If anyone out there thinks they have a handle on who will win the Pac-10, they don't know what they're talking about. There are more question marks for more teams than the league has seen in a long time, and that means half the teams in the conference had a legitimate shot to win it all.

Washington is pretty darn talented, starting with quarterback Cody Pickett and wide receiver Reggie Williams, but the unknown is whether the coaching transition from Rick Neuheisel to Kevin Gilbertson will be used as a crutch for underachieving.

	The question for Cody Pickett is how much help he will get from the UW defense.

Gilbertson is a heck of a coach and is was the brains behind some terrific offenses, but his team opens the season at Ohio State on Aug. 30. Pickett and Reggie Williams could see their Heisman hopes dashed in Week 1 because this is not the same kind of Huskies team I remember playing against. They are finesse group that must get better in the running game and on defense.

Washington State is also coming into the season with a new coach in Bill Doba, and Matt Kegel is a good quarterback but is replacing one of the best in WSU history in Jason Gesser. Jermaine Green was a nice addition to the Wazzu running game last year, but the Cougars had trouble against powerful rushing attacks and go to Notre Dame and Colorado before October rolls around. Those are the kinds of things that continue to hurt the Pac-10 and its best teams.

Karl Dorrell takes over as the head man at UCLA but has no previous head coaching experience. There is some talent on the team, though, and with 14 starters back and Tyler Ebell in the backfield things are a little easier for him in his debut season. But once again, the non-conference schedule could be a problem -- the Bruins go to Colorado and Oklahoma before beginning the Pac-10 slate -- and quarterback Drew Olson needs to establish himself as the man in Los Angeles.

Oregon State could be a sleeper out west, but the physical beating the Beavers took from Pittsburgh in the Insight.com bowl is bothersome. Running back Steven Jackson deserves to be mentioned as a Heisman candidate, though, after going for 15 touchdowns and nearly 1,700 yards last season, while quarterback Derek Anderson also progressed nicely and 10 starters are back on defense. But Mike Riley is just another on the list of new head coaches and it will be interesting to see how his team responds.

One Pac-10 team made a concerted effort to be a dominant defensive team last season, and while USC didn't win the league title it was fairly obvious that the Trojans were the best team in the conference at the end of the year.

USC destroyed a very good Iowa team in the Orange Bowl and the Trojans have studs up front on both sides of the ball, but they head to Auburn on Aug. 30 and don't allow whomever the new quarterback will be to get his feet under him. Mike Williams is as good as it gets at receiver, but he might be hurt by that shaky situation. That said, the incredible front seven on defense and the potential of super freshman Reggie Bush in the running game make them my pick for the conference.

There may be some other surprises out there but there are just as many variables. Oregon has a ton of talent but can't cover anyone on defense, California's defense was weakened by the NFL draft and the Bears also lost quarterback Kyle Boller, and don't count out Arizona State. Coach Dirk Koetter has done a terrific job with the Sun Devils, turning quarterback Jason Walter into a great passer and leader, but they did give up 30 or more points on seven occasions last season.

Whether it be schedule, quarterbacks or coaching, every team in the Pac-10 is facing a certain degree of uncertainty.

The one sure thing, though, is that there should be no talk about the league facing an East Coast bias in the Heisman race. USC's Carson Palmer won it last year and there are plenty of guys to keep an eye on: the Williams receivers, Pickett, Walter, Jackson, maybe even Ebell.

There is no question the Pac-10 can line its skill position talent against the best in the country, but we have seen in recent years that the overall style of play out there is not conducive to national championship football. Great offense and little defense is not going to get it done.

But at the same time, the conference as a while schools need to be commended for stepping up and playing the kind of early-season matchups we're seeing this year. The best teams in the league have tremendous opportunities to make noise during the non-conference schedule.

They are all over the map early on, and the chance to prove themselves against the best of the rest will raise the profile of the league and benefit every team in the conference.

Trev Alberts is a college football analyst for ESPN and a regular contributor to ESPN.com during the season.