ESPN College Football

The Bowl Championship Series giveth and it taketh away, at least as far as the Pac-10 is concerned.

A year after USC lost out of a berth in that national title game, despite being perched at No. 1 in both polls, the Trojans held onto their top ranking the entire season and earned a spot opposite No. 2 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl.

So the system worked for the nation's toughest conference (according to the Sagarin Ratings).

Well, not completely.

California, despite a No. 4 ranking in both polls, was BCS-ed by Texas. The Longhorns finished fourth in the BCS and nipped the No. 5 Bears on logarithmic computer ratings, thus earning a berth in the Rose Bowl, leaving the Granddaddy without its cherished, traditional Pac-10-Big Ten matchup for the third time in four years.

That cost the conference about $4.5 million.

So unbeaten and unloved Auburn isn't the nation's only grumpy team. There's other bad news, too.

It appears that Matt Leinart's mediocre performance in the season finale against UCLA might have cost the Trojans their second Heisman Trophy in three years. Leinart failed to throw a touchdown pass for the first time in his career, while Oklahoma's Jason White lit up Colorado.

Moreover, if Arizona State hadn't flopped against rival Arizona, the conference might have ended up with three Top-10 teams for the first time since 2000.

Still, it's worth noting that the Pac-10 appears poised to become the only conference to produce at least two Top-10 teams over the past five seasons, with six different teams earning such lofty status.

The conference pecking order has changed, however, with a decided powershift south, away from the Northwest. Up in the rainy states, only 6-5 Oregon State produced the winning record required for a bowl berth, and it was only secured on the final day of the regular season with a blowout victory over stumbling former power, Oregon.

Washington State's string of 10-win seasons ended at three, while Washington and Stanford are both looking for new head coaches.

The Huskies went 1-10, their worst season in school history, while five conference victories over three losing seasons weren't enough for Buddy Teevens on The Farm.

So there was plenty of good and not-so-good -- and really awful -- in the Pac-10 this year.

Most Valuable Player
USC's Matt Leinart
Despite a completely rebuilt offensive line and receiving corps, Leinart threw for nearly 3,000 yards with 28 touchdowns with just six interceptions, completing 67 percent of his passes. He was the unquestioned leader of the Trojans' perfect run through the toughest schedule of any of the national title contenders.

He's also on the brink of becoming just the third quarterback over the past 30 years to lead his team to a repeat national title. He is 23-1 as a starter.

End of discussion.

Coach of the Year
USC's Pete Carroll
This should be a tie because USC's Pete Carroll and Cal's Jeff Tedford both have done masterful jobs, but we're going to break from conventional thinking and give it to Carroll.

Yes, Tedford has brilliantly led Cal from a 1-10 finish in 2001, the year before he arrived, to a No. 4 ranking, but Carroll could capture a second consecutive national title, a monumental achievement.

It's hard to be a frontrunner. It's hard to motivate your players every week, even when they know they will get everybody else's best shot. It's hard to go unbeaten with the youngest team in the conference.

He's won by emphasizing defense, a revolutionary gesture in the Pac-10. He's won with dominant recruiting that shows no signs of abating.

Many laughed when USC hired Carroll in 2001. No one is laughing any longer.

Newcomer of the Year
Arizona State's Zach Miller
Arizona State tight end Zach Miller proved his pedigree as Everybody's Prep All-American wasn't just empty hype after shattering Todd Heap's freshman school records with 51 receptions for 524 yards with six touchdowns.

The 6 foot 4, 245-pound Phoenix native proved he could match up physically at the line of scrimmage and figures to become a potent offensive weapon and All-American candidate before following Heap to the first round of the NFL draft.

Biggest Surprise
Arizona State
While the loss to Arizona certainly soured what could have been an outstanding season, Arizona State was picked to finish sixth in the Pac-10 during the preseason, and many thought coach Dirk Koetter's seat was toasty for reasons other than the brutal Tempe sunshine.

So an 8-3 finish, a Top-25 ranking and an invitation to the Sun Bowl isn't too shabby, particularly after the 2003 campaign was a complete bust following oodles of preseason hype.

Biggest Disappointment
Washington
While Oregon's first losing season since 1993 is big news, particularly with the considerable talent on hand, Washington's 1-10 record looks like a misprint.

The Huskies, who only managed to beat hapless San Jose State, turned in the worst season in the history of the program. It can't get any worse than that for a team that hasn't even had a non-winning season since 1976.

That's why just two years after jettisoning Rick Neuheisel, the Huskies pink slipped Keith Gilbertson, and now are expected to pay big bucks to a coach to lead the program out of its current malaise.

All-Pac-10 Team
Offense
QB -- Matt Leinart, USC RB -- J.J. Arrington, California RB -- LenDale White, USC WR -- Mike Hass, Oregon State WR -- Jason Hill, Washington State TE -- Alex Smith, Stanford OL -- Ryan O'Callaghan, California OL -- Adam Snyder, Oregon OL -- Grayling Love, Arizona State OL -- Mike McCloskey, UCLA OL -- Sam Baker, USC

Defense
DL -- Shaun Cody, USC DL -- Mike Patterson, USC DL -- Ryan Riddle, California DL -- Bill Swancutt, Oregon State LB -- Matt Grootegoed, USC LB -- Spencer Havner, UCLA LB -- Lofa Tatupu, USC DB -- Darrell Brooks, Arizona DB -- Mitch Meeuwsen, Oregon State DB -- Justin Wyatt, USC DB -- Aric Williams, Oregon State

Special Teams
K -- Alexis Serna, Oregon State P -- Tom Malone, USC Superman -- Reggie Bush, USC

Ted Miller covers the Pac-10 for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.