Speaking of difficult to replace, what about one player who was two players? That was Stanford's Owen Marecic in 2010, who was the Cardinal's starting fullback and linebacker.

Oregon is replacing three starters on its defensive line, but none was as productive over the past two seasons as end Kenny Rowe, who produced 20 sacks and 31.5 tackles for a loss over the past two seasons.

Happy Friday.

First of all, there are many questions about the Pac-12 network. I share your questions because there are no answers yet. At least officially.

Pac-12 Media Enterprises will operate the network. But that's about as far as things got, other than commissioner Larry Scott saying -- sorta cryptically -- that the league will have another major announcement in 60 days.

I'm with Jon Wilner: Got to be about the network, considering it's a fairly big project scheduled to be up-and-running in about 15 months (August of 2012).

Maybe the conference starts from scratch; maybe it buys an existing channel and re-brands it. Don't know yet. As for distribution, all we got from Scott this week is his confidence that there will be national distribution in some shape or form that will lead to increased revenue and widespread exposure for the conference.

The biggest reasons Scott believes it won't be hard to get wide distribution for the network is that it will broadcast plenty of A-list content -- football and men's basketball -- not just Olympic sports. That's not the case on the Big Ten Network.

Follow me on Twitter.

To the notes.

Mike from Modesto, Calif., writes: Not that the NFL draft should match Ted's Pac-10 Top 25 perfectly, but it did reflect my comment on the biases on the top 25 list, especially anti-Stanford. Owen Marecic was drafted in the fourth round, well ahead of the other Pac-10 fullbacks who the NFL "rated higher" than Owen, according to Ted (Havili went at the very end of the draft). Marecic also went a round before Jaquizz Rodgers, #9 on the Pac-10 list that Marecic was left off of. Richard Sherman was ignored by Ted all season despite playing a complete shutdown corner and forcing teams to ignore his side of the field most of the year. Sherman was not ignored by the NFL who took him ahead of the two Top 25 Oregon CBs (#20 & 22)--their names are not important, beings they were ignored by the NFL, as was Jeff Maehl (#12 on the list), but not Ryan Whalen, drafted in the 6th round. Defensive lineman Kenny Rowe was #17 on Ted's list, but went undrafted, unlike Sione Fua, who went in the third round, but was left off of Ted's list.

Ted Miller: Again, as I tweeted, leaving Marecic off was a mistake. I explained my reasoning for why I did -- and still don't think it was invalid -- but if I had to do the list over, I would include Marecic.

But let's also understand something: The NFL draft isn't what the top-25 is about. Oh, a player's potential NFL standing plays a role -- it certainly does with Andrew Luck -- but it's not the be-all end-all. Jake Locker and Rahim Moore didn't make the list either, and they were off the draft board before a lot of guys on the list.

As for Sherman, I'm happy he got drafted. Good dude. But he didn't earn first- or second-team All-Pac-10 honors. The three cornerbacks on the list all did.

Yes, Ryan Whalen was drafted and Jeff Maehl was not. Whalen had 439 yards receiving and two touchdowns in 2010. Maehl had 1,076 yards and 12 touchdowns.

I've repeatedly called Sione Fua an underrated player and praised his NFL prospects, but he had 23 tackles last season. Rowe had 16.5 ... tackles for a loss.

And, by the way, No. 25 on the list, California running back Shane Vereen was picked in the second round. You don't seem concerned about his low rating for some reason.

There was no anti-Stanford bias. Make your own list. See how difficult it is.

There might be more Cardinal players on the preseason top-25 list than any other team. I can think of five or six guys off the top of my head. But that won't reflect a sudden pro-Stanford bias or a desire to appease you Cardinal fans outside my house RIGHT NOW with torches and pitchforks and long ropes.

It will just be little ole me trying to make a new list that, again, won't make everyone happy.

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Ryan from Zanesville, Ohio writes: I'll pose this question to you:Hypothetical scenario: The Pac-12, Big 10, ACC, Big 12, and Big East all produce a 12-0/13-0 team as does Boise St. A 12-0 and a 11-1 SEC team play in their conference title game and the 11-1 team barely edges out the 12-0 team on a late 4th quarter controversial call. Which two teams meet in the title games? Does the BCS system implode like the nuclear test at Bikini Atoll?

Ted Miller: I know the genesis of this question, which I get some form of a lot: Does the BCS system essentially ensure that the SEC champion plays for the national title?

Short answer: no.

The two teams that play for the championship are the two teams that finish atop the BCS standings. The standings include three components: USA Today Coaches Poll, Harris Interactive College Football Poll and an average of six computer rankings. Each component counts one-third toward a team's overall BCS score.

For a one-loss team to beat out an unbeaten team, it must somehow end up with a better human and/or computer ranking. That would happen for a couple of reasons. Either a high preseason ranking, a tough schedule or both.

So, a 12-1 SEC -- after winning the SEC championship -- would have to have a pretty special resume to beat out four of five unbeaten teams from AQ conferences to play for the national title. How could it happen? Well, say the Pac-12, Big Ten, Big East and ACC champions have just one win over a ranked team, while the 12-1 SEC champ beat five. Unlikely, but that could do it.

Understand that your scenario has never happened. A once-beaten SEC team has not eclipsed an unbeaten AQ conference champion for a spot in the national title game. That's only happened to unbeaten teams -- fair or unfair -- from a non-AQ conference.

The SEC, however, has been treated as first among equals by the BCS standings when matched against other 1-loss teams from AQ conferences. That's what happened to USC in 2003, 2007 (two losses) and 2008.

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Jeff from Fredericksburg, Texas writes: You Sir-Need to write a retraction or at minimum an apology for the lack of facts and honesty in your blog about the PAC with there "oh so many draft picks". What a [term deleted], 6 of those young men never played in the PAC. Was this a slam at the Big12. Truth be known they were right behind the PAC and in front of the [Big Ten]. Because 7 of the calculated [Big Ten] were actually in the Big 12....Note Nebraska. You are either a typical deceptive lying journalist with an agenda or just down right stupid. What a moron!

Ted Miller: Sigh.

1. I included Utah and Colorado because they now fall under my coverage area of the Pac-12. My including them was a service to Utah and Colorado fans.

2. All the way down in the second paragraph ... "If the six combined picks from Colorado and Utah are taken away from the conference, the old Pac-10 provided NFL teams 3.1 draft picks per team, also just behind the SEC at 3.17."

No, the Big 12 wasn't right behind the Pac-10. You're running into a problem with a complicated mathematical calculation. So go buy a calculator. I'll wait here.

The Big 12, with Nebraska and Colorado, produced 30 draft picks. The Pac-10 without Colorado and Utah produced 31. This, by the way, was explained in the story: "Nebraska was a big swing to the Big Ten from the Big 12 with seven picks. With Colorado and Nebraska, the Big 12 provided 30 selections."

But the one-man advantage isn't the story. Take the calculator out of its box. Divide 30 by 12. Then divide 31 by 10. What do those numbers mean?

They mean the Pac-12, without Colorado and Utah, provided 3.1 draft picks per team to the NFL. The Big 12, with Nebraska, provided 2.5.

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Jim from Portland writes: My friends I are starting to forecast (err...trash talk) the 2011 seasons of our favorite teams. We are stuck on how to figure out who will be the conference champion because none of us are familiar with how ties will be broken for entry into the Pac 12 championship game. Can you help us figure out whether a 9 and 3 Cougar team will head to championship game or a 9 and 3 Beaver team will go assuming they are tied and have the best records in the north (this example is tongue in cheek as I am a diehard Duck fan, but if it happens I will take full credit for being the first to say it).

Ted Miller: Divisional tiebreaker for two teams is head-to-head matchup.

By the way, here's how the home field will be decided in the Pac-12 championship game in the event that the winners of the North and South divisions have the same conference record.

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Tom from Washington D.C. writes: As a former roommate of the 07/08 Stanford tree, I can't tell you how many different ideas for a Sportscenter commercial we came up with. Just thought some Stanford football fans might appreciate how well you guys nailed it with this one.

Ted Miller: That's a good one. Poor tree.

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Kyle from Bellevue, Wash., writes: One of my favorite things about the Pac-12 Blog are the quotes you include at the beginning of your posts, which have led me to some good movies and books. As a fellow English major, could you recommend a reading list? Since I graduated college a month ago, it feels funny to not be assigned reading, so I was thinking that Professor Miller may be able to assign some for me.

Ted Miller: Professor Miller! Someone knows how to tap into my vanity.

I answer this off-topic question, though, because a book just blew the top of my head off: "Winter's Bone" by Daniel Woodrell. My advice is read it. Now.

They made a movie of it, which I plan to watch this weekend, and which is supposed to be pretty darn good, too.

If I were making a reading list, here's a start: White Noise, by Don DeLillo, Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy, The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway, Light in August, by William Faulkner, The Crying of Lot 49, by Thomas Pynchon, The Corrections, by Jonathan Franzen, The Bushwhacked Piano, by Thomas McGuane, The French Lieutenant's Woman, by John Fowles, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Lucky Jim, by Kingsley Amis, House Made of Dawn, by N. Scott Momaday, On the Road, by Jack Kerouac, Slaughterhouse Five, by Kurt Vonnegut, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, by Michael Chabon, The Sot-Weed Factor, by John Barth, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams, Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, by John le Carre, A Fan's Notes, by Frederick Exley, Still Life With Woodpecker, by Tom Robbins and To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee.

Sure I left a few out.

This will be my final post on our 2010 top 25 players rankings. It's also a line between looking back at the Pac-10 and looking forward to the Pac-12.

This post projects ahead: These players are the leading candidates for a preseason top 25.

First, here's who's back in 2011 -- 11 players -- from our top-25.

1. Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
2. LaMichael James, RB, Oregon
4. Darron Thomas, QB, Oregon
6. Juron Criner, WR, Arizona
7. Chris Polk, RB, Washington
11. Omar Bolden, CB, Arizona State
13. Vontaze Burfict, LB, Arizona State
14. Matt Barkley, QB, USC
18. Nick Foles, QB, Arizona
22. Cliff Harris, CB, Oregon
23. Jermaine Kearse, WR, Washington

And here's who's back -- nine players -- from our "left-out list."

Shayne Skov, LB, Stanford
Chase Thomas, LB, Stanford
Mychal Kendricks, LB, California
John Boyett, FS, Oregon
Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford
David DeCastro, OG, Stanford
Marquess Wilson, WR, Washington State
Jeff Tuel, QB, Washington State
Delano Howell, SS, Stanford

So that's 20 front-runners for the next list we'll put together this summer. Also, don't forget that competition will be more intense with the inclusion of Utah and Colorado for the next list.

Or will the Utes and/or Buffaloes get shutout? Neither welcomes back a first-team all-conference player from the Mountain West or Big 12, respectively (Colorado doesn't have a second-team player coming back, either).

Should be pretty interesting.

Welcome to the "How the heck could you be so stupid, Pac-12 blog!" post.

Our ranking of the top-25 Pac-10 -- not Pac-12 yet -- players is over. Here is our final tally.

Sure each of you has some sort of gripe with the list, and I would hope you would. The cool kids hang out here, and cool kids don't agree on everything because then they wouldn't be cool.

The most popular harrumph was the omission of Stanford's two-way player, Owen Marecic. I completely understand that. I likely would have ranked him 26th, but even then I would have paused. I will tell you why in a moment.

The angry mobilization by typically "read but don't comment" Stanford fans was great, though. I anticipated both the irritation with Marecic's absence and the general frustration with the lack of Stanford players on the list. Both reactions were perfectly reasonable, and the zealousness was fun. There were plenty of "What about Stanford?" moments for me while I toiled over the final list.

So now I will take on the unenviable task of briefly explaining why players didn't make the list. I'm guessing I will want to take a shower afterwards because the "left-out list" includes many outstanding players, many of whom will be high draft choices this year and in years to come.

But Marecic gets special treatment; he goes first. Here's my reasoning.

Yes, Marecic is a great story. Two-way player. Good on both sides of the ball. Tough guy. Quiet. Cool hair. Cult hero. Really, really smart. Tenth in the Heisman Trophy vote. Jim Harbaugh struggled each week to top the previous week's praise of a guy he repeatedly called "his favorite player."

But here's the problem: 1. He was the second best fullback in the conference (USC's Stanley Havili was the best; he didn't make the list); 2. He was Stanford's fourth-best linebacker -- see the numbers here.

And then he had the Shayne Skov, Chase Thomas, Sione Fua, Delano Howell, Jonathan Martin, David DeCastro problem. If you were picking a team for a high-stakes game, you'd pick those guys -- all Cardinal teammates -- before Marecic. And none of those guys made the list.

Yes, you would. Trust me. If, say, you were playing for $10 million, you'd pick one of them. Why? Because a good fullback and solid-to-middling linebacker isn't as valuable as an outstanding one-way player.

Nor would you pick Marecic over Shane Vereen, No. 25 on our list. Before you scream at your computer screen, let your mind drift back to this unhappy memory, Stanford fans.

Now, Stanford fans, take heart. This summer, we will begin an top-25 preseason list, and at this point you figure to get as many as six guys on that list, including No. 1 overall.

Also, it might help to look at the list below. Not exactly chopped liver.

This list is roughly in the order of consideration.

Rahim Moore, FS, UCLA: He's a cool dude. He's going to be off the NFL draft board before the end of the second round. But he didn't put up great numbers for a bad defense.
Brandon Bair, DT, Oregon: Bair's production went down over the second half of the season. He got beaten up a bit, and offensive coordinators starting paying him more attention. Further, I was already uncomfortable with seven players from one team on the list.
Shayne Skov, LB, Stanford: Love his game. Got better as year went on. Just missed the cut. He, Vontaze Burfict and Mychal Kendricks are your first-team All-Pac-12 LBs in 2011.
Ricky Elmore, DE, Arizona: 21.5 sacks over the past two seasons, including a conference-leading 11 in 2010. But Brooks Reed was a better player, and Elmore had a couple of off games. At one point, he was fighting to retain his starting job over D'Aundre Reed.
Chase Thomas, LB, Stanford: A close second to Skov as the most productive player on the Stanford defense.
Sione Fua, NT, Stanford: Fua might have been the conference's most underrated player. So why stop now?
Mychal Kendricks, LB, California: 15 tackles for a loss. Highly productive. Highly talented. But he didn't fully arrive in 2010.
Jake Locker, QB, Washington: He may still end up a first-round draft choice but his numbers just weren't good enough this fall.
John Boyett, FS, Oregon: Got caught in the shuffle of Ducks. Further, the coaches didn't pick him first- or second-team All-Pac-10, rating him behind Cal's Chris Conte, UCLA's Rahim Moore, USC's T.J. McDonald and Washington's Nate Williams, none of whom made the top-25.
Mike Mohamed, LB, California: A very good player who perhaps slipped a little in 2010.
Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford: The top-25 was hard on O-linemen.
David DeCastro, OG, Stanford: See above.
Marquess Wilson, WR, Washington State: No true freshman made the list, not Wilson, not USC's Robert Woods. But Coug fans: You will have your first top-25 player this preseason. Maybe more than one.
Colin Baxter, C, Arizona: Baxter dropped because the Wildcats offensive line underachieved.
Jeff Tuel, QB, Washington State: A good QB. Folks will see that this year. Still, only ranked sixth in the conference in passing efficiency.
Chris Conte, S, California: First-team All-Pac-10. Safeties didn't fare well on the list.
Delano Howell, SS, Stanford: Second-team All-Pac-10. See above.
Lawrence Guy, DT, Arizona State: A solid tackle who was eclipsed by better players.

Our countdown of the Pac-10's top-25 players is over, and the chief result is annoying Stanford fans, particularly those of FB-LB Owen Marecic.

Their gripe is legit. Not including Marecic kept me up at night -- really -- but this wasn't a list of my favorite players.

On Tuesday, we will look at the players who just missed the cut, which includes Marecic and a significant group of Stanford teammates. It's a long list -- nearly as long as the top-25 -- with a lot of good players. It was easier when I did my first iteration of this list in 2009, which included 30 players.

A lot of Oregon fans disagree with me -- and with Chip Kelly and Nick Aliotti and the Pac-10 coaches who vote for the All-Pac-10 team -- and rank Cliff Harris ahead of Talmadge Jackson. Certainly their right. Not sure Ducks fans have much to gripe about with this list, though, considering there are seven Ducks on it and no other team has more than three.

Feel free to make your own lists. The most difficult part, you'll find, is when you come up with 25 names and then go, "Oh, crud, forgot about X! Can't leave him off!" And then you have to knock someone off your list.

And the next list -- preseason -- will be tougher because it will including Colorado and Utah.

Couple of notes.

Here are the top-25 players by team. The bolded names return in 2011.

Arizona
6. Juron Criner
15. Brooks Reed
18. Nick Foles

Arizona State
11. Omar Bolden
13. Vontaze Burfict

California
8. Cameron Jordan
25. Shane Vereen

Oregon
2. LaMichael James
4. Darron Thomas
12. Jeff Maehl
17. Kenny Rowe
19. Casey Matthews
20. Talmadge Jackson
22. Cliff Harris

Oregon State
3. Stephen Paea
9. Jacquizz Rodgers

Stanford
1. Andrew Luck
10. Chase Beeler

UCLA
21. Akeem Ayers

USC
14. Matt Barkley
16. Tyron Smith
24. Jurrell Casey

Washington
4. Mason Foster
7. Chris Polk
23. Jermaine Kearse

Washington State
None

And here are the players who made the preseason list but didn't make this list. Some tough cuts here.

No. 2. Jake Locker, QB, Washington
No. 6. James Rodgers, WR, Oregon State
No. 7. Rahim Moore, S, UCLA
No. 10. Trevin Wade, CB, Arizona
No. 12. Ricky Elmore, DE, Arizona
No. 18: Colin Baxter, C, Arizona
No. 20. Lawrence Guy, DT, Arizona State
No. 22. Owen Marecic, LB/FB, Stanford
No. 23. Kristofer O'Dowd, C, USC
No. 25 Kai Forbath, K, UCLA

We conclude our countdown of the Pac-10's 25 best players from 2010.

Note: Because we are ranking players based on this past season, it's Pac-10, not Pac-12.

Here are the preseason rankings (click each name to read the blurb).

No. 1. Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

2010 numbers: Luck ranked third in the nation in passing efficiency. He threw for 3,338 yards with 32 touchdowns and eight interceptions, completing 70.7 percent of his passes. He also rushed for 453 yards and three scores.

Preseason ranking: No. 4

Making the case for Luck: Well, the NFL's case would be picking Luck first overall in the draft this spring, but Luck thumbed his nose at expectation and said he wanted to get his Stanford degree and opted to return for his redshirt junior season. But this ranking isn't about NFL projections or that Luck embodies everything you'd want a student-athlete to be. He's not No. 1 because we like him. And he's not even No. 1 because if you asked any college coach in the nation who'd he picked first heading into the 2011 season, he'd take Luck and not even think about it for a moment. Luck, the 2010 Heisman Trophy runner-up, put up huge numbers last fall and led the Cardinal to its best season in the modern era. Stanford finished with a 12-1 record and a dominant Orange Bowl win over Virginia Tech, in which Luck threw four touchdown passes and earned MVP honors. Luck had two mediocre games last season: He threw two interceptions in back-to-back games against Notre Dame and Oregon. But over the final eight games he threw 19 touchdown passes and just four picks. And 71 percent completion rate is just sick, particularly when you consider he was throwing to just an average corps of receivers.

No. 2. LaMichael James, RB, Oregon
No. 3. Stephen Paea, DT, Oregon State
No. 4 Darron Thomas, QB, Oregon
No. 5. Mason Foster, LB, Washington
No. 6. Juron Criner, WR, Arizona
No. 7. Chris Polk, RB, Washington
No. 8. Cameron Jordan, DE, California
No. 9. Jacquizz Rodgers, RB, Oregon State
No. 10. Chase Beeler, C, Stanford
No. 11. Omar Bolden, CB, Arizona State
No. 12. Jeff Maehl, WR, Oregon
No. 13 Vontaze Burfict, LB, Arizona State
No. 14. Matt Barkley, QB, USC
No. 15. Brooks Reed, DE, Arizona
No. 16. Tyron Smith, OT, USC
No. 17. Kenny Rowe, DE, Oregon
No. 18. Nick Foles, QB, Arizona
No. 19. Casey Matthews, LB, Oregon
No. 20. Talmadge Jackson, CB, Oregon
No. 21. Akeem Ayers, LB, UCLA
No. 22. Cliff Harris, CB, Oregon
No. 23. Jermaine Kearse, WR, Washington
No. 24. Jurrell Casey, DT, USC
No. 25. Shane Vereen, RB, California

We continue our countdown of the Pac-10's 25 best players from 2010.

Note: Because we are ranking players based on this past season, it's Pac-10, not Pac-12.

Here are the preseason rankings (click each name to read the blurb).

No. 2. LaMichael James, RB, Oregon

2010 numbers: James led the nation with 1,731 yards rushing -- 144.25 yards per game -- and ranked second with 21 rushing touchdowns. He averaged 5.89 yards per carry. He also caught 17 passes for 208 yards and three TDs.

Preseason ranking: No. 3

Making the case for James: For starters, he's Oregon’s first unanimous All-American. And he won the Doak Walker Award as the nation's best running back. And he was a Heisman Trophy finalist. It's really, really hard to rank him No. 2, but, well, you all know who's next. In a list of the nation's top players, James would have been top-five (Auburn's Cam Newton and Nick Fairley are the only obvious choices ahead of him in addition to that other guy). He's set Ducks freshman and sophomore records for rushing and is on the short list of Heisman Trophy candidates as a junior next fall. By the way, he also was first-team All-Pac-10 -- academic, that is.

No. 3. Stephen Paea, DT, Oregon State
No. 4 Darron Thomas, QB, Oregon
No. 5. Mason Foster, LB, Washington
No. 6. Juron Criner, WR, Arizona
No. 7. Chris Polk, RB, Washington
No. 8. Cameron Jordan, DE, California
No. 9. Jacquizz Rodgers, RB, Oregon State
No. 10. Chase Beeler, C, Stanford
No. 11. Omar Bolden, CB, Arizona State
No. 12. Jeff Maehl, WR, Oregon
No. 13 Vontaze Burfict, LB, Arizona State
No. 14. Matt Barkley, QB, USC
No. 15. Brooks Reed, DE, Arizona
No. 16. Tyron Smith, OT, USC
No. 17. Kenny Rowe, DE, Oregon
No. 18. Nick Foles, QB, Arizona
No. 19. Casey Matthews, LB, Oregon
No. 20. Talmadge Jackson, CB, Oregon
No. 21. Akeem Ayers, LB, UCLA
No. 22. Cliff Harris, CB, Oregon
No. 23. Jermaine Kearse, WR, Washington
No. 24. Jurrell Casey, DT, USC
No. 25. Shane Vereen, RB, California

We continue our countdown of the Pac-10's 25 best players from 2010.

Note: Because we are ranking players based on this past season, it's Pac-10, not Pac-12.

Here are the preseason rankings (click each name to read the blurb).

No. 3. Stephen Paea, DT, Oregon State

2010 numbers: Paea had 45 total tackles, including 10 for a loss with six sacks. He also forced four fumbles and had two pass breakups.

Preseason ranking: No. 5

Making the case for Paea: It's been interesting to read some of the comments on Paea, questioning where he would be on this list. My response: really? Paea was the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year and won the Morris Trophy for a second consecutive year, a honor which is voted on by opposing offensive linemen. So for those of you who question Paea at No. 3, take your case to your local 300-pounder who tried to block him.

A two-time, first-team All-Pac-10 selection, he also was a first-team All-American as selected by The Associated Press, Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News. After setting a bench press record at the NFL combine, he might even end up getting picked in the first round of the NFL draft this spring. Paea, who only took up football when he was 17-years-old, made at least one tackle-for-loss in 12 of the past 18 games. His 14 career sacks and 29.5 tackles for loss -- accumulated over three seasons as a junior college transfer -- rank eighth on the school's all-time list. He's also the school record holder for forced fumbles with nine, including matching a school record with four this season.

Simply, Paea was the best defensive player in the Pac-10 last year as voted on by the coaches and the people who were charged with slowing him down.

No. 4 Darron Thomas, QB, Oregon
No. 5. Mason Foster, LB, Washington
No. 6. Juron Criner, WR, Arizona
No. 7. Chris Polk, RB, Washington
No. 8. Cameron Jordan, DE, California
No. 9. Jacquizz Rodgers, RB, Oregon State
No. 10. Chase Beeler, C, Stanford
No. 11. Omar Bolden, CB, Arizona State
No. 12. Jeff Maehl, WR, Oregon
No. 13 Vontaze Burfict, LB, Arizona State
No. 14. Matt Barkley, QB, USC
No. 15. Brooks Reed, DE, Arizona
No. 16. Tyron Smith, OT, USC
No. 17. Kenny Rowe, DE, Oregon
No. 18. Nick Foles, QB, Arizona
No. 19. Casey Matthews, LB, Oregon
No. 20. Talmadge Jackson, CB, Oregon
No. 21. Akeem Ayers, LB, UCLA
No. 22. Cliff Harris, CB, Oregon
No. 23. Jermaine Kearse, WR, Washington
No. 24. Jurrell Casey, DT, USC
No. 25. Shane Vereen, RB, California

We continue our countdown of the Pac-10's 25 best players from 2010.

Note: Because we are ranking players based on this past season, it's Pac-10, not Pac-12.

Here are the preseason rankings (click each name to read the blurb).

No. 4 Darron Thomas, QB, Oregon

2010 numbers: Thomas completed 61.5 percent of his throws for 2,881 yards with 30 touchdown passes. He also rushed for 486 yards and five scores. He ranked second in the Pac-10 -- behind a guy named Andrew Luck -- and 17th in the nation in passing efficiency.

Preseason ranking: Unranked

Making the case for Thomas: Well, when you are the quarterback of record leading a team to the national championship game, making a case isn't too difficult. But Thomas isn't ranked way up here merely because he was the quarterback of record as a first-year starter for the Pac-10 champions. He's here because his numbers earned him this spot. Honestly, you really don't have to go much further than 35 total touchdowns. Not to cause a problem or anything, but do you know how many TDs Washington scored in 2010? That's right: 35. Heck, Oregon State scored 39. Thomas showed consistent improvement all year and uncanny poise for a sophomore. Remember how poorly he played early in the national title game against Auburn? Well, he ended up passing for 363 yards and two touchdowns. Not too shabby. Thomas earned second-team All-Pac-10 honors in 2010 and may well end up there again this fall (that Luck guy). But he also could end up a second-team All-American.

No. 5. Mason Foster, LB, Washington
No. 6. Juron Criner, WR, Arizona
No. 7. Chris Polk, RB, Washington
No. 8. Cameron Jordan, DE, California
No. 9. Jacquizz Rodgers, RB, Oregon State
No. 10. Chase Beeler, C, Stanford
No. 11. Omar Bolden, CB, Arizona State
No. 12. Jeff Maehl, WR, Oregon
No. 13 Vontaze Burfict, LB, Arizona State
No. 14. Matt Barkley, QB, USC
No. 15. Brooks Reed, DE, Arizona
No. 16. Tyron Smith, OT, USC
No. 17. Kenny Rowe, DE, Oregon
No. 18. Nick Foles, QB, Arizona
No. 19. Casey Matthews, LB, Oregon
No. 20. Talmadge Jackson, CB, Oregon
No. 21. Akeem Ayers, LB, UCLA
No. 22. Cliff Harris, CB, Oregon
No. 23. Jermaine Kearse, WR, Washington
No. 24. Jurrell Casey, DT, USC
No. 25. Shane Vereen, RB, California

We continue our countdown of the Pac-10's 25 best players from 2010.

Note: Because we are ranking players based on this past season, it's Pac-10, not Pac-12.

Here are the preseason rankings (click each name to read the blurb).

No. 5. Mason Foster, LB, Washington

2010 numbers: Foster ranked second in the nation and No. 1 in the Pac-10 with 12.54 tackles per game -- 163 total tackles. He also ranked sixth in the conference with 12.5 tackles for a loss, which included 6.5 sacks, which tied for seventh in the conference. Further, he recovered two fumbles, forced two fumbles and blocked a kick.

Preseason ranking: No. 11

Making the case for Foster: The 6-foot-2, 242-pound senior and team captain, who started 41 games for the Huskies, earned first-team All-Pac-10 honors after another extremely productive seasons. He also earned first-team All-American honors from scout.com and rivals.com and third-team All-American from the Associated Press and honorable mention from Sports Illustrated. His 163 tackles are most by a Pac-10 player since former Husky James Clifford had 168 in 1989. And don't write off the tackle numbers as being a product of a "system" or for Foster piling up assists: He also was the conference leader and ranked No. 2 nationally in solo tackles (8.08 per game). At the end of the season, he was playing as well as any linebacker in the nation. He capped the regular season with 14 tackles, including a sack and a half, in the Apple Cup win at Washington State. Then he was named the defensive MVP of the Holiday Bowl, finishing that upset victory over Nebraska with 12 tackles, including three tackles for loss and two sacks. He's expected to be picked in this spring's NFL draft in the third or fourth round.

No. 6. Juron Criner, WR, Arizona
No. 7. Chris Polk, RB, Washington
No. 8. Cameron Jordan, DE, California
No. 9. Jacquizz Rodgers, RB, Oregon State
No. 10. Chase Beeler, C, Stanford
No. 11. Omar Bolden, CB, Arizona State
No. 12. Jeff Maehl, WR, Oregon
No. 13 Vontaze Burfict, LB, Arizona State
No. 14. Matt Barkley, QB, USC
No. 15. Brooks Reed, DE, Arizona
No. 16. Tyron Smith, OT, USC
No. 17. Kenny Rowe, DE, Oregon
No. 18. Nick Foles, QB, Arizona
No. 19. Casey Matthews, LB, Oregon
No. 20. Talmadge Jackson, CB, Oregon
No. 21. Akeem Ayers, LB, UCLA
No. 22. Cliff Harris, CB, Oregon
No. 23. Jermaine Kearse, WR, Washington
No. 24. Jurrell Casey, DT, USC
No. 25. Shane Vereen, RB, California

We continue our countdown of the Pac-10's 25 best players from 2010.

Note: Because we are ranking players based on this past season, it's Pac-10, not Pac-12.

Here are the preseason rankings (click each name to read the blurb).

No. 6. Juron Criner, WR, Arizona

2010 numbers: Criner led the Pac-10 in receptions (82) and receiving yards (1,233), and ranked second with 11 touchdown receptions. His yardage total ranked ninth in the nation.

Preseason ranking: Unranked

Making the case for Criner: Criner's case is simple: He was the best receiver in the Pac-10 by a wide margin in 2010. His 94.8 receiving yards per game was 10 more than anyone else. And, since he opted to return for his senior season instead of entering the NFL draft, the 6-foot-4, 210 pounder will be an All-American and Biletnikoff Award candidate in 2011, particularly if he improves as much as he did from 2009, when he was second on the Wildcats with 45 receptions for 582 yards and team-high nine touchdowns. The most interesting aspect of Criner is that he has plenty of room to get better in all aspects of his game. If he does, he'll bolster his -- and probably quarterback Nick Foles' -- NFL draft prospects substantially.

No. 7. Chris Polk, RB, Washington
No. 8. Cameron Jordan, DE, California
No. 9. Jacquizz Rodgers, RB, Oregon State
No. 10. Chase Beeler, C, Stanford
No. 11. Omar Bolden, CB, Arizona State
No. 12. Jeff Maehl, WR, Oregon
No. 13 Vontaze Burfict, LB, Arizona State
No. 14. Matt Barkley, QB, USC
No. 15. Brooks Reed, DE, Arizona
No. 16. Tyron Smith, OT, USC
No. 17. Kenny Rowe, DE, Oregon
No. 18. Nick Foles, QB, Arizona
No. 19. Casey Matthews, LB, Oregon
No. 20. Talmadge Jackson, CB, Oregon
No. 21. Akeem Ayers, LB, UCLA
No. 22. Cliff Harris, CB, Oregon
No. 23. Jermaine Kearse, WR, Washington
No. 24. Jurrell Casey, DT, USC
No. 25. Shane Vereen, RB, California

We continue our countdown of the Pac-10's 25 best players from 2010.

Note: Because we are ranking players based on this past season, it's Pac-10, not Pac-12.

Here are the preseason rankings (click each name to read the blurb).

No. 7. Chris Polk, RB, Washington

2010 numbers: Polk ranked second in the Pac-10 with 1,415 yards rushing -- his 108.9 yards per game ranked 13th in the nation -- and he scored nine touchdowns. He also caught 22 passes for 180 yards.

Preseason ranking: Unranked.

Making the case for Polk: Polk ended up being the Huskies most important offensive player instead of quarterback Jake Locker. His 260 total carries ranked second in the Pac-10 and were third-most in school history. But what really elevated Polk on this list was his late-season surge that was perhaps the biggest reason the Huskies won three in a row and made their first bowl game since 2002.

He rushed for 138 yards against UCLA, 86 yards at California -- including the winning fourth-and-1 plunge on the game's final play -- and 284 yards at Washington State, the second-best rushing total in school history. Then, in the Holiday Bowl against a good Nebraska defense, he rushed for 177 yards on a career-high 34 carries and was named the offensive MVP. Moreover, many of those yard came after contact. Polk has the speed to break away, but he's also one of the more physical runners in the conference. And he's not a bad receiver, either. The rising junior's second-consecutive 1,000-yard season pushed him to No. 6 on the Huskies all-time rushing list with 2,561 yards. He likely will be the leader of the offense in 2011, so he figures to continue to climb that list. He could end up on some All-American lists.

No. 8. Cameron Jordan, DE, California
No. 9. Jacquizz Rodgers, RB, Oregon State
No. 10. Chase Beeler, C, Stanford
No. 11. Omar Bolden, CB, Arizona State
No. 12. Jeff Maehl, WR, Oregon
No. 13 Vontaze Burfict, LB, Arizona State
No. 14. Matt Barkley, QB, USC
No. 15. Brooks Reed, DE, Arizona
No. 16. Tyron Smith, OT, USC
No. 17. Kenny Rowe, DE, Oregon
No. 18. Nick Foles, QB, Arizona
No. 19. Casey Matthews, LB, Oregon
No. 20. Talmadge Jackson, CB, Oregon
No. 21. Akeem Ayers, LB, UCLA
No. 22. Cliff Harris, CB, Oregon
No. 23. Jermaine Kearse, WR, Washington
No. 24. Jurrell Casey, DT, USC
No. 25. Shane Vereen, RB, California

We continue our countdown of the Pac-10's 25 best players from 2010.

Note: Because we are ranking players based on this past season, it's Pac-10, not Pac-12.

Here are the preseason rankings (click each name to read the blurb).

No. 8. Cameron Jordan, DE, California

2010 numbers: Jordan finished with 62 tackles -- tops among Bears defensive linemen -- including 12.5 tackles for a loss and 5.5 sacks. He also forced three fumbles, broke up four passes and recovered a fumble.

Preseason ranking: No. 15

Making the case for Jordan: While Cal had a disappointing season, Jordan put it all together as a senior. The first-team All-Pac-10 selection may end up as the first conference player drafted by an NFL team this spring. ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper presently projects him as going 18th overall in the first round. These rankings aren't based on NFL draft projections; they are based on what happened this season. But we'd be lying if we said that Jordan isn't a few notches higher due to the way he dominated at the Senior Bowl and put up impressive numbers at the combine. That further verified Jordan's maturation as a player. He began his career as a pure talent with good bloodlines -- his father, Steve, made the Pro Bowl six times as a tight end for the Minnesota Vikings -- and ended up as the best player on a defense that ranked first in the Pac-10 in yards surrendered (319 per game) and third in scoring (22.6 ppg). He was effective versus the run as well as rushing the passer and forced offensive coordinators to account for him on every play.

No. 9. Jacquizz Rodgers, RB, Oregon State
No. 10. Chase Beeler, C, Stanford
No. 11. Omar Bolden, CB, Arizona State
No. 12. Jeff Maehl, WR, Oregon
No. 13 Vontaze Burfict, LB, Arizona State
No. 14. Matt Barkley, QB, USC
No. 15. Brooks Reed, DE, Arizona
No. 16. Tyron Smith, OT, USC
No. 17. Kenny Rowe, DE, Oregon
No. 18. Nick Foles, QB, Arizona
No. 19. Casey Matthews, LB, Oregon
No. 20. Talmadge Jackson, CB, Oregon
No. 21. Akeem Ayers, LB, UCLA
No. 22. Cliff Harris, CB, Oregon
No. 23. Jermaine Kearse, WR, Washington
No. 24. Jurrell Casey, DT, USC
No. 25. Shane Vereen, RB, California

We continue our countdown of the Pac-10's 25 best players from 2010.

Note: Because we are ranking players based on this past season, it's Pac-10, not Pac-12.

Here are the preseason rankings (click each name to read the blurb).

No. 9. Jacquizz Rodgers, RB, Oregon State

2010 numbers: Rodgers, a first-team All-Pac-10 selection, rushed for 1,184 yards with 14 touchdowns and caught 44 passes for 287 yards and three TDs.

Preseason ranking: No. 1

Making the case for Rodgers: It was a disappointing season for Rodgers and a disappointing season for Oregon State, while Oregon's LaMichael James produced a body of work that left little doubt who was the best running back in the Pac-10 -- and the state -- in 2010. Still, Rodgers put up good numbers by any measure, and his numbers are even better when you consider this detail: His offensive line failed him. The Beavers not only ranked ninth in the conference in rushing -- they got a total of 21 yards rushing per game from anyone other than Rodgers -- but they also yielded 35 sacks, which also ranked ninth in the conference. When brother James went down with a knee injury in game five at Arizona, the offense largely became "Jacquizz versus the world": He scored 17 of the Beavers 37 total TDs. Rodgers, typically a mellow sort, showed a lot of fire during the Beavers struggles -- he admitted his frustration multiple times -- but he also (at least from what we can gather) did it in a positive way, which is admirable. As it is, he turned in his third consecutive season with more than 1,000 yards rushing and pushed up to sixth on the Pac-10's career rushing list (3,877 yards), which is second on the Beavers all-time list behind Ken Simonton. Instead of returning next fall to make a run at the record, he opted to enter the NFL draft. It will be interesting to see where the diminutive but productive, multi-purpose runner is selected.

No. 10. Chase Beeler, C, Stanford
No. 11. Omar Bolden, CB, Arizona State
No. 12. Jeff Maehl, WR, Oregon
No. 13 Vontaze Burfict, LB, Arizona State
No. 14. Matt Barkley, QB, USC
No. 15. Brooks Reed, DE, Arizona
No. 16. Tyron Smith, OT, USC
No. 17. Kenny Rowe, DE, Oregon
No. 18. Nick Foles, QB, Arizona
No. 19. Casey Matthews, LB, Oregon
No. 20. Talmadge Jackson, CB, Oregon
No. 21. Akeem Ayers, LB, UCLA
No. 22. Cliff Harris, CB, Oregon
No. 23. Jermaine Kearse, WR, Washington
No. 24. Jurrell Casey, DT, USC

No. 25. Shane Vereen, RB, California

We continue our countdown of the Pac-10's 25 best players from 2010.

Note: Because we are ranking players based on this past season, it's Pac-10, not Pac-12.

Here are the preseason rankings (click each name to read the blurb).

No. 10. Chase Beeler, C, Stanford

2010 numbers: Beeler earned first-team All-Pac-10 honors. Oh, and he was a consensus All-American.

Preseason ranking: No. 19

Making the case for Beeler: Beeler was the quarterback of perhaps the best line in the nation. Stanford ranked 17th in the nation in rushing -- 213.8 yards per game -- and allowed just six sacks, the second fewest in the nation. The Cardinal ranked 14th in the nation in total offense (472.5) and ninth in scoring offense with 40.3 ppg. While Beeler isn't widely seen as an elite NFL prospect, this ranking is about what he accomplished on the field in 2010, and that was quite a lot. And that's why he was a first-team All-American for the Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America and American Football Coaches Association and earned second-team honors with Walter Camp.

No. 11. Omar Bolden, CB, Arizona State
No. 12. Jeff Maehl, WR, Oregon
No. 13 Vontaze Burfict, LB, Arizona State
No. 14. Matt Barkley, QB, USC
No. 15. Brooks Reed, DE, Arizona
No. 16. Tyron Smith, OT, USC
No. 17. Kenny Rowe, DE, Oregon
No. 18. Nick Foles, QB, Arizona
No. 19. Casey Matthews, LB, Oregon
No. 20. Talmadge Jackson, CB, Oregon
No. 21. Akeem Ayers, LB, UCLA
No. 22. Cliff Harris, CB, Oregon
No. 23. Jermaine Kearse, WR, Washington
No. 24. Jurrell Casey, DT, USC
No. 25. Shane Vereen, RB, California