ESPN College Football

Our countdown of the Pac-10's top 25 players continues.

No. 2. Jake Locker, QB, Washington

2009 numbers: The 6-foot-3, 226-pound Locker completed 58 percent of his passes for 2,800 yards and 21 touchdowns and rushed for 388 yards and seven scores.

Most recent ranking: Locker was ranked sixth in our final Pac-10 top-30 list last year.

Making the case for Locker: While this list isn't about NFL prospects, Locker's are hard to ignore. He's a certain first-round pick next spring and could go No. 1 overall. As for his standing in the Pac-10, Locker likely would be the No. 1 pick among conference coaches. Only Stanford's Jim Harbaugh, who has No. 4 on this list, would pause. The only reason Locker is not No. 1 is the guy ahead of him is so fabulously accomplished that his body of work can't be denied. Locker is the leading returning player in the conference in total offense and scoring (his 28 total TDs tied Stanford's Toby Gerhart and Oregon's Jeremiah Masoli). He accounted for 372 total yards in the 2009 opener against LSU, the ninth-best total in school history. He led the Huskies to an upset of USC with a clutch performance -- 4-for-4 for 56 yards -- on the game-winning drive. He accounted for five TDs in a season-ending win over California. The 2007 conference Freshman of the Year, his 2008 season ended after four games when he injured his thumb while trying to throw a downfield block, which tells you a lot about the Huskies captain. He enters the 2010 season with 5,374 career passing yards, which is sixth on the school's career chart, and he already is the school's all-time leading quarterback rusher. He's been picked twice in the Major League Baseball draft and is presently under contract with the Los Angeles Angels, though he has repeatedly said that football is his No. 1 sport.

No. 3. LaMichael James, RB, Oregon
No. 4. Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
No. 5. Stephen Paea, DT, Oregon State
No. 6. James Rodgers, WR, Oregon State
No. 7. Rahim Moore, S, UCLA
No. 8. Akeem Ayers, LB, UCLA
No. 9. Mike Mohamed, LB, California
No. 10. Trevin Wade, CB, Arizona
No. 11. Mason Foster, LB, Washington
No. 12. Ricky Elmore, DE, Arizona
No. 13. Kenny Rowe, DE, Oregon
No. 14. Jurrell Casey, DT, USC
No. 15. Cameron Jordan, DE, California
No. 16. Nick Foles, QB, Arizona
No. 17. Vontaze Burfict, LB, Arizona State
No. 18: Colin Baxter, C, Arizona
No. 19: Chase Beeler, C, Stanford
No. 20. Lawrence Guy, DT, Arizona State
No. 21. Matt Barkley, QB, USC
No. 22. Owen Marecic, LB/FB, Stanford
No. 23. Kristofer O'Dowd, C, USC
No. 24: Casey Matthews, LB, Oregon
No. 25 Kai Forbath, K, UCLA

Jake Locker will be all about the oblong spheroid this summer.

Locker, Washington's quarterback and a potential No. 1 pick in next spring's NFL draft, won't play baseball this summer, according to a radio interview he gave to 710 ESPN Seattle, which the always helpful Bob Condotta has provided the highlights of on his Huskies blog.

Said Locker: "I'm going to concentrate on getting ready for this coming football season. It's a big summer for us as far as making sure that we're here spending time with each other, getting cohesion between me and the receivers and the running backs and the line, able to work with everybody as a unit and getting comfortable with each other. So I think it's an important summer for us. I'll be here spending time with those guys."

Locker signed a six-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels last August that paid him a reported $250,000. Locker has long said baseball is his backup plan if football does not work out, and the Angels obviously believe his athletic ability is worth a roll of the dice.

As for being projected as the top NFL draft pick in 2010, Locker said this: "It's an honor. It's cool. It's something you think about when you're a kid and pretend like you're going to be in that situation at some point, but as cool as that stuff is ... you can't let it skew your view on what's really important, and that's what our team has the capability of doing. I think that as soon as you lose sight of that, all that other stuff falls by the wayside as well. So you need to focus on making sure that you do what you can every week to win a game, help your team win, and all that other stuff will take care of itself."

If you've followed Locker's career -- and I first interviewed him as a high school senior -- you would conclude that answer was very "Lockerarian."

It's about rivalries and bowl positions this week.

1. Will USC rediscover its mojo? The Trojans had a bye week to think about where their season has gone. They had plenty of time to consider a 27-point loss to Oregon and a 34-point defeat at home to Stanford. Will it make them mad and refocus them for UCLA's visit? Or will they shrug their shoulders over a season not up to their standards? Or, are the Trojans just not that good? There's still a lot to play for -- USC can still win 10 games -- and beating the Bruins would certainly bolster spirits, but it's hard to say what team will show up Saturday based on what's happened over the previous month.

2. Arizona tries avoid an Oregon hangover: While it's hard to imagine Arizona not being excited about playing hated rival Arizona State, that double-overtime loss to Oregon was an emotional blow, in large part because it ended Rose Bowl dreams. It was clear that many of the Wildcats felt they blew it against the Ducks. But they can't afford to ponder what-might-have-been too long. Losing to the Sun Devils would make things even worse and would sink a once-promising season.

3. Toby Gerhart vs. Notre Dame's run defense: Gerhart and Stanford rank 13th in the nation in rushing offense. The Cardinal offensive line is extremely physical. And it's probably plenty motivated by a poor performance in the Big Game vs. California. Notre Dame ranks 80th in the nation in run defense. It's not terribly physical on its defensive line. And it may be sagging a bit as another disappointing season wears down. The potential is here for Gerhart to have a big day and loudly state his case as a leading Heisman Trophy candidate.

4. Will this be Jake Locker's penultimate game in Husky Stadium? Early in the season, Locker was widely viewed as a first-round NFL draft pick this spring. But his inconsistency in recent weeks might have tamped down those expectations. Of course, there's also his baseball contract with the Los Angeles Angels. It makes a lot of sense for Locker to return next fall and develop his game, but he might not be able to resist the allure of the next level -- in one sport or the other. Just something for Washington fans to think about as they watch Locker try to win his first Apple Cup.

5. UCLA's O-line vs. USC's D-front: UCLA's offensive line has improved this year. USC's front-seven has seemed to get worse. Both units have suffered significant injuries, but the Bruins seem to have been more resilient overcoming them. The Trojans figure to gang up on the run and try to force redshirt freshman quarterback Kevin Prince to beat them. If the Bruins can run anyway, that would bode well for the upset.

6. Szakacsy can establish himself as ASU's QB. Or not: Arizona State's offense has been mostly bad this year. The first order of business in 2010 will be figuring out who the quarterback will be. Samson Szakacsy, a sophomore, was OK in his first start last weekend at UCLA. He made some good plays. He made some bad ones. His speed is a nice thing to have behind a middling offensive line. If he could lead the Sun Devils to a win over Arizona, he could position himself as the frontrunner to win the job heading into spring practices.

7. Weis Watch vs. Big Game hangover: Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis is about to be fired. How will his players react on Saturday knowing he's shortly out the door? Will they play hard for him, or will they be flat and unfocused and thinking about their next coach? And what about Stanford? Will it bounce back from the disappointing loss in the Big Game and take out its frustrations on the struggling Fighting Irish? Or will it also be flat and unfocused? Both teams are coming off emotional lows. The winner likely is the one that feels like it's got more to prove.

8. Do the Cougs have another miracle in them? Washington State was hopeless last year -- way worse than this season -- yet it managed to post a surprising comeback overtime victory over Washington in the 2008 Apple Cup. On paper, the Huskies are much better than the Cougars again. And they are playing at home with a new coach they seem to like playing for. Ergo, Washington is a big favorite. But rivalry games sometimes turn out in surprising ways. It may take a miracle for Washington State to win, but sometimes miracles happen.

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

Los Angeles Times columnist T.J. Simers is one of a kind. When he shows up in the interview room, coaches and athletes start to sweat and look for the exit -- even a guy who often enjoys verbal duels, such as USC coach Pete Carroll.

	AP Photo/Elaine Thompson
	If Jake Locker keeps this pace up, he could become a Heisman Trophy candidate.

Simer's column about Carroll, USC and the disappearance of No. 3 QB Mitch Mustain is interesting in itself.

But this quote from Carroll about Washington quarterback Jake Locker caught my eye:

"That's the best quarterback we've played in nine years here," Carroll said when told Washington has beaten only Idaho and USC the last two years. " Jake Locker has ridiculous talent, and had he remained healthy last year, Tyrone [Willingham] would still be coaching there."

Er, Vince Young? Aaron Rodgers? Dennis Dixon?

Still, Carroll doesn't sling around such high praise for opposing players after a game that often.

Locker is presently 20th in the nation in total offense with 288 yards per game. He's thrown more passes this year -- 105 [Edit note: This total was changed from 63, the number of completions Locker has] -- than any other Pac-10 quarterback but he has only one interception with five touchdowns.

Carroll's quote and the early numbers raise a question.

If Washington, a team that just two over weeks ago was riding a 15-game losing streak, keeps winning, and Locker keeps putting up impressive numbers, how much longer until he becomes a Heisman Trophy candidate?

There's also been chatter of late that Locker might be playing his way into being a high pick in the 2010 NFL draft. Chris Mortensen tweeted that Locker and Sam Bradford are in a "real competition" to be the No. 1 quarterback in next year's draft.

If he opts to return for his senior year, he'd almost certainly be among the top-five preseason candidates for the 2010 Heisman Trophy.

A year ago vs. Stanford, Locker busted up his thumb, which ended his season, and he thereafter watched as his already-fired coach and the Huskies go on a college football version of the Bataan Death March. He was miserable.

Now, with a date at Stanford on Saturday, he's a high-profile baseball prospect under contract with the L.A. Angels and he's being touted as an elite NFL prospect.

And the Huskies are nationally ranked.

Sometimes life gives you lemons. And then it hands you a plate of shrimp and oysters to go with the lemons.

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

Washington quarterback Jake Locker is keeping his options open.

Locker's recently signed contract includes "parameters" for him to participate in the Angels minor league camp next spring and also play in the minor-league system, the Orange County Register reported, quoting Angels GM Tony Reagins.

Locker, a junior, has repeatedly said that football is his first priority and that baseball is a backup plan. Because he signed a professional contract, Locker was required to give up his football scholarship but the Angels will pay his tuition.

It's not that rare for a college football player to play two sports and it doesn't necessarily mean that Locker will miss work with the Huskies.

Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times pointed out that before Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon posted his brilliant 2007 season he played baseball for an Atlanta Braves' minor league team.